pricing and policies
At the co-lab, we are committed to transparent pricing, ethical practice, and clear expectations. Our policies are designed to support safety, sustainability, and respectful engagement for clients, clinicians, and families.
Fees & Payment
Fees vary by service type, clinician, and level of involvement (for example, counselling, coaching, reports, or court-adjacent services). Current rates are listed at the time of booking through our scheduling platform.
Payment is required in advance of services unless otherwise arranged in writing. Invoices and receipts are issued for record-keeping and reimbursement purposes only.
Where applicable, fees may reflect not only session time but also preparation, documentation, professional collaboration, and administrative support.
Intake Sessions
Most services begin with a mandatory intake session. Intake sessions help us understand your needs, assess fit, and determine appropriate next steps. An intake session does not guarantee ongoing services or specific outcomes. Intake sessions are administrative in nature and not claimable through extended benefits.
Cancellations & Missed Appointments
We require a minimum of 48 hours’ notice for cancellations or rescheduling unless otherwise stated in your service agreement.
Late cancellations or missed appointments will be charged in full. This policy reflects the reserved time, professional availability, and administrative coordination involved in your booking.
Scope & Limitations
The co-lab does not provide legal advice, legal representation, emergency services, or crisis intervention. If you are in immediate danger, please contact local emergency services or a crisis line in your area.
Participation in services does not imply endorsement, fault, or agreement by third parties, including courts, counsel, or other professionals.
Insurance & Reimbursement
Clients are responsible for confirming eligibility for insurance or benefit reimbursement. Receipts are provided for eligible services where applicable, but reimbursement is not guaranteed. Our team does not direct bill at this current time.
Confidentiality & Records
Services are provided in accordance with applicable professional standards, ethical guidelines, and privacy legislation. Limits to confidentiality, including those related to safety and court involvement, will be explained as part of your service agreement and intake process.
Reserve Funds
Some services and programs require families to maintain a reserve fund to support ongoing professional and administrative work completed outside of scheduled sessions.
Where a reserve fund applies, the amount, permitted uses, replenishment requirements, and allocation between parties will be outlined in the applicable Service Agreement.
Reserve funds may be used for professional or administrative work completed on the file, including case review, documentation, professional consultation, communication, coordination, reporting, and other work required to support the service.
Reserve funds may also be used where outstanding professional responsibilities must be completed despite a client no longer participating or paying directly, including preparation of closing documentation or required reports.
Where the reserve fund falls below the required minimum balance, clients may be required to replenish it within the timeframe identified in their Service Agreement. Services may be paused where the required reserve fund is not maintained.
Refunds
Fees are non-refundable once services have been provided or where fewer than 48 hours’ notice has been given for a cancellation. Pre-paid services may be refunded only in limited circumstances and at the discretion of the co-lab, in accordance with the applicable Service Agreement.
Clients are responsible for ensuring they are authorized to use any payment card they provide. Where a card belongs to a third party, the client must ensure they have the cardholder’s consent.
If a third-party cardholder later disputes a charge, the client remains responsible for the cost of the services provided, along with any professional, administrative, or processing costs incurred in responding to the dispute.
Court-Involved & Report-Based Services
Court-ordered or court-adjacent services (including but not limited to parenting coordination, supervision, observations, and reports) may involve additional fees for preparation, documentation, collateral contact, and attendance.
The co-lab does not guarantee court outcomes, judicial acceptance, or specific findings. Professional opinions are based on information available at the time and may evolve as new information emerges.
Court Documents, Subpoenas & Testimony
Participation in services does not mean that a professional is automatically available to provide testimony, affidavits, letters, reports, records, or opinions for legal proceedings.
Requests for court-related involvement are considered separately and may be accepted or declined depending on the professional's role, scope of practice, ethical obligations, availability, and the nature of the request.
Where a professional is required or agrees to participate in a legal proceeding, billable time may include preparation, file review, consultation with counsel, document preparation, travel, waiting time, attendance, testimony, follow-up, and related administrative work.
Court-related fees may differ from regular session rates and may require advance payment or an additional retainer.
Receipt of a subpoena or other legal demand does not automatically change the professional's role or require them to provide opinions outside their scope of practice.
Letters, Reports & Documentation Requests
Letters, reports, summaries, forms, opinions, confirmation documents, and other written materials are not automatically included in session fees unless specifically identified as part of the service.
