Starting couples counseling often involves more than deciding to ask for
help. Cost can be a big deciding factor in whether or not to seek help,
especially when a relationship already feels strained and it is hard to
know what support will actually be covered. In Canada, there isn’t any
universal mental health care, despite more than a third of Canadians
wanting it, and provincial healthcare plans generally only fund mental
health services delivered through hospitals, community programs, or
physician-based care, rather than psychotherapy in private practice.
Every family experiences moments of tension, uncertainty, or transition
where communication can become strained and misunderstandings may grow,
often affecting the entire family. Family therapy offers a supportive space
where relatives can slow things down and work through challenges together.
At Oak & Sands Counselling, our mental health professionals and trained
family therapists can work collaboratively with the whole family to
strengthen connection, improve family communication, and support healthier
dynamics within the family unit.
Marriage and family therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on
relationships, communication, and the patterns that develop between people
over time. It can involve couples, families, co-parents, or one person
attending alone to work on relationship dynamics. At Oak & Sands
Counselling, we provide relationship and family-focused counselling as part
of a broader practice that also includes support for children, teens,
women, and men. If you’re trying to understand what this type of therapy
actually looks like in practice, the sections below walk through the most
common questions we hear.
