Our free in-house counselling services are available for any entrepreneur currently enrolled in an ETE program, or any entrepreneur who successfully completed an ETE program and has attended one of our community events within the past 3 months. A referral to external services will be provided if the counsellor determines that they are not able to provide the appropriate level of support or care that a client’s unique circumstances require.

Common concerns discussed in counselling can include but are not limited to: self-worth, procrastination, navigating big life transitions, adapting to change, adjusting work-life balance, stress management, processing difficult past or present experiences, substance use and or recovery goals, exploring and better understanding your emotions, shifting unhelpful thoughts, challenging behavioural patterns, regulating symptoms (of anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, ADHD, etc), self-harm, suicidality, collaborative problem solving, working through interpersonal difficulties or relational conflict, and or a combination of these concerns.

The counsellor is available to provide support with a wide variety of mental health challenges and assist you in meeting your personal goals. No problem is too big or too small for the counsellor to explore with you. The counsellor will schedule an intake meeting to explore what kind of support would be best suited for your unique situation or needs.

No, not unless you share that information openly yourself. Counselling conversations are confidential, meaning that everything that you choose to talk about in your sessions is meant to stay between you and your counsellor. However, there are some important limitations to confidentiality, meaning there are instances where counsellors will need to break confidentiality if your safety or someone else’s is at risk. The limits to confidentiality will be discussed in depth during an intake meeting with the in-house counsellor before you begin your sessions and share personal details.

Counselling has been shown to be effective for a wide variety of difficulties, but is not necessarily effective for every individual or all situations. Even when counselling is effective, it does involve some risks. Making positive changes can be hard work – it may involve experiencing and dealing with uncomfortable feelings, trying out new ways of being, and feeling frustrated or impatient with the pace of change. Sometimes, what may be desirable change brings with it additional and possibly unforeseen difficulties. For example, becoming better able to express yourself and be assertive may not be well received by everyone in your life and could temporarily enhance short-term stressors.

Counselling can help create meaningful change in many areas of life. Despite the potential challenges associated with engaging in counselling, clients typically report immense benefits such as: greater feelings of wellbeing and confidence, increased self-awareness, stronger emotion regulation and distress tolerance, improved relationships, enhanced coping skills, and relief from previously troubling symptoms or unhelpful patterns.

As the client, you are always in the driver’s seat. What you choose to discuss and explore will always be up to you. It’s your job to be on time for sessions, communicate openly and respectfully, and enact the change you are seeking outside of sessions. You are not required to complete all 10 sessions if our in-house counsellor is not a good fit for you and your specific challenges, you are able to disengage from the counselling process at any time.

The counsellor is your navigator and assistant. Their job is to understand your counselling goals, provide structure to guide the conversation, and create a safe space to explore what comes up in sessions together. They will assist in the identification of your personal patterns, strengths, and areas for growth. The counsellor will try their best to help you develop new skills and tools for managing challenges but cannot guarantee positive outcomes. The counsellor will always explain the potential risks and benefits before engaging in a therapeutic intervention with you. They will also occasionally seek your feedback on how the counselling process is going for you and make adjustments to their therapeutic approach as needed or required.

At ETE we offer up to 10 sessions of counselling to use over the course of one year. The number of sessions will renew each year that you are still active in the ETE community. Should you require more than 10 sessions in a year, an assessment of your unique individual circumstances will be conducted to determine how to best proceed in conjunction with the counsellor’s availability. A referral to external services will be provided if the counsellor determines that they are not able to provide the appropriate level of support or care that a client’s unique circumstances require.

Samantha works at the Employ to Empower office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, offering morning and early afternoon appointments. All appointments must be booked directly through Samantha. To contact her, please email her at samantha@employtoempower.com.

If you’re an ETE entrepreneur looking to learn more about counselling, please reach out to Samantha at samantha@employtoempower.com. If you are not an Employ to Empower program participant but are interested in working with Samantha, you can find her at her group practice Fieldwork Counselling in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood on Tuesdays and Thursdays!