FAQ — Decipher Counselling Art Therapy Studio

Book An Appointment

New to Therapy?

 We get it: reaching out to a therapist – especially when it’s totally new to you – can be difficult. So here are a few things you can do to see if you want to try it out.

1. Be curious. Read your therapist’s bio. What stands out? It can be as simple as their profile picture (kind eyes or a welcoming smile), their approach or the different types of therapy they offer.


2. Ask questions. Most therapists (like us) offer free consultations before you dive in, so this is a great time to ask any questions you have. Nothing is out of bounds. Perhaps you don’t understand some of the language, want to know more about a specific approach or just need to find out what the process is, step-by-step.


3. Keep looking. It’s totally fine if you meet with a therapist and feel like it’s not the right fit. Explore different platforms, ask for recommendations and somewhere along your journey you’ll figure out which is the right approach for you.


4. Consider consistency. There’s no rulebook around how often you need to see a therapist. It’s different for everybody. Once you’ve got into the groove, talk to your therapist about it. When you’re first starting therapy, it can be nice to have some consistency, whether that’s every week or twice a month. There’s no pressure; just see what works best for you.

What can you expect from us?

What can you expect from us?

  • Book an initial consultation – it’s free! – with one of our therapists so we can get to know each other. And so you can make sure it’s the right fit. Just in case your therapist’s page says ‘contact to book’, that means they’re current client load is full, but you can add yourself to their waitlist, and they’ll email you as soon as a slot opens up. 

  • They’ll then send you a link to the intake form and consent form via Jane app for you to fill out before your initial consultation. 

  • All of our consultations are done via a video conference link, but it’s totally fine if you’d feel more comfortable (or if it’s more convenient) for you to do this over the phone. 

  • Once you’ve had that chance to talk to your therapist in the initial consultation and feel like it’s the right fit, you can book your first official session whenever you’re ready. 

A few things that might help for your online sessions: 

  • Find a quiet place where you feel comfortable

  • Headphones for additional privacy

  • Bring a notebook with any questions you’d like to ask or for any notes you think might be helpful to take

  • Optional, but so nice to have!: a box of tissues nearby, your favourite drink/smell/grounding object, blue light glasses, art materials for art therapy sessions (nothing fancy here, any found materials/objects around or your go-to art medium are great!)

And for in-person sessions: 

  • Our location is 7 min away from Stadium-Chinatown skytrain station and 6 min away from Waterfront skytrain station. There is free 2 hr parking available in International Village Mall’s parkade.

  • When you get to our building (#315 - 207 West Hastings St.), it’ll be locked. Don’t worry! Just text or enter the buzz code of your therapist to let them know you’re here. They’ll let you in just before your session.

  • There is a HEPA filtered air purifier in the studio space and we have face masks to respect your comfort.

  • We provide fancy hand sanitizer in our studio space.

  • If you’re experiencing any flu-like or COVID symptoms, the 2-day cancellation policy doesn’t apply in health emergencies. Please reach out to your therapist so they are aware of this! We can also rearrange the appointment to be online rather than IRL. 

  • Bring a notebook to write down any points, prompts or takeaways – or an art journal if you’re doing art therapy. 

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We approach therapy by seeking out resources to unlearn biases, prejudices and oppressive & reductionist narratives from the mental health space alongside you. We believe mental health isn’t purely about disorders or symptoms. And that any grief or trauma you may experience is collective, felt from an entire community. Our role is to bring social, environmental, intersectional justice and identity-affirming care into our sessions. We celebrate all identities and abilities in all bodies, and examine internalized prejudice, -isms and -phobias.

"Being oppressed means the absence of choices" - bell hooks. All oppression is connected.

• Exploring psychological implications of oppression through curiosity, questioning and processing these stories and feelings you have been carrying.

• Having hard but needed conversations around topics like privilege, injustice and trauma, forms of abuse (from interpersonal relationships be it from authority figures or within the family), and internalized oppression (whether you experience fatphobia, heterosexism, racism, ableism, etc.)

• Understanding that you are not the root of the problem; the problem is not privatized within the individual. That when we uncover these systems of power, we can reclaim who we are and reconnect.

