What Is CVAP Counselling?
CVAP counselling can provide support for the psychological and emotional effects of an eligible offence. Depending on eligibility and individual circumstances, counselling benefits may be available to victims, immediate family members, and some witnesses.
British Columbia’s Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) provides benefits that may help eligible people recover from the effects of violent crime. Counselling is one of the benefits that may be available through the program.
At Pacific Pines Wellness, we provide trauma-informed counselling for clients with approved CVAP counselling benefits. Our goal is to make accessing support as straightforward as possible while providing a safe, respectful environment for recovery.
What Can CVAP Counselling Help With?
People can respond to traumatic experiences in many different ways. You do not need to experience a particular set of symptoms for your experience to be valid or worthy of support.
Counselling may help you work through concerns such as:
- Anxiety, fear, or feeling constantly on alert
- Intrusive thoughts or distressing memories
- Nightmares or difficulty sleeping
- Feeling unsafe or having difficulty trusting others
- Avoidance of people, places, or situations associated with what happened
- Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected
- Anger, irritability, or difficulty regulating emotions
- Sadness, grief, or changes in mood
- Shame or self-blame
- Difficulty concentrating
- Changes in relationships or intimacy
- Challenges with boundaries
- Loss of confidence or sense of control
Counselling can provide a supportive space to understand your responses, develop coping strategies, process difficult experiences at an appropriate pace, and work toward greater safety and stability.
Trauma Therapy Through CVAP
There is no single way to recover from trauma. Counselling should be responsive to your experiences, needs, goals, and readiness.
Your counsellor may begin by helping you understand your responses to trauma and develop strategies for managing distress, regulating emotions, and increasing your sense of safety.
Depending on your needs and your counsellor’s training, therapy may incorporate different evidence-informed approaches. At Pacific Pines Wellness, these may include approaches such as EMDR and Brainspotting, alongside other trauma-informed counselling methods.
You do not need to process difficult experiences before you are ready. Your counsellor can work collaboratively with you to determine an approach and pace that feel appropriate.
Getting Started With CVAP Counselling
If you have already been approved for counselling benefits through CVAP, contact Pacific Pines Wellness and let us know that you would like to use your CVAP benefits for counselling.
Our team can explain what information we require from you and help make the administrative side of beginning counselling as straightforward as possible.
If you have not yet applied for CVAP benefits, eligibility and applications are handled by British Columbia’s Crime Victim Assistance Program. Approval and available benefits depend on your individual circumstances.
Once the appropriate information and authorization are in place, we can help you connect with a counsellor whose experience and approach align with your needs.
CVAP Counselling in Langley, BC
Pacific Pines Wellness provides in-person CVAP counselling in Langley, BC for eligible clients seeking support following violent crime and traumatic experiences.
Our counsellors provide a compassionate, trauma-informed environment where therapy can move at a pace that takes your individual needs and circumstances into account.
Virtual counselling may also be available depending on your needs and circumstances. Meet our CVAP Counsellor.
Ready to Begin CVAP Counselling?
If you have approved CVAP counselling benefits and are looking for trauma-informed support in Langley, we’re here to help make getting started as straightforward as possible.
Connect with Pacific Pines Wellness to learn more about our counsellors and find someone whose experience and approach may be a good fit for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) is a British Columbia government program that provides financial assistance to eligible victims of violent crime. This assistance can include funding for counselling and other support services following a traumatic experience.
No. You do not necessarily need to have reported the crime to police to apply for CVAP assistance. However, the program may require certain information or documentation to determine eligibility. Please refer to the BC CVAP website for more information.
CVAP counselling benefits may be available to victims of eligible offences, immediate family members of victims, and some witnesses. Eligibility and the benefits available depend on the applicant’s individual circumstances and are determined by the Crime Victim Assistance Program. Government of British Columbia
The amount of counselling available depends on the type of approved claim and individual circumstances. Current BC regulations establish different maximums for victims, immediate family members, and witnesses, with additional provisions applying in certain circumstances. Your CVAP approval should indicate the benefits available to you.
If you are approved for counselling through CVAP, Pacific Pines Wellness will direct-bill the program for eligible sessions. This means you may not need to pay for covered counselling services out of pocket.
Sessions are 50 minutes in length, which allows enough time for meaningful conversation.
Counselling can help you process the emotional and psychological effects of trauma. Depending on your needs, therapy may address anxiety, fear, hypervigilance, grief, sleep difficulties, PTSD symptoms, relationship challenges, emotional regulation, and rebuilding a sense of safety and trust.
Sessions are 50 minutes in length, which allows enough time for meaningful conversation.
Depending on your needs, treatment plan, and your counsellor’s training, EMDR may be one therapeutic approach considered as part of trauma counselling. Your counsellor can discuss whether EMDR is appropriate for you.
CVAP may provide assistance to eligible victims of violent crime, as well as certain family members and witnesses. Eligibility is determined by the Crime Victim Assistance Program.
Yes. Pacific Pines Wellness provides counselling in Langley, BC for clients with approved CVAP counselling benefits. Contact our clinic if you would like help determining which of our counsellors may be a good fit.
Virtual counselling may be available depending on your circumstances and counselling needs. Contact Pacific Pines Wellness to discuss current options.
The first step is to connect with us for a consultation. We can discuss what you’re looking for, answer questions about CVAP counselling, and help you understand the process of accessing covered services. You don’t have to navigate it alone.
