Frequently
Asked
Questions
This page is dedicated to answering common questions people have about therapy in general as well as questions about me.
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To help me build this page I asked friends what they often feel curious about and their questions covered a range of topics:
The Job Title
Ever had the question:
"What's the difference between a therapist and a counsellor?"
Professionals that provide talk therapy as a way to
support mental health may use either term interchangeably.
Therapist
In Canada, there are differences between provinces when it comes to what the field is officially called.
In Ontario and Quebec, they use "psychotherapy" to become a Registered Psychotherapist (RP).
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Professionals in other provinces will unofficially use the word "therapy" and "therapist" to describe their work since it is more universally known and understood. Sometimes it just makes it easier when talking to people outside of the field.
I personally lean towards using therapist and therapy, but will use them interchangeably, as you may have noticed on this site.
Counsellor
In British Columbia, this is likely the most used between the two, because the profession is called Clinical Counselling here, and someone who gets a master degree in the field goes on to become a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC).​
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Sometimes the job gets mistaken for career counsellor, school counsellor, or a government council member (councilor) when we just say "counsellor" without the "clinical counsellor" part.
So, some of us will use the word therapy since it can more quickly evoke sitting in an office talking to someone for mental health support.
​Session Fee
If your therapist has a private practice,
it means they are self-employed,
so when you come to therapy,
you’re not just paying for 50 minutes of time -
you’re supporting the full ecosystem that makes the work possible.
This is the type of practice that I have here at Nikki Holli Therapy.
Ever had the question:
"where does my session fee go?"
I know I have! When I was a client of therapy before becoming a therapist, I often wondered about the differences in session costs across
different practitioners, cities, and programs.​
​
The session fee allows your counsellor to:
Provide Thoughtful Care
Every session is supported by time outside the room. This quiet, behind-the-scenes labor includes reviewing notes, reflecting on our work together, and tailoring approaches to fit your needs.
We also pay for supervision to get help from someone with more experience than us.
Cover Business Essentials
As a private practitioner, we manage everything from booking systems and billing software to insurance, office supplies, book-keeping, accounting, and professional fees. These are some of the less visible but essential parts of keeping a practice running well.
Invest in Ongoing Learning
Therapy is an evolving field. Part of our commitment to ethical, high-quality care includes regular training, workshops, and consultation —
all of which are funded through our practice income.
Support the Sustainability
of the Practice
Private practitioners don’t receive external funding from the government or grants.
Sessions fees are the only source of income. The cost of a session allows your therapist to build in sick time, vacation, and health benefits —
the things that help any professional stay well enough to do good work over the long term.
Maintain a Comfortable
and Private Office Space
Whether in-person or virtual, a session space that feels safe and confidential is essential. Fees help cover the platforms used to store your files and have your virtual sessions with the highest level of privacy protection. Fees also cover the cost of rent, and some neighbourhoods have higher rent to pay if they are in big cities, along major roads, and areas where property is expensive, and this cost is built into the fee.
​"So why is everyone's fee different?"
This accounts for variance in experience and expenses.
What do I mean by that?
Some counsellors:
- are paying more rent than others depending on the location of the practice and design of the space.
- have more experience than others.
- have supervisors who are more costly than others.
- went to more expensive universities than others.
There are many reasons for differences in fees.
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People
I Work With
​
You're likely a good fit for me if you are:
Are you wondering:
"what kind of clients do you work with?"
I work with many types of people and a range of struggles which you can read more about here.
A Student or Young Adult
(18-25 years old)
I help young adults and students in Vancouver who are navigating life changes as they move from youth to adulthood, feeling lost with discovering who they are, struggling with academic stress, and/or are going through dating and relationship struggles. I will help you feel more confident in dating, school, managing your stress, and choosing a career path that suits you as an individual.
2
A Helping Professional
I work with people in helping professions such as teachers, nurses, doctors, midwives, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, RMTs, social workers, and new counsellors by providing a place you can go to be taken care of and supported in your role, have a place to talk about things outside of work while understanding the particular impact of the job on your day to day life and your relationships, and receive help processing traumatic or challenging work moments.
Someone in
a Relationship
or Looking
for One
I help people look at their dating and relationship patterns, such as their communication patterns, conflict cycles, ability to share emotions and be vulnerable with a current partner, or ability to feel vulnerable while looking for a new partner and going on dates. If you're someone wanting to understand yourself in relationships by looking at your dating history, current situation, or desire to start dating, I would love to work together.
4
3
An Introvert or HSP
(highly sensitive person)
I love working with introverts and highly sensitive people (HSP's). I will help you learn to accept and embrace your qualities. If you've ever felt that being quiet and/or sensitive is a bad thing, then I want to work with you and help. If you find yourself loving deep conversations while struggling with surface level interactions, feeling burnt out in large groups or at work, overwhelmed by loud-messy-chaotic environments, unsure of your relationships with extroverted friends or partners, let's connect! I'm also an introvert and an HSP. I understand how hard these things can be.