Experiencing a crime can have an impact that extends far beyond the incident itself. You may find yourself feeling anxious or on edge, having difficulty sleeping, struggling to feel safe, or experiencing changes in your relationships, confidence, or sense of yourself. Sometimes the effects of an experience do not become fully apparent until weeks, months, or even years later.
In British Columbia, the Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) may provide funding for counselling for people who have experienced psychological injury as a result of an eligible offence. This can include victims of crime, and in certain circumstances, immediate family members and witnesses. For more information on the Crime Victim Assistance Program, please visit the Government of BC website here.
CVAP Counselling in Duncan, BC and Online
What is the Crime Victim Assistance Program?
CVAP provides a range of benefits to eligible individuals affected by violent crime in British Columbia. Counselling is one of the benefits available through the program and may include individual counselling sessions. In some circumstances, counselling may also be available to people supporting a victim.
The specific benefits and number of sessions available depend on your individual circumstances and CVAP's assessment of your needs. Counselling benefits are intended to support recovery from psychological injury related to an eligible offence.
CVAP may also provide other forms of assistance, depending on eligibility and individual circumstances, including medical and dental expenses, prescription medications, protective measures, income support, vocational services, and transportation related to accessing approved services.
Common questions
Does CVAP pay for counselling?
CVAP may cover counselling for eligible victims, immediate family members, and witnesses when the counselling is considered reasonable and necessary to support recovery from psychological injury related to an eligible offence.
What else might CVAP cover?
Medical and dental services
Prescription drug expenses
Protective measures
Replacement of damaged or destroyed eyeglasses, clothing and disability aids
Childcare and homemaker services
Disability aids and related disability expenses or services
Support for a child born because of a crime
Vocational services
Income support or lost earning capacity
Transportation and related expenses
Crime scene cleaning
Do I need to have reported the crime to the police to access counselling?
Typically not. If you have, you do not have to wait for charges to be laid or for the offender to be convicted before applying for benefits.
Are there time limits on when the application must be done?
If the crime occurred before January 1, 2024: the application must be received within one year from the date of the crime
If the crime occurred on or after January 1, 2024: the application must be received within two years from the date of the crime
If the applicant is a minor, the time limit does not begin until the applicant turns 19 years old. Minors can apply on their own or a parent or guardian can apply on their behalf
If the crime occurred after July 1, 1972, and is based on sexual misconduct that occurred while the victim was under 19 years of age, or the crime is or includes a sexual assault, there is no time limit for the victim’s application. Applications by the victim’s immediate family members are still subject to the time limit
CVAP may provide an extension to the time limit if the applicant could not reasonably have been expected to complete an application within the time limit. To consider an exception, the applicant should provide information to CVAP regarding why they were unable to complete their application within the time limit
How many counselling sessions does CVAP cover?
The exact number of sessions approved varies.
Direct Victims: Eligible for up to 48 hours of individual regular counselling, with potential additional hours for court support.
Immediate Family Members: Generally eligible for up to 24 to 36 hours of counselling, depending on the specific claim and guidelines.
Witnesses: Typically approved for up to 12 to 18 hours of psychological support.
Pending Claims: CVAP may approve up to 12 initial sessions while a full claim is still pending review to prevent delays in urgent care
Does CVAP cover the entire cost of counselling?
CVAP covers $135 per counselling session, and you pay the remaining $15 per session.
Can I choose my own counsellor?
You can choose any counsellor who has been approved by CVAP (I am!) Counsellors must meet CVAP's requirements, including professional liability insurance and other requirements set by the program.
Can I use CVAP for online counselling?
Yes!
How can counselling help after experiencing a crime?
There is no single way that people respond to experiences of violence, abuse, assault, or other crimes. You may feel overwhelmed by what happened, or you may feel relatively unaffected at first and notice changes later.
Counselling can provide an opportunity to:
Process and make sense of what happened in a safe, supportive environment
Understand how the experience may be affecting your nervous system, emotions, thoughts, and relationships
Work through fear, anxiety, shame, anger, grief, or feelings of helplessness
Develop strategies for managing difficult emotions, intrusive thoughts, or heightened stress responses
Rebuild a sense of safety and trust in yourself and your surroundings
Address changes in self-esteem, confidence, or your sense of identity
Explore how the experience has affected your relationships and boundaries
Develop greater awareness of your needs and learn ways of responding to them
Reconnect with parts of your life that may have become more difficult after the experience
Move toward a greater sense of agency, choice, and control
Counselling does not require you to recount every detail of what happened. We can work at a pace that feels manageable for you and focus on what you are needing right now.
A trauma-informed approach
My approach is grounded in the understanding that your responses to a difficult or frightening experience often make sense in the context of what you have been through.
After experiencing a crime, you may find yourself constantly scanning for danger, feeling disconnected or numb, struggling to trust other people, or becoming overwhelmed by emotions that seem difficult to control. Rather than viewing these responses as something that is wrong with you, counselling can help you understand what your nervous system and different parts of you may be trying to do to keep you safe.
I use a relational, trauma-informed approach that incorporates Internal Family Systems (IFS) and somatic approaches alongside person-centred counselling. Together, we can explore both the emotional and physical effects of what you have experienced while developing greater compassion and understanding for yourself.
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