Did you know that BC residents are eligible for 12 counselling sessions, fully covered by ICBC, within 12 weeks of a motor vehicle accident (MVA)? It does not matter whether you caused the accident or not, you can still access free counselling in Nanaimo and throughout BC; in-person, via on-line video, or by telephone. Knowing how to get this support can make a big difference in your recovery.

Motor vehicle accidents are no fun. The average driver is involved in 3 to 4 accidents over their lifetime. The consequences can be life-altering. In addition to physical pain, you may experience deep emotional and psychological wounds. You may feel unsafe in a vehicle, be troubled by sleep issues, PTSD, anxiety, or depression. Physical pain can affect your mood. Irritability, anxiety, or depression can also affect your relationships. Counseling can help you find your feet again, improving your mental health so that you feel better.

Counselling can help alleviate post MVA symptoms such as:

  • Hypervigilance
  • Intrusive thoughts & images: Reliving the accident and having your peace of mind disrupted
  • Panic or anxiety
  • Disrupted sleep, nightmares, daytime triggering, depersonalization
  • Catastrophizing (predicting disaster), racing heart, nightmares, flashbacks
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) & Cognition Issues: We can help with the mental and emotional components

How to access free counselling in Nanaimo (and anywhere in BC) after an accident:

  1. Contact ICBC to confirm your eligibility and obtain pre-approval for the sessions. You will receive a claim number, needed to access counselling. Approval is usually automatic for the initial 12 sessions (within 3 months of an accident). If you are unsure, contact ICBC to check that your claim number is still valid. Click here for a link to ICBC 
  2. Check Older Claims: If it has been longer than 3 months since your accident, contact ICBC to get a claim number or make sure that an existing one is still valid before you book a counseling session.
  3. Book an Appointment (see link at the bottom of this page). Be sure to email me your claim number so I can activate a file with ICBC prior to meeting.
  4. Show up for your session: I am able to directly bill ICBC so no payment is required. I do not add a top-up fee as many counselling agencies do. This makes your already stressful experience after an accident easier.
  5. Follow-up: It is important to attend sessions regularly, as outlined in the treatment plan, and to continue until symptoms alleviate. Most ICBC clients will receive 12 sessions automatically. If further counselling is needed, I can submit a treatment plan and request more sessions as needed.

In your first session, we complete a comprehensive initial assessment, identifying specific symptoms and how they affect you, and establishing goals for treatment. We then follow that plan, modifying as needed throughout your counselling sessions.

Some of the tools we may use include:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Tools to reframe negative thoughts and feelings, reducing the emotional hold traumatic memories, images, and feelings have over you.
  • Exposure Therapy: A guided set of tasks of increasing difficulty, useful for regaining confidence and reducing anxiety. Exposure therapy involves self-regulation so that you can feel calm driving or as a passenger.
  • Trauma-informed Therapy: Specialized tools to manage PTSD and trauma
  • Stress management skills modified for your symptoms, personality, and stress level.
  • Depression and Anxiety Counselling: After an accident, many people feel anxious or fearful about getting back on the road. You may feel overwhelmed by sadness, fatigue, or hopelessness. Counselling can help by identifying triggers and teaching coping tools to manage.
  • Pain Management: Chronic pain from injury can cause emotional pain, and emotional pain can make physical recovery more difficult. I can assist with pain management with relaxation techniques, mindfulness, guided imagery, and cognitive reframing; which can reduce the perception of pain and improve your mood.
  • Grief counseling: Processing emotions if there has been severe injury, or loss, including loss of ability to perform tasks you once could.

Counseling after a motor vehicle accident is an important part of holistic treatment, addressing the emotional consequences of trauma. Therapy can also help motivate your physical recovery. By managing emotional pain, more energy is available for physical therapies. Through professional guidance, you can process trauma, manage symptoms, and get the skills to move forward with your life.

Ask me for more information about how I can help.