North Edmonton Counselling Services
Adult Counselling
At North Edmonton Counselling Services, Dr. Olive Okraku has worked with individuals on issues related to self-discovery or improvement, stress and lifestyle, trauma, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, marriage/relationships, work, health-related concerns and illness, parenting challenges, existential issues, and others.
She works collaboratively, and without judgement, to identify your innate strengths and resilience in order to help you manage difficult life transitions, heal emotional pain, restore balance, and enhance your coping skills. Together, we explore the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of who you are — recognizing that all these aspects are linked and we can’t effectively address one without considering the others. This approach to therapy will identify, explore and resolve issues that are barriers to living a fulfilling life.
Making life changes with lasting impact
North Edmonton Counselling Services offers an opportunity to explore and process the challenges life brings your way, including identifying patterns you would like to change.
You may be considering therapy for various reasons such as self-discovery or improvement, stress and lifestyle issues, symptoms related to various mental health issues, loss, marital issues, work, relationships, chronic pain and illness, parenting challenges, existential issues, and so on.
Counselling is a collaborative effort. She will work with you to identify and help you move toward your goals. Our work together will provide an opportunity to have a better understanding of yourself and any problematic issues you’re facing, while focusing on your unique needs, encouraging growth, and making life changes that have a long-lasting impact.
We all have innate strengths and resilient resources. These resources enable us to resolve, and in many instances, adapt to difficult life transitions. Or they can help us rediscover ourselves, heal emotional pain, restore balance, and learn or enhance our coping skills. Therapy can help to identify and tap into these resilient resources and teach you how to make use of them for growth, as well as enhanced emotional and social functioning.
Counselling Services:
- Addictions
- Anxiety and Stress
- Anger Management
- Assertiveness and Boundaries
- Depression and Bipolar Disorder
- Grief
- Health and Lifestyle Issues
- Life Transitions
- Trauma and PTSD
- Living with Chronic Illness
- Infertility
- Parenting
- Resilience
- Relationship Issues
- Self-Harm
- Sleep
- Suicide
- Stress and Coping
- Self-Esteem
- Spirituality
- Multicultural Issues
A holistic approach to therapy
With over 12 years of experience working with and within different cultures internationally and training in numerous modalities, she has developed a holistic and broad approach to therapy. Working and teaching in schools and post-secondary institutions, hospitals, communities, and also in private practice, have further expanded her perspectives.
Building on strengths to achieve wellness
At North Edmonton Counselling Services, the ultimate goal is to help you learn strategies that build on your strengths to improve your overall quality of life. Dr. Olive Okraku can work with you to address:
- Life transitions (e.g. first-time mothers, career change, divorce, job loss, death of a loved one)
- Change in sleep patterns and sleep difficulties
- A pattern of conflict in your personal relationships
- Feelings of helplessness or hopelessness
- Thoughts of suicide or harm to others
- Symptoms of anxiety
- Persistent worry or panic attacks
- Prolonged sadness or grieving
- Issues of irritability and anger
- Feeling depressed, or having extreme mood swings
- Dangerous, violent, or disruptive behaviour (e.g. aggressive acts)
- Psychological issues due to illness/health-related issues
- Academic difficulties
- Substance and alcohol misuse
- Concern about the psychological state or behaviour of a friend, partner, peer, or family member, and wondering about how or even whether you should intervene
Together, we will explore and resolve the issues that are preventing you from achieving your goals and experiencing a fulfilling life.
Reach out and reclaim your life
Together we can identify, explore, and resolve issues that create barriers to living a fulfilling life. North Edmonton Counselling Services provides comprehensive counselling services to individuals of any age, couples, and families.
Working with compassion, empathy, and without judgement, Dr. Olive Okraku will help you discover your innate strength and resilience to manage difficult life transitions, heal emotional pain, restore balance, and enhance your coping skills.
Your plan for mental and emotional wellness
Here's what you can expect.
Free Initial Consultation
Free initial consults by phone can last between 5-10 minutes. The brief discussion is to talk about your reason for seeking therapy, and figure out if Dr. Olive has the competency to work with your concerns. This consultation is also an opportunity to find out if we will be a good fit and allows you to ask questions about our services.
Initial Intake/Assessment
Counselling sessions last 50 minutes for individuals and 75-80 minutes for couples and families. Dr. Okraku begins with an initial intake assessment to articulate what your concerns are, gather some information about your history, and determine what resources and approaches might be a good fit for you. This initial intake is the time to review informed consent, confidentiality and its limits, your privacy, and answer any questions you may have about the therapy process. This meeting is not a typical therapy session but an opportunity to know you, understand your concerns and create a plan to improve your mental health. The treatment plan is typically shared on the same day or in the next session. At that point, you will have an opportunity to weigh in on the plan and revise it as necessary to reflect your lifestyle, values, beliefs, culture, or any other factors.
Counselling sessions
The time frame or the number of sessions needed depends on the nature and severity of the issue(s). Sessions can occur weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Dr. Okraku also provides single sessions (1-2 sessions), short/brief sessions (2-8 sessions) and long-term sessions (weeks to months). The therapeutic approach can also determine how many sessions are needed. Other important factors are commitment, consistency, and accountability, which are key to successful outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many sessions will I need?
A: The number of sessions will differ depending on your issues and your goals. It will also depend on the approach that you and your psychologist decide fits best for your presenting issue. Another important factor is your level of commitment to the process.
Q: Who will know that I am coming for counselling?
A: The process of counselling is confidential and your psychologist will not inform anyone of your attendance or discuss your issues with anyone unless you decide to inform others yourself. Psychologists are bound by strict standards and ethical guidelines. You would have to provide written consent about the specific information that can be shared before your psychologist can even consult with a colleague or another member of your care team. There are exceptions to this confidentiality agreement and these will be discussed with you during the initial intake assessment.
Q: What is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?
A: A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with specialized training in mental health and qualified to assess the physical and mental aspects of psychological conditions. They are also trained to prescribe medication. Some psychiatrists may provide therapy, but many do not and rather focus more on diagnosis/evaluation and/or psychiatric medication monitoring.
A registered psychologist in Alberta is required to have a graduate degree in psychology, (e.g. Masters or Ph.D.) have completed a minimum of 1600 hours of supervised practice, and pass the licensing exams.
Psychologists do not prescribe medication but focus on different therapeutic approaches, often rooted in combining biological, psychological, and social factors to treat mental illness and issues.
What Clients Are Saying
Let us know how we can help
If you are feeling unsure or overwhelmed, just know that the very act of seeking out information is the right first step in your journey.
As a trained and experienced psychologist, Dr. Olive Okraku can join you in this journey, and together we can work to explore and address whatever issues are keeping you from living a fulfilling life. Her approach is holistic, which takes into account all the aspects of “You” — not just whatever mental state you may be experiencing. Olive works with people — individuals, children and teens, and couples and families, not cases.
