OUR PHILOSOPHY
We understand that counselling is expensive, and we want to do our part to contribute to affordable counselling services while also maintaining a well-trained and professional clinical and support staff. We base our standard rate on the BCACC-recommended market rates for Greater Victoria, but we also have a program to help make counselling a little more accessible. Arbour Subsidies are 12-session packages of reduced-fee appointments that each therapist reserves for a portion of their practice to offer to clients who demonstrate financial need.
Our subsidies offer a discount of between $10 and $50 per session for up to 12 sessions and are available for clients that do not have extended benefits for counselling (or have exhausted their plan for the year) and are part of households with combined income of less than $90,000/year.
OUR GENERAL GUIDELINES
We use a couple basic criteria for granting subsidies:
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You do not have an extended benefit plan that will cover the cost of counselling with a Registered Clinical Counsellor, or you have exhausted your benefit for the calendar year. If you are still using your benefits, please apply once they are fully utilized.
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We identify financial need using your gross annual household income as a guideline. Please click here for clarifying details, and if your Income Figure falls below below $90,000 you may be eligible for a subsidy. Refer to the chart below to identify our typical subsidy amounts.
under $50,000 | $150 minus | $50 | = | $100 + GST |
$50,000 - $59,999 | $150 minus | $40 | = | $110 + GST |
$60,000 - $69,999 | $150 minus | $30 | = | $120 + GST |
$70,000 - $79,999 | $150 minus | $20 | = | $130 + GST |
$80,000 - $89,999 | $150 minus | $10 | = | $140 + GST |
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Subsidies expire after 12 sessions or at the end of the calendar year, whichever is first. They are renewable/extendable if you are actively engaged in counselling, at the approval of your therapist.
I WAS A CLIENT BEFORE SEPTEMBER 2022,
AND I ALREADY RECEIVE A CLIENT COURTESY (SUBSIDY).
HOW DO THESE CHANGES AFFECT ME?
If you were a client before September 2022 and already receive a client courtesy (now called subsidy), that subsidy amount will remain unaffected for the rest of this calendar year. Your subsidy is the amount that is discounted from our standard rate. Since our standard rate increased by $10 to $150 on September 1, 2022, your rate also increased by $10 at that time.
A couple important additional changes apply to the way we now administer our subsidies:
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Our previous intake process asked every new client to provide household income information, and we automatically granted a subsidy based on your reported income range. Now we are asking new clients to apply separately for a subsidy if they have a need.
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Previously, subsidies never expired. Now they are valid for up to 12 sessions within a calendar year. They are easily renewed if you are actively engaged in counselling, at the discretion of your therapist, and you must request a renewal.
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Previously, subsidies were granted even if you utilized extended benefits, and now we grant subsidies only once your extended benefits are exhausted for the calendar year. If you are paying a subsidized rate, and your work in counselling carries into a new calendar year, we'll ask you to return to our full rate until your benefits are exhausted for the new calendar year, then submit a new subsidy application.
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If you were a client before September 2022 and are currently using extended benefits but also receiving an Arbour Subsidy, you are grandfathered, and your subsidy remains in effect until December 31, 2022.
Please don't hesitate to call our office if you have any questions. Thank you.