Christian Counselling · British Columbia
Christian Counselling in British Columbia
TEO Counselling Services offers Christian counselling across British Columbia, virtually. Sessions are delivered by Alison Shaji, a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with a master's degree in Clinical Psychology, and combine evidence-based psychotherapy with a Christian framework where you want that. Sessions are also available in Hindi and Malayalam. The initial 15-minute consultation is free. Alison is a practising Christian, so faith isn't something that has to be explained or translated before the work begins.
Book a free 15-minute consultationChristian counselling vs. biblical counselling — an honest distinction
These terms get used interchangeably, and they shouldn't be. The difference matters when you're choosing.
Biblical or pastoral counselling is delivered by a pastor, elder, or lay counsellor working primarily from scripture. It may be offered through a church, sometimes at no cost, and the counsellor may not be a registered clinician.
Christian counselling as we provide it is clinical psychotherapy delivered by a Registered Clinical Counsellor, with your faith integrated into the work at whatever level you choose. It uses evidence-based methods — EMDR, CBT, the Gottman Method — and may be reimbursed by an extended health plan that covers a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC).
Neither is better in the abstract. But they suit different situations. If you're working through trauma, a diagnosable condition, or something that hasn't shifted with prayer and pastoral support, clinical care is worth considering — and it doesn't have to mean setting your faith aside to get it. Some people use both, and we're glad to work alongside your pastor rather than in competition with them.
What faith-integrated actually looks like in session
You choose the level, and you can change it at any point:
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Fully integrated — prayer, scripture, and a Christian framework are woven through the work.
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Faith-aware — your beliefs shape how we approach things, without scripture being the method.
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Set aside — you want a therapist who understands your world but would rather keep therapy clinical.
What it never means: being told what to believe, having a diagnosis reframed as a spiritual failing, or being told that more faith would resolve a clinical problem. Depression is not a lack of faith. Anxiety is not disobedience. Trauma is not a discipline issue.
What we work with
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Anxiety and depression, including the guilt of struggling while believing you shouldn't be.
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Trauma and PTSD, using EMDR.
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Marriage and couples counselling through the Gottman Method — including couples where one partner's faith has shifted.
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Grief and loss, including grief that unsettles beliefs that were supposed to make it bearable.
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Church hurt and religious trauma — harm that happened inside a faith community, addressed without asking you to leave your faith.
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Purpose, calling and vocational discernment where it's affecting mental health.
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Forgiveness — including the situations where it's genuinely complicated.
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Parenting, family conflict and intergenerational faith differences.
If fear of sin, doubts about salvation, or a need to confess or pray again and again have become constant and hard to switch off, our article on scrupulosity (religious OCD) explains what that can be, how it differs from a sincere conscience, and what the evidence says about treatment.
How a first session with Alison unfolds
The free 15-minute consultation comes first. It is a conversation, not an assessment: you say what is going on, in whatever order it comes out, and Alison tells you plainly whether this is the right kind of help. You can also say, right there, how much you want faith to be part of the work — fully integrated, faith-aware, or set aside — and there is no wrong answer.
The first full session is 60 minutes, by video, from anywhere in British Columbia. It is mostly history and direction: what brought you here, what you have already tried (prayer, pastoral support, a small group), and what you want to be different. If you have asked for scripture or prayer in session, it sits alongside the clinical method rather than replacing it — an EMDR session is still an EMDR session, and a Gottman couples session still follows its structure.
From there the pace is yours. Nothing is dug into before you are ready, and structured trauma work does not begin until there is enough stability and enough trust in the room to make it worth doing. You can change the level of faith integration at any session, and you can pause or stop whenever you choose — there is no package and no minimum number of sessions.
Therapy in Hindi and Malayalam
Alison offers sessions in English, Hindi, and Malayalam. For Malayalam-speaking Christian families — Syro-Malabar, Marthoma, Orthodox, and Pentecostal communities across British Columbia — a Registered Clinical Counsellor who works in Malayalam and understands the faith context, without either needing translation.
If you've held off because explaining your family, church, and community to a therapist felt like more work than the problem itself, that's the gap this is meant to close.
Confidentiality
Sessions are confidential under BC privacy law and the ethical standards of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. Nothing is shared with your church, pastor, family, or employer without your written consent, apart from the legal exceptions explained before you start: a risk of serious harm to you or someone else, a child in need of protection, a court order or subpoena, or abuse by a regulated health professional.
