CVAP Counselling · Virtual Across British Columbia
CVAP counselling in BC — gentle, specialized support after crime
If crime has left you carrying fear, grief, or sleepless nights, British Columbia’s Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) may cover the cost of counselling. TEO Counselling is an approved CVAP vendor — once the program approves counselling benefits, approved sessions are billed directly to CVAP, at no cost to you.
Free 15–20 minute consultation · No referral needed · Nothing to decide today
If you need immediate support
If you or someone you know is in crisis or having thoughts of self-harm, please reach out right away — you don't have to wait for a therapy appointment.
- 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline — call or text 988 (24/7, Canada-wide)
- BC Crisis Line — 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433), 24/7
- HealthLink BC — call 811 to speak with a registered nurse any time
- Emergency — call 911 if there is immediate danger
What is the Crime Victim Assistance Program?
CVAP is a British Columbia government program that can help eligible victims of crime, their immediate family members, and some witnesses with costs that follow a crime — including counselling. Something that took minutes can echo for years, and money should not decide whether you face that echo alone.
Applying is free, and you apply directly to the program through the official BC government page. To be honest about the boundaries: every eligibility and benefit decision is made by CVAP, not by TEO Counselling. We cannot assess your application or promise an outcome, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
Where we come in: TEO Counselling is an approved vendor with the program. If CVAP approves counselling benefits for you, we bill the program directly for approved sessions — you pay nothing for those sessions and never chase a reimbursement. The counselling itself is trauma therapy at heart: slow, consent-based, shaped around what you can manage.
Counselling after crime can help when you’re facing:
Fear that follows you into ordinary places — parking lots, transit, your own home
Memories, images, or nightmares that arrive uninvited
Sleep that won’t come, or won’t stay
Feeling constantly on guard, startled by small things
Guilt or self-blame, as if what happened were somehow your fault
Dread around police reports, court dates, or seeing the person again
Grief for the sense of safety you had before
How CVAP counselling works at TEO
Three steps — and you’re welcome to talk to us at any point, including before you apply.
Apply to CVAP
Submit your application through the Crime Victim Assistance Program. Applying is free, and the program can answer questions about your situation directly.
CVAP reviews and decides
The program assesses eligibility and, if you qualify, sets out your counselling benefits. Decisions and timelines rest with CVAP.
Begin counselling with TEO
Once your benefits are approved, approved sessions are billed directly to the program — no invoices, no reimbursement paperwork, just the counselling.
Clinicians who work with victims of crime
For a closer look at how we work with what crime leaves behind, see our PTSD therapy page — and if the harm happened while you were on duty, our first responder therapy page speaks to that directly.
Mohamad Shabib, MACP, CCC
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the CRPO. Trauma sits at the centre of Mohamad’s practice: EMDRIA-trained in EMDR — which processes traumatic memories without a detailed retelling — alongside IFS Levels 1–2, CBT for Trauma, and addictions training (CACCF). Sessions in English & Arabic.
Alison Shaji, MA Clinical Psychology, RCC (BCACC)
Registered Clinical Counsellor serving clients in BC. Alison draws on DBT, EMDR, CBT, psychoanalytic, and inner-child approaches to meet fear, shame, and grief in whatever form they take after a crime. Sessions in Malayalam, Hindi & English.
Practical details & confidentiality
Every session is virtual — secure video over Zoom, Google Meet, or Jane, from wherever in BC feels safest. Evening and weekend times keep counselling from competing with work, school, or childcare.
What you share in session stays confidential within the limits of the law. Where CVAP billing is involved, only the paperwork the program requires goes out — and your counsellor walks you through it first.
Waiting on a CVAP decision, or prefer not to use the program? You can still begin — standard fees apply, a sliding scale is available, and our fees & insurance page lays everything out.
CVAP counselling — common questions
What is CVAP counselling?
CVAP counselling is therapy funded through British Columbia’s Crime Victim Assistance Program. If CVAP approves counselling benefits for you, the program can cover the cost of sessions with an approved provider such as TEO Counselling.
Who can apply for CVAP benefits?
The program is designed for victims of crime in BC, their immediate family members, and some witnesses. Eligibility is decided entirely by CVAP — not by TEO Counselling — so the surest step is to apply through the official BC government page.
How much will CVAP counselling cost me?
For sessions CVAP has approved, nothing — approved sessions are billed directly to the program, so there is no fee to pay and no reimbursement to chase. If you are not using CVAP, individual sessions are $150 per hour, with a sliding scale available and a free 15–20 minute consultation to start.
Do I have to describe the crime in detail?
No. You set the pace. Approaches like EMDR can help process traumatic memories without a blow-by-blow retelling, and your counsellor will never push you to share more than you are ready to.
Is what I share in counselling confidential?
Yes, within the limits of the law that apply to every regulated counsellor in Canada. Billing CVAP involves only the paperwork the program requires, and your counsellor will explain what is shared before anything is sent.
You didn’t choose what happened. Support is still yours to choose.
The free consultation is confidential and unhurried — a chance to ask questions about CVAP, counselling, or both, with no pressure to book anything afterwards.
Book Free ConsultationPrefer to work with Alison? Book with Alison · Or call: (519) 760-5211