Sometimes, says Clayton Falk, it’s good for folks to just come in for a chat.
“Maybe they’re thinking about where they’re at in life, or maybe they’re looking for a bit of a tune-up as a couple,” he says. “There’s never a bad time for therapy.”
Falk (R. Psych, CCC) is the co-owner of Airdrie Counselling Centre and a long-time Airdrie resident. He’s been present as the city has enjoyed considerable growth, and as a Registered Psychologist and Canadian Certified Counsellor, he’s been gladdened by a general change toward openness when it comes to mental health.
“People are definitely more open about it, which is good,” he says. “It helps to make it a natural thing when we talk about how we’re doing from a mental health perspective.”
Falk and his colleagues at Airdrie Counselling Centre are trained to help everyone in the community, from young children to seniors. They also bring unique areas of expertise to therapy, which allows them to provide a wide range of services.
We have a psychologist who is certified in play therapy, and a few of us — including myself — do work with couples,” he explains. “We’re all trauma-informed, but some of our psychologists have even more training and are specialized in ART and EMDR.”
ART is Accelerated Resolution Therapy, and EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, both designed to help people process and move past traumatic memories.
“We’re a general practice,” says Falk. “You can think of us a bit like your general practitioner, we support people with a wide range of concerns, from anxiety and depression to stress, grief and loss, relationship challenges, anger management, trauma, life transitions, goal setting, and more.”
One of Airdrie Counselling Centre’s newer services is psychological assessment. The clinic recently welcomed a registered provisional psychologist who provides psychoeducational assessments for children and youth aged 6–16, helping families better understand learning, attention, emotional, and behavioural concerns.
It’s all part of the Centre’s commitment to helping everyone in the community. So, too, is a welcoming approach that makes participating in therapy as comfortable as possible.
“A lot of times, when a person first comes in, they fill out an intake form online and we sit down with them to go over consent, what’s bringing them in and what their goals are for therapy,” says Falk. “A first appointment would really be part of assessing what’s going on and what they’re hoping to achieve.”
Oftentimes, people will search out therapy offerings online, or a friend may suggest they make an appointment to talk to a therapist. A family doctor might also refer a patient to a therapist at Airdrie Counselling Centre.
“I always like to encourage people that it never hurts to check us out,” says Falk, adding that the clinic’s mix of psychologists and social workers provides an opportunity for people to find a therapist they trust and work well with.
Regarding fees, Airdrie Counselling Centre does its best to bill directly to insurance companies.
“We’re a private practice, which means we don’t have any funding. People do need to be able to pay for our services,” says Falk. “The way we balance that is by doing a lot of direct billing. We work hard to direct bill as many insurances as we can.”
More personally, Falk says his work with Airdrie Counselling Centre is a way for him to help a community he’s always cared deeply about.
“Back when Airdrie was smaller, I served as a volunteer firefighter here,” he says. “Since then, I’ve taken on other helping roles, and those experiences have shaped the psychologist I am today. My desire to help others also inspired me to co-found Airdrie Counselling Centre, where that same commitment continues as my colleagues and I work to support the people of our community.”
Airdrie Counselling Centre is located at 620 1 Ave UW, Unit 5 in Airdrie. It can be reached by calling (403) 948-3968, and further information about its services and therapists is available on its website.
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