Q: Why the name Elim?

Elim, in scripture, is a place of rest, peace, and renewed hope after a period of hardship, conflict, and disappointment. Through counselling, we feel our clients can experience rest, peace and a renewed hope.

Q: How much does it cost ?

Elim aims to provide affordable counselling for all clients. Therefore, the cost is on a sliding scale basis and varies depending on household income and the number of dependents.

Q: How many sessions of counselling will I need?

The number of sessions needed will depend on the nature of the issue. It will also be affected by the involvement of the client – how dedicated they are to doing the homework, for example. As a result, counselling may last a few sessions or may take several months.

Q: How are donations used?

Donations help us to offer subsidized rates to people who need counselling but cannot afford it. Donations are also used to help cover overheads and employ counsellors.

Q: Will my payments be reimbursed by my insurance company?

The services at Elim meet the professional requirements of most insurance companies. The vast majority of our clients, with insurance benefit plans, have all or part of their payments refunded.

Q: What is Christian Counselling?

Christian Counselling denotes that our counsellors are trained in understanding the spiritual issues that surface in counselling and that counsellors are adept at incorporating the healthy spiritual beliefs of clients as a means of helping to achieve clients’ goals.

Q: What if I am not a Christian?

Christian Counselling is open to everyone. Even people who are non-christians raise spiritual issues such as anger towards God for tragedies that have entered their lives; anger towards the church for hypocrisy they have encountered; questions and concerns about deceased loved ones; and anger towards religious parents who were overly strict. Our counsellors are well trained in understanding and counselling clients who raise these and other issues.

Q: Are counsellors as qualified as counsellors at other mental health centres?

Our counsellors have qualifications and experience that meet the standards necessary for certification with the governing bodies of psychotherapy in Ontario, the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.