SUPPORT FOR ALBERTA TEACHERS
Therapy for teachers in Alberta
Teaching is one of Alberta’s most demanding jobs. You support students, manage a classroom, adapt lessons, communicate with families and keep showing up—even when you are running out of energy.
You deserve a place where your own needs matter. KP Psychological offers online therapy for teachers in Edmonton, Calgary and across Alberta who are dealing with stress, burnout, anxiety and difficult experiences. Our Registered Psychologists can help you explore a way forward.
We offer direct billing for eligible insurance plans, including ASEBP and Alberta Blue Cross. We can confirm the details before your first session.
The demands teachers carry
The work can follow you home: planning, marking, replaying a difficult conversation, or worrying about a student. A day that looks routine from the outside can involve constant decisions, competing needs and very little time to reset.
- Heavy workloads, limited preparation time and pressure to keep up.
- Classroom demands, behaviour concerns and supporting students with different needs.
- Difficult conversations with families, colleagues or administrators.
- Feeling responsible for students while facing limits on what you can change.
- Emotional exhaustion, guilt about taking time off, and difficulty switching off after work.
- Distressing incidents, grief, conflict or experiences that continue to affect you.
You do not need to reach a breaking point to ask for support. Therapy can be a space to talk openly about the strain and what you need.
Support for teacher stress, burnout and anxiety
We start with your experience and goals. Together, we can explore stress and anxiety, boundaries, self-criticism, sleep-related concerns, relationships and the impact of difficult events. The approach depends on your needs and what feels appropriate after assessment.
Support may include practical ways to respond to stress, making room for recovery outside work, and considering patterns that leave you carrying more than you can sustain. If traumatic experiences are part of the picture, we can discuss trauma-focused treatment, including EMDR when appropriate.
Therapy also makes room for the context you work in. Workload and system pressures are real; support is not simply about asking you to cope with more.
Anxiety and stress support · Trauma and PTSD support · Learn about EMDR
Direct billing for teachers’ insurance
We can direct bill most insurance companies. Our practice works with plans including the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan (ASEBP) and Alberta Blue Cross. Tell us which plan you have, and we will confirm whether we can direct bill it before your first session.
When direct billing is available, you pay the portion your plan does not cover. Your plan’s session limits, annual maximum, remaining benefits and any referral requirements determine the coverage. You may have an out-of-pocket balance depending on your coverage.
If direct billing is not available for your plan, we provide a receipt that you can submit for reimbursement.
If you have ASEBP coverage, check your current psychology benefit and confirm that your chosen provider is eligible through My ASEBP or with ASEBP directly. Your own plan remains the authority on coverage.
Practice fees and direct billing · ASEBP psychology benefit information · ASEBP claims and direct billing
Choose a psychologist who fits your needs
Marissa Whalley, MC, R.Psych. supports anxiety, stress, relationships and trauma. She is an EMDR Therapist and works with individuals aged 16 and older, as well as couples.
Kyle Poon, M.Ed., R.Psych. provides therapy for adults, with a focus on EMDR, trauma, complex trauma and dissociation. He is an EMDRIA Approved Trainer and Consultant.
Both provide therapy by secure video for clients physically in Alberta. Ask about current openings and which psychologist may suit your concerns.
Online support around the school day
Online sessions can reduce travel and let you meet from a private space at home or another suitable location. You will need privacy, a reliable connection and to be physically in Alberta during the session. Ask about available appointment times so we can discuss what fits your school-day schedule.
Your first step can be a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss fit, insurance, fees and availability. It is a chance to ask questions before deciding whether to book therapy.
Questions about therapy for teachers
Can therapy help with teacher burnout?
Yes. Therapy gives you space to recover and to look at what keeps draining you: workload, boundaries, self-criticism, sleep, or a difficult incident that stays with you. Research on support programs for teachers, including mindfulness-based programs, shows they can reduce exhaustion, though the average benefit is small and very short programs help least. So we also look at practical changes, not only ways to cope with more. If a distressing event is part of the picture, trauma-focused treatment such as EMDR may help.
How do I know whether I’m burned out or depressed?
They can look alike and can happen together, so it helps to look at the whole picture. The World Health Organization describes burnout as the result of chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed: exhaustion, feeling distant or cynical about your job, and feeling less effective at work. It refers specifically to work and is not classified as a medical condition. Depression usually reaches beyond work: a low mood or loss of interest or pleasure most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, often with changes in sleep, appetite, energy, concentration or how you see yourself. A psychologist can help you sort out what is going on and what would help. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 9-8-8 at any time.
What if work stress is affecting my relationships?
Work stress can come home with you as less patience, pulling away, or having little left for the people you care about. In individual therapy, you can look at how the strain is spilling over and what you need. If you and your partner want to work on it together, Marissa offers couples therapy and draws on the Gottman Method.
Can I start therapy before stress becomes a crisis?
Yes. You can seek support for feeling overwhelmed, persistent worry, difficulty switching off or strain in your relationships. You do not need a diagnosis or a breaking point to contact us.
Can teachers use ASEBP for psychological services?
Yes, if your benefits are through ASEBP. As of October 2026, ASEBP’s psychology benefit covers sessions with a Registered Psychologist, including video sessions, up to $180 per session. Psychology and counselling share a yearly maximum of $1,200 per person, and you don’t need a doctor’s referral. Our fee is $235 for a 50-minute session with Marissa and $250 with Kyle, so you pay the difference ($55 or $70) until you reach the yearly maximum. We can direct bill ASEBP and will confirm it before your first session. You can check your remaining balance in My ASEBP.
Can I attend online therapy after teaching hours?
Often, yes. Sessions are by secure video, so there’s no commute, and you can join from home after school. Our hours run until 6:30 pm Alberta time, Tuesday to Friday. Marissa also sees clients on Mondays and Thursdays, with her latest Thursday appointment at 6 pm. Ask about current after-school openings during your free consultation.
Can teachers in Edmonton or Calgary attend online?
Yes. We offer secure video therapy to teachers in Edmonton, Calgary and elsewhere in Alberta. You must be physically in Alberta for your session and have a private space and reliable internet connection.
This practice is not an emergency service. In immediate danger, call 911. For suicide crisis support in Canada, call or text 9-8-8. Crisis support options.