Health at Every Size was coined in the 1960s and is an approach that aims to de-emphasize weight loss as a goal and encourages people to think of all sizes as healthy, no matter the beauty standard we engage with. It’s comprised of five principles:

  • Weight Inclusivity: Accept and respect the inherent diversity of body shapes and sizes and reject the idealizing or pathologizing of specific weights.

  • Health Enhancement: Support health policies that improve and equalize access to information and services, and personal practices that improve human well-being, including attention to individual physical, economic, social, spiritual, emotional, and other needs.

  • Respectful Care: Acknowledge our biases, and work to end weight discrimination, weight stigma, and weight bias. Provide information and services from an understanding that socio-economic status, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and other identities impact weight stigma, and support environments that address these inequities.

  • Eating for Well-being: Promote flexible, individualized eating based on hunger, satiety, nutritional needs, and pleasure, rather than any externally regulated eating plan focused on weight control.

  • Life-Enhancing Movement: Support physical activities that allow people of all sizes, abilities, and interests to engage in enjoyable movement, to the degree that they choose.

Art Therapy is therapy beyond the arena of words.

Art helps us look at the world with wonder. You do not need to have ‘talent’ or have to be able to make a ‘perfect’ art piece. 

Art Therapy integrates the process of creation with the product: the making of the images and reflecting upon them. Our clients learn that creative art making can help them express in a safe and wonderful way—that it is under their control—and that we can often uncover meaningful insights and significance from our creations. 

Art Therapy synthesizes verbal and non-verbal communication. 

Read more

In our therapy sessions, we may explore how society and culture influenced the stories you pieced together over the years. The prevailing ideas held by our cultures may be influencing the problems within how you view your own lived experiences. 

A non-pathologizing, social justice-oriented approach

You will be learning how to better understand, externalize, question, and rewrite the problem stories that no longer serve you. Our work as your therapist will be to witness and build empowerment into perspectives so that you can come to witness your hardship and advocate for yourself and your journey. 

Narrative Therapy can transform problem-saturated stories into stories of hope and possibility. We will be supporting and working with you to question and deconstruct the narratives of the problems you have and move towards embracing and enriching the preferred stories of where you want to be. 

Read more

Our conscious, nonjudgmental engagement, practicing awareness with our body's states on a consistent basis. (reworded from the book: Bodyfulness by Christine Caldwell)

What can you expect from us?

What can you expect from us?

  • Book an initial consultation – it’s free! – with one of our therapists so we can get to know each other. And so you can make sure it’s the right fit. Just in case your therapist’s page says ‘contact to book’, that means they’re current client load is full, but you can add yourself to their waitlist, and they’ll email you as soon as a slot opens up. 

  • They’ll then send you a link to the intake form and consent form via Jane app for you to fill out before your initial consultation. 

  • All of our consultations are done via a video conference link, but it’s totally fine if you’d feel more comfortable (or if it’s more convenient) for you to do this over the phone. 

  • Once you’ve had that chance to talk to your therapist in the initial consultation and feel like it’s the right fit, you can book your first official session whenever you’re ready. 

A few things that might help for your online sessions: 

  • Find a quiet place where you feel comfortable

  • Headphones for additional privacy

  • Bring a notebook with any questions you’d like to ask or for any notes you think might be helpful to take

  • Optional (but so nice to have!): a box of tissues nearby, your favourite drink/smell/grounding object, blue light glasses, art materials for art therapy sessions (nothing fancy here, any found materials/objects around or your go-to art medium are great!)

And for in-person sessions: 

  • When you get to our building (#315 - 207 West Hastings St.), it’ll be locked. Don’t worry! Just text or enter the buzz code of your therapist to let them know you’re here. They’ll let you in just before your session.

  • We ask that you wear a face mask (for health and safety as ours is an intimate space – we’ve done some furniture rearrangement so we’ve got enough distance though. Plus a HEPA filtered air purifier is on throughout our sessions). 

  • There’s hand sanitizer on arrival – or you’re welcome to wash your hands in the washroom before we start the session. 

  • If you’re experiencing any flu-like or COVID symptoms (the 2-day cancellation policy doesn’t apply in these circumstances, so you won’t be charged for cancelling!) If this is the case, we can rearrange the appointment to be online rather than IRL. 

  • Bring a notebook to write down any points, prompts or takeaways – or an art journal if you’re doing art therapy.