FAQ

Services offered include:

• Mental health education via blog posts & podcasts
• Webinars on behavioural change and mental health topics (on hiatus currently)
• Individual, comprehensive initial assessment; First 1-4 sessions
• Individual psychotherapy treatment; limited to 24 total sessions with the option for extension with mutual agreement between both parties (inclusive of the sessions required to complete the initial assessment)

You can read more about how we help, here.

No, there is no cost to attend services at Think Recovery. The exception to this would be if the Patient Expectations (see item #4 in this FAQ) are violated and/or if the late cancellation/partial missed appointment/no show policy is contravened.

You can read more about our policies and fees, here.

Dr. Ishan Sharma specializes in treating people living with complex trauma through using a blend of Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), Somatic Psychotherapy (Sensorimotor Psychotherapy), Mentalization-Based Treatment, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. He uses a transdiagnostic approach, meaning that he works to understand, uncover, and treat symptoms concurrently, that can be present across multiple diagnoses.

Using the modalities listed above, the therapeutic approach at Think Recovery extends beyond talk therapy to focus on the shared present moment experience in the therapeutic relationship and how your body language tells the story of your relational and developmental history.

Ultimately Dr. Sharma specializes in helping people recover their mental well-being through helping them resolve underlying challenges with emotional regulation, attachment trauma, and interrupted psychological development.

In order to pursue individual therapy at Think Recovery, you must agree to and adhere to the following at all times:

1. Show up on time to all of your scheduled appointments and be ready to engage sincerely
2. Attend appointments from a private, quiet, and well-lit location with a reliable internet connection, stable video quality and without interruption or disturbance from others
3. Attend appointments for their full scheduled duration without distraction (ex. not eating, getting up to grab things, doing other tasks, reading/responding to texts/emails, or taking phone calls, etc.)
4. Be an active participant in your own treatment; sharing honestly, openly, and being willing to follow through on treatment recommendations
5. Not consume any substances prior to or during your scheduled appointments and otherwise not show up intoxicated, hungover, or under the influence of any substances for any of your appointments
6. Proactively communicate any need to reschedule appointments 48+ hrs in advance of their originally scheduled time
7. Appointments from workplaces are not permitted. If you are not able to consistently attend ALL of your appointments from home please do not book in with our clinic. As appointments will be occurring virtually and not in an in-person office setting, the physical location of both patient and physician at the time of appointments becomes the virtual “office space” and it is important that this be a consistent, reliable, distraction-free, and familiar setting that is safety promoting and thus in turn, facilitative of therapeutic work and ultimately therapeutic progression.
8. Commit to attending weekly or biweekly appointments as available/offered
9. Commit to attending appointments from Monday to Friday at 10:30 AM, 12:00 PM, or 3:00 PM as available/offered; sticking with a consistent day/time each week
10. All appointments will take place via secure videoconference using Zoom; patients are required to have their video on during sessions in order to facilitate non-verbal communication within the therapeutic setting.
11. Submit immediate payment for any fees incurred at the time of the originally scheduled appointment in the event of a late cancellation, partial attendance, or no show fee.
12. Maintain a valid credit card on file as per clinic policy

Failure to adhere to the above will preclude the establishment of a safe/effective therapeutic alliance and treatment frame, thus leading to termination of the therapy and patient-physician relationship.

Please keep in mind that ALL virtual appointments occur via ZOOM. You will receive the link to your virtual appointment via Brightsquid secure email the day prior to your scheduled appointment and via Text Message on the day of your appointment. Please install ZOOM on your device and familiarize yourself with the program prior to your first appointment.

Your appointment will NOT take place via Jane.

No. Only virtual psychotherapy services are offered to people living throughout Alberta with a valid Alberta Health Card. If you are in need of a family physician you are encouraged to call Healthlink at 811, or visit this website: https://albertafindadoctor.ca/ for more information.

No. As we are passionate about the power and potential of psychotherapy, our clinic does not prescribe medications.

There is one way people can access services of Think Recovery:

1. Have your physician or nurse practitioner send an e-Referral to Think Recovery (click here for detail)

*Note that a valid Alberta Health Care number is required to access services of Think Recovery.

• Initial assessment and ongoing psychotherapy treatment (24 session limit)
• Reading the expert-written articles available on the website
• Listening to the podcast on-demand
• Attending live webinars on behaviour change & mental health related topics (on hiatus currently)

Think Recovery only provides virtual services. As part of being referred to the clinic by a physician or nurse practitioner, you understand that you must visit your family physician and/or the referring physician or nurse practitioner for any in-person services you may require. Otherwise, you must seek in-person care at a health care facility local to you (ex. Family physician office, walk-in clinic, urgent care, or emergency department) as required for your health care needs, call Health Link at 811 for health advice/information/assistance finding a family physician, or call 911 if you are in medical distress.

Yes, individual appointments can be accessed by requesting your family physician or nurse practitioner send an e-Referral to our clinic on your behalf. Click here for the e-Referral form.

Send us an email at the following email address to indicate your interest: info(at)thinkrecovery.ca and we will get back to you. By doing so you will receive an email with the details to join the online videoconference as well as receive reminder emails. This service is free to attend with a valid Alberta Health Card number. Note that this service is currently on hiatus.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911 and/or visit your nearest emergency department immediately.

Resources for mental health crises include:

• Distress Line Edmonton (780) 482-4357
• Distress Centre Calgary (403) 266-1601
• Talk Suicide Canada 1-833-456-4566
• Alberta 24/7 Addiction Helpline 1-866-332-2322

No.