Requests for documentation are reviewed individually and may require additional professional or administrative time.
A professional may decline to prepare a requested document where the request falls outside their role, competence, scope of practice, available information, ethical responsibilities, or the purpose of the service.
Where documentation is prepared, the professional will determine the content and wording based on their independent professional judgment.
Outcomes & Relationship Repair
The co-lab does not guarantee specific outcomes from counselling, mediation, coaching, family support, court-involved services, or relationship repair work.
We cannot guarantee reconciliation, agreement, renewed contact, increased parenting time, behavioural change, resolution of conflict, changes in another person's perspective, or any particular legal outcome.
Relationship repair and sustainable change depend on many factors, including safety, readiness, participation, trust, accountability, individual circumstances, and the willingness of those involved.
Our role is to support a thoughtful, informed, and professionally responsible process. It is not to manufacture a predetermined outcome.
Virtual Services & Technology
Virtual services may be offered where they are clinically, professionally, and practically appropriate.
Clients participating virtually are responsible for accessing sessions from a location that is reasonably private, safe, and suitable for the nature of the service.
Clients are encouraged to use a secure internet connection, private device where possible, and headphones where confidentiality may otherwise be compromised.
While reasonable safeguards are used, electronic communication and virtual platforms carry inherent privacy and technology risks. The co-lab cannot guarantee uninterrupted service, complete technological security, or the reliability of a client's internet connection or device.
Where a significant technological interruption occurs, the professional will determine whether the session should continue, be moved to another platform, or be rescheduled.
Outstanding Balances & Suspension of Services
Clients are responsible for maintaining their accounts in good standing in accordance with their Service Agreement.
Services may be paused, rescheduled, modified, or discontinued where invoices remain unpaid, required reserve funds are not maintained, or a valid payment method is not available where one is required.
Pausing services because of an outstanding account does not eliminate responsibility for fees already incurred.
There may also be circumstances where professional responsibilities must still be completed after services are paused or discontinued. This may include documentation, closing reports, record completion, required professional communication, or other work associated with safely and appropriately closing the file.
Any such work remains billable at the applicable rate.
Changes to Fees & Policies
Fees, administrative processes, and service policies may be updated periodically to reflect changes in professional practice, operating costs, regulatory requirements, or service structure.
Where fees change, reasonable notice will be provided before the new rate applies to future services.
Existing contractual obligations will continue to be governed by the applicable Service Agreement unless otherwise agreed in writing.
The most current website information should be read together with the terms of the client's signed Service Agreement.
Ending Services & File Closure
Services may end because goals have been met, the service is no longer required, a client chooses to withdraw, the professional determines that another service would be more appropriate, or continued involvement is no longer clinically, ethically, or professionally appropriate.
Where possible, file closure will be managed thoughtfully and with consideration for continuity of care, safety, outstanding professional responsibilities, and appropriate referrals.
Outstanding invoices remain payable after services end.
Professional or administrative work required to appropriately close a file, including documentation, reporting, consultation, or communication, may remain billable after the final session.
Where a client wishes to return after a file has been closed, a new intake, updated documentation, or revised Service Agreement may be required.
Complaints, Concerns & Feedback
We welcome respectful questions, concerns, and feedback about our services.
Clients are encouraged to raise concerns directly with their professional or with the appropriate co-lab administrative contact so that the issue can be understood and, where possible, addressed.
Raising a concern will not result in retaliation or negatively affect a client's access to services.
Where a concern relates to a regulated professional, clients may also have the right to contact that professional's applicable regulatory college, professional association, or oversight body.
We are committed to accountability and to addressing concerns in a way that is respectful, fair, and consistent with our professional responsibilities
Scope & Limitations
The co-lab does not provide legal advice, legal representation, emergency services, or crisis intervention. If you are in immediate danger, please contact local emergency services or a crisis line in your area.
Participation in services does not imply endorsement, fault, or agreement by third parties, including courts, counsel, or other professionals.
Insurance & Reimbursement
Clients are responsible for confirming eligibility for insurance or benefit reimbursement. Receipts are provided for eligible services where applicable, but reimbursement is not guaranteed. Our team does not direct bill at this current time.
Confidentiality & Records
Services are provided in accordance with applicable professional standards, ethical guidelines, and privacy legislation. Limits to confidentiality, including those related to safety and court involvement, will be explained as part of your service agreement and intake process.
