New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings
Lao Teu
ABOUT
At Validity Counselling, we help you develop and enhance your positive coping strategies while identifying and decreasing negative patterns that no longer work for you. Our team specializes in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), and trauma therapy. We see couples, individuals, youth, children, and families. We have a variety of counsellors, each with their own areas of expertise. We work collaboratively with you to ensure the best treatment for your situation. Our commitment is to provide you with evidence-based treatment that gets results.
HISTORY
Jenny DeReis
Owner and MC Psych, RCC
Jenny DeReis (MC, Psych, RCC) founded Validity Counselling in September of 2018. Jenny has a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology and has completed comprehensive and advanced training in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT).
Before creating Validity, Jenny was a full-time counsellor for 12 years with Walmsley Counselling Services. Validity now works closely with Walmsley, providing counselling services on a contract basis for their Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP).
Over the years, Validity has grown to be a respected and valued local business with an ever-growing and diverse team of skilled counsellors.
VALUES
Validity is an inclusive counselling agency that provides respectful, client-centred counselling driven by the goals of the client. We offer a wide variety of services and counsellors to meet your individual preferences and needs.
All our counsellors either have a Master’s degree and are registered with a professional body, or they are currently working on their Master’s degree. Each counsellor has their own area of interest and expertise.
We are committed to ensuring that your experience with Validity is positive and you get the results you want. Our services are confidential, creating a safe place for you to unload hurts and disappointments, feeling supported as you work towards change. Our focus is on self-compassion, self-acceptance, and personal growth through insight and skills development.
As a private counselling agency, our services are not dependent on or limited by external funding. Therefore, we do not have waitlists. If you need to see someone right away, we can find a counsellor to accommodate you that same week, provided some scheduling flexibility on your part.
Our goal is to meet your needs in a timely manner, in a non-judgmental environment, with respect for your personal values and beliefs.
Do you go from happy to hurt in a matter of minutes?
We believe there is nothing wrong with the core you and we focus on self compassion and acceptance while teaching skills to manage problematic thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. The ability to be reflective rather than reactive, effective rather than ineffective, leads to a life of balance and harmony.
Our video counselling is hosted through Doxy.me, a confidential and secure platform developed for professionals. Doxy requires that you have access to a phone or computer with video and audio capacity. Doxy does not work on tablets or iPads. No download is required to use Doxy. You will be sent a link to click on at the time of your appointment. You will then be directed to a virtual waiting room, where your counsellor will connect you to your private video session.
We also offer counselling sessions over the phone, for those who cannot come into the office and who do not have access to the requirements needed to use video counselling.
SETTING UP AN APPOINTMENT
If you are covered through Walmsley’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), the first step is to call Walmsley to request services. Their toll-free number is 1-800-481-5511. Once a file is opened, Walmsley will forward your contact number to us, and we will contact you within 24 hours to schedule an appointment.
If you are a self-paying client, First Nations Health Authority client, ICBC client, RCMP member, or Veteran, you can contact us directly at 236-331-6106 to book an appointment.
We provide counselling in person, through live video sessions, and telephonically. In-person sessions must be in accordance with government regulations around Covid-19. As more of our counsellors and clients become fully immunized, restrictions will lessen. While we transition to more in-person sessions. we continue to offer video sessions for those who prefer them.
JOIN OUR TEAM
Validity is a thriving and growing counselling agency, so we are often looking for more counsellors to join our team. You must have a Master’s degree in a related field, or be currently working on your Master’s degree, to apply. Previous experience in a helping capacity is also required. We also prefer our counsellors to have additional training in a specific area of interest, above and beyond a Master’s degree (e.g., DBT training, trauma training, youth-focused training, etc.).
We encourage our counsellors to work from the modality of their choice and interest, providing it is an evidence-based treatment with a strong likelihood of getting results. We focus on enhancing client’s existing skills while also introducing them to effective new strategies for change.
We offer our counsellors flexibility in their schedules. Many of our counsellors have full-time jobs or commitments elsewhere and are not required to work more than 5 hours a week with us, though they can work more if they prefer. We work on a contractual basis with our counsellors, so they can set their own hours, schedule, and time off.
If you are interested in joining our team, please call our office at 250-236-6106 or email us at office_admin@validitycounselling.org.