Victoria BC Practice of Krystyna Kinowski

To inquire further or to make an appointment, call 250-380-0361.

Office hours
Monday 12:30 to 4:30
Tuesday and Wednesday 9:30 to 4:30
Thursday 9:30 to 3:15



Fees and payment options
The hourly fee for psychotherapy recommended by the BC Psychological Association is $165. My hourly fee is $140 with cash or check, or $145 with online credit card payment using a secure PayPal site (the extra $5.00 covers PayPal's charge to me).

To make an online payment using your credit card, visit www.paypal.com and send the amount owing to this e-mail address: krys@krystynakinowski.com. Both of us will receive e-mails from PayPal confirming the payment. You may have to activate an account with PayPal if you don't have one.



The fees for psychological services are not covered under the Medical Services Plan. They may be partly covered under an extended health plan, the same plan that reimburses you for medications, eyeglasses and so on. Read the fine print in your extended health plan to see how the coverage is structured and if a doctor’s referral is required. Unless clients have a stand-alone psychological services plan, most pay me directly either at the end of their appointment or after they receive a bill. I issue an invoice that you can send to the insurance company for reimbursement, or include in your income tax return. There is no GST on direct, face-to-face psychological services.

Appointments and cancellations
I make and change my own appointments. If I'm not in session, I even answer my own phone! If you leave a message on my voice mail, no one hears it except myself.

If you need to cancel an appointment, please try to give me 24 hours' notice. No-shows without notice cost $40 unless you are sick. The last appointment of the day is the most popular. If you have to cancel a 4:30 appointment, please let me know as soon as possible.

Confidentiality
Our appointments are confidential. This means I don’t talk to anyone about your test results or therapy without your permission. The exceptions to this are a court-ordered release of your clinical file, suspected child abuse, or if I think you or someone else are at imminent risk of harm. Teenage clients usually want complete confidentiality about details, but don't mind if I give you feedback about their progress in general. I regularly participate in consultation groups with other therapists. I may discuss your case anonymously as part of my ongoing continuing education.

Length of sessions
Usually 50-55 minutes. I schedule my appointments so I can go a little longer if you need to. EMDR sessions in trauma work may be 75 minutes, occasionally a little longer. My fee is prorated by time for longer sessions.

Telephone consultations
I consider being available for telephone consultations part of the service. If you wish to talk something over with me in between appointments, just call. If I’m tied up, leave a message with some times when I can reach you after business hours. These consultations are billable if over 10 minutes, but they are cost-effective and invariably helpful.

Appointments for teenagers
A time that works well for teens is my 3:15 appointment. I routinely offer them something to eat and drink, usually a couple of cookies and hot chocolate. Whether therapy or assessment, it seems to go much better if they’re not hungry!

Contacting referral sources
I often call a referring physician with your permission to give some courtesy feedback. Generally though, I don’t write letters or reports about you as a matter of routine. People typically come for therapy at a low point in their life. Reports about their psychological adjustment have only a short-term reliability and yet have a way of staying in files for years to come. I would much prefer that you be the conduit for information about yourself.

Perfume
A lot of folks are allergic to, or bothered by, perfume. I am happy to have you linger in my mind, just not in my office air.

FAQ’s
The most frequently asked question is what is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are medically trained first, and then they specialize in psychiatry. There is a lot of overlap in the coursework and supervised training between the two professions. Psychiatrists may also prescribe medications. In BC, psychologists cannot although they can in certain USA states.

To go to the FAQ page of the BC Psychological Association click here and select Frequently Asked Questions from the menu at left.