Respectful Engagement
We are committed to trauma-attuned, respectful, and non-coercive practice. We ask all clients to engage with our team, our professionals, and our processes in a manner that supports safety, collaboration, accountability, and the constructive use of professional time.
Respectful engagement does not require agreement. Clients are welcome to raise concerns, ask questions, disagree with recommendations, or express frustration. However, communication and participation must remain consistent with the safety of those involved, the integrity of the professional process, and the scope of the services being provided.
The co-lab may pause, modify, or discontinue services where engagement becomes unsafe, threatening, abusive, discriminatory, harassing, coercive, persistently disruptive, clinically inappropriate, ethically concerning, or otherwise outside the scope of practice of the professional or program involved.
A professional may also end a session where continuing would not be safe, appropriate, or clinically or ethically responsible. This may include circumstances involving threatening behaviour, repeated verbal aggression, harassment, refusal to respect professional boundaries, conduct that compromises the safety or well-being of another participant, or attempts to require a professional to act outside their ethical, legal, or professional responsibilities.
Where a session is ended by a co-lab professional for these reasons, the session fee remains payable and will not be refunded.
Where appropriate, the co-lab may identify alternative next steps, recommend a different service structure, require additional safeguards before services resume, or provide referrals to a service better suited to the client’s needs. Decisions regarding continuation of service will be made with consideration of professional obligations, safety, scope of practice, and the wellbeing of everyone involved.
Professional Time Outside of Sessions
Professional services often involve work that takes place outside of scheduled appointments.
Depending on the service, billable professional or administrative time may include preparation, file review, documentation, email correspondence, consultation with other professionals, collateral contact, case coordination, team meetings, reviewing records, preparing reports, responding to professional inquiries, scheduling complexity, and other work reasonably required in relation to the file.
Where work falls outside what is included in a service or program, it will be billed at the applicable professional or administrative rate outlined in the Service Agreement.
We make reasonable efforts to use professional time thoughtfully and proportionately while ensuring that the work required to support a file is completed responsibly.
Communication & Administrative Boundaries
Email and administrative communication are intended to support coordination, scheduling, and appropriate file-related communication. They are not a substitute for counselling, mediation, crisis support, or other substantive professional services.
Substantive professional communication by email may be billable where it requires clinical judgment, case review, consultation, analysis, documentation, or other professional work.
Clients are asked to use the communication methods identified for their service or program. This may include a scheduling platform, administrative email, secure portal, or other designated system.
Response times may vary depending on professional availability, urgency, and the nature of the request. The co-lab does not provide continuous monitoring of email, voicemail, or other communication platforms.
If immediate support is required, clients should contact an appropriate emergency or crisis service in their area.
Children & Youth Services
Children and youth are not treated as extensions of the adults involved in their lives.
Our work with children and young people is grounded in dignity, developmental appropriateness, emotional safety, consent, and respect for their lived experience.
Children will not be pressured to disclose information, demonstrate affection, reconcile with another person, engage in physical contact, or participate in relationship repair through force, surprise, threat, shame, or coercion.
The pace and structure of child-focused work will be determined by the professional involved, with consideration of the child's age, developmental needs, readiness, circumstances, safety, and the purpose of the service.
A parent or caregiver's desire for information, contact, progress, or a particular outcome does not automatically determine the content, structure, or pace of a child's professional work.
Where applicable, services will also consider court orders, legal requirements, guardianship arrangements, and professional obligations.
Information About Children's Sessions
Parents and caregivers may not receive detailed or session-by-session information regarding a child's counselling or therapeutic work.
Children and youth require an appropriate degree of privacy in order to develop trust and participate meaningfully in professional services.
Information may be shared where appropriate and consistent with the child's wellbeing, developmental capacity, consent where applicable, professional standards, legal requirements, court orders, and the nature of the service being provided.
Where information must be shared for safety or other professional reasons, the professional will determine what information is necessary and appropriate to disclose.
The co-lab does not use children's therapeutic or counselling sessions as a means of gathering evidence for one parent, building a legal case, or investigating allegations on behalf of a party.
Consent & Participation
Consent and readiness are central to our work.
Participation in a service does not mean that a client agrees with every recommendation, perspective, professional opinion, or proposed