If you'd rather your church community not know you're seeking support — for any reason at all — virtual, independent, confidential therapy is the answer to that.
Sessions and fees
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Counsellor | Alison Shaji, MA Clinical Psychology, RCC |
| Languages | English, Hindi, Malayalam |
| Initial consultation | Free, 15 minutes |
| Individual | $150 per 60-minute session |
| Couples | $175 per 60-minute session |
| Format | Virtual, anywhere in BC |
| Insurance | Depends on whether your plan covers an RCC; direct billing with Alison for Pacific Blue Cross, CVAP and TELUS eClaims plans |
Frequently asked questions
What is Christian counselling?
Christian counselling is psychotherapy that integrates Christian faith into the clinical work. At TEO Counselling Services it's delivered by a Registered Clinical Counsellor using evidence-based approaches, with faith included at whatever level the client chooses — from fully integrated prayer and scripture, to simply working with a therapist who shares and understands the framework.
Is Christian counselling the same as biblical counselling?
No. Biblical or pastoral counselling is delivered by a pastor or lay counsellor working primarily from scripture, and may be offered through a church rather than by a registered clinician. Christian counselling as we provide it is clinical psychotherapy with faith integrated into it, which means it can address diagnosable conditions and trauma, and may be reimbursed by an extended health plan that covers a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC).
Will you use scripture or prayer in sessions?
Only if you want that. Some clients want prayer and scripture woven through the work; others want a therapist who understands their faith but prefer to keep sessions clinical. You set the level and can change it at any time.
Can Christian counselling help with church hurt or religious trauma?
Yes. Harm that occurred within a church or faith community is treatable with the same evidence-based approaches used for other relational trauma, including EMDR. You are not asked to leave your faith to address it, and the goal is not to talk you out of belief.
Is Christian marriage counselling available?
Yes. We use the Gottman Method, an approach with a substantial research base in couples therapy, applied within a Christian framework where couples want that — including couples where the partners' faith has diverged.
Is Christian counselling covered by insurance in BC?
It depends on the designation your plan covers. Sessions are delivered by a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), so check whether your extended health plan names RCC; MSP does not cover counselling in private practice. Pastoral or biblical counselling provided by someone who is not a registered clinician would not be claimable under an RCC benefit. Direct billing is available with Alison for Pacific Blue Cross, CVAP and plans on the TELUS eClaims network; for other plans you receive an insurance-ready receipt after every session.
Questions Christian clients ask before booking
Does my therapist need to share my denomination?
No. Alison is a practising Christian and welcomes clients from Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostal, Syro-Malabar and Marthoma backgrounds. Sessions are about your mental health, not doctrine: she does not take a position on denominational questions and will not tell you what to believe.
Can we come as a couple if only one of us is a believer?
Yes. Couples sessions use the Gottman Method, and the level of faith integration is set by the two of you together — including when one partner has stepped away from faith or never shared it. Neither partner is asked to adopt the other's beliefs, and the focus stays on how you handle conflict, repair after it, and stay connected.
Will Alison speak with my pastor?
Only with your written consent, and only about what you authorise. Nothing is shared with a church, pastor or congregation otherwise, apart from the legal exceptions explained before you start. Where you want it, she can work alongside pastoral care rather than in competition with it.
Is this available outside Vancouver and Victoria?
Yes. Sessions are by video, so anywhere in British Columbia with a private space and a stable connection works — the Lower Mainland, the Island, the Interior and the North. Alison is registered in British Columbia and sees clients in this province only.
What does it cost, and how do I start?
Individual sessions are $150 per 60-minute session and couples sessions are $175 per 60-minute session. The first step is a free 15-minute consultation, booked online with no referral. MSP does not cover counselling in private practice; reimbursement depends on whether your extended health plan covers a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), and direct billing is available with Alison for Pacific Blue Cross, CVAP and plans on the TELUS eClaims network.
Written by Alison Shaji, MA Clinical Psychology, RCC — TEO Counselling Services. Registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC).
If you need someone now
Therapy is not a crisis service. These are free and staffed around the clock:
- · 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 9-8-8 (Canada, 24/7)
- · Kids Help Phone (for young people): 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868
- · Hope for Wellness Help Line: 1-855-242-3310 (24/7)
If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.
Book a free 15-minute consultation
A short conversation about what's going on and whether this is the right fit. No assessment, no commitment.
Book a free 15-minute consultation