Questions About EMDR and Online Therapy

Book a free 15-minute consultation on our Get started page. If we're a good fit, we'll book your first session and build a plan together from there.

You're also welcome to email or call us first. If you're already a client, you can book sessions in Owl Practice.

The consultation is a free, 15-minute phone call with Kyle Poon, R.Psych or Marissa Whalley, R.Psych. There's no obligation to book anything afterwards.

You can share a little about what's bringing you in, ask questions, and get a feel for how we work. You don't need to go into detail about what happened. We'll also talk about whether Kyle or Marissa might suit you.

No. You can book a free consult with us directly. Some extended health plans ask for a doctor's referral before they'll reimburse sessions, so check your plan.

Programs such as Veterans Affairs Canada, Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) and WCB-Alberta have their own approval steps. Our Fees and insurance page explains how each one works.

We see adults who are physically in Alberta at the time of each session, online by secure video. Our focus is trauma and PTSD, and we work with:

• adults affected by single-incident or complex trauma, childhood adversity, grief, or workplace, medical or motor vehicle trauma
• first responders and public safety personnel, including RCMP, nurses, doctors and front-line workers
• Veterans and serving Canadian Armed Forces members
• BIPOC individuals, including Indigenous and First Nations clients, and people affected by sexual trauma or grief
• couples, through Gottman Method couples therapy with Marissa
• adults living with anxiety and stress, depression, anger, addiction, OCD, ADHD or functional neurological disorder

Marissa Whalley, R.Psych, also sees individuals aged 16 and older, with a focus on anxiety, relationship issues and stress. You can meet our team or see everything we help with.

Kyle currently has a waitlist. Marissa currently has openings, often as soon as the following week. Wait times change, so the free consult is the best way to check when you could start.

We work that out together, at the frequency that fits you best. That includes your goals, what feels manageable, and your finances and coverage.

Kyle's hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 am to 6:30 pm Alberta time. Marissa sees clients online on Mondays and Thursdays.

Yes, research supports it. Studies comparing online and in-person EMDR have mostly found similar results, including a 2025 study of 279 veterans and a 2023 evaluation in a UK trauma service. One small 2024 trial found in-person EMDR worked better for COVID-related fear, and larger trials are under way.

Kyle has delivered EMDR online for over 6 years, and we check in with you about how it's going. Read more on Online EMDR in Alberta.

We use secure platforms to protect your confidential information, in line with provincial and federal laws. We will discuss with you the steps we take, as well as how we ensure your sessions are secure.

For your safety, we confirm your location and an emergency contact at the start of every session. We also agree on how to reconnect if the call drops, with phone as a backup.

The EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) suggests:

• a quiet, private space where you won't be interrupted or overheard
• a stable internet connection
• a computer or tablet rather than a phone
• headphones
• a few minutes to ground yourself beforehand, and some buffer time afterwards

Grounding means gently bringing your attention back to the present, such as by noticing your feet on the floor. We'll practise grounding skills together before any memory work.

That's okay, and it's good to say so. If you start virtual therapy and decide that it is not for you, we will work with you to find the appropriate referral.

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's a structured therapy that helps your brain process stuck, disturbing memories so they're stored more like ordinary memories. While you briefly hold a memory in mind, you follow eye movements, tapping or alternating tones.

EMDR is recommended for PTSD by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (VA/DoD), NICE in the UK and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS). The American Psychological Association conditionally recommends it.

Researchers are still studying exactly how it works. Learn more about EMDR therapy.

It depends on you and what you're working on. Reprocessing is the part of EMDR where you work directly on a memory.

NICE suggests EMDR for PTSD typically takes 8 to 12 sessions, and more if needed, for example after multiple traumas.

Preparation comes first and its length varies. Sessions here are 50 minutes, and we review progress with you as we go.

No. EMDR doesn't require you to retell every detail aloud. You'll bring a memory to mind and notice what comes up, but you choose what to share.

We explain each step before we begin, and you give consent at every stage. If you want to stop, we stop.

That's worth talking about. EMDR is not right for everyone in every moment. We will work with you to understand why your previous experience with EMDR did not work and offer appropriate modifications.

That might mean more time on preparation, a slower pace, tapping or tones instead of eye movements, or a different approach altogether.

In this video, Kyle talks about why EMDR isn't for everyone, and why that's okay.

These don't automatically rule EMDR out. We look at your situation individually and decide together whether to start, wait or adapt the approach.

Dissociation means feeling detached, spaced out or "not here." If you dissociate or live with borderline personality disorder (BPD), we may spend longer on preparation and stabilizing skills first. If you're pregnant, we'll talk through timing and pacing together.

You can read more under "Is EMDR right for me?" on our EMDR therapy page.

• Kyle Poon, M.Ed., R.Psych: $250 per 50-minute individual session
• Marissa Whalley, MC, R.Psych: $235 per 50-minute session, individual or couples
• Free consultation: a 15-minute phone call, no charge

Psychological services for a health purpose are GST-exempt, so no GST is added. Most clients pay by Interac e-Transfer, and we also accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express.

Alberta Health Care (AHCIP) does not cover psychologists. Many extended health plans do cover Registered Psychologists, so check your annual maximum and whether you need a doctor's referral.

We work with many plans, including Alberta Blue Cross, Canada Life, Manulife, Sun Life, Green Shield Canada, Medavie Blue Cross, Desjardins and TELUS Health, and we can bill most insurance companies directly. We also accept Veterans Affairs Canada, RCMP, NIHB, WCB-Alberta and the Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program (IRS RHSP).

Alberta's Victims of Crime Assistance Program offers support, including counselling, to victims of violent crimes that have been reported to police. You don't need to wait for a charge or conviction. Ask your victim services unit how counselling can be covered. The full list of plans is on Fees and insurance.

Yes, for most insurance companies. When we bill your plan directly, you only pay the part it doesn't cover. Tell us your plan at your free consult, and we'll confirm before your first session. If we can't bill your plan, you pay the session fee and submit your receipt.

Sessions funded by Veterans Affairs Canada, RCMP, NIHB, WCB-Alberta or the IRS RHSP are billed to the program once approved. Each program has its own approval steps and limits. For example, NIHB covers an initial assessment plus up to 20 counselling sessions (22 hours) per 12 months, with prior approval needed after the assessment.

Yes. We provide receipts you can submit to your benefits plan.

Keep them for your taxes too. Psychologists' fees that your plan doesn't reimburse qualify for the medical expense tax credit.

Please give us at least 24 hours' notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. Late cancellations (less than 24 hours' notice) and missed sessions are charged the full session fee.

Yes. What you share in therapy is confidential, and we protect your information in line with provincial and federal laws.

There are a few legal limits to confidentiality, and we explain them at the start. They include situations such as a serious risk of harm to you or someone else, a child who may need protection, or a court order for records. If you have questions about any of this, just ask. Our privacy policy explains how we collect, use and protect your information.

Not from us, unless you consent or the law requires it. We know this can be a real worry, especially for first responders, military members and health care workers.

If a program such as WCB-Alberta, Veterans Affairs Canada or RCMP benefits pays for your sessions, that program may receive some information about your sessions. We'll go over exactly what's shared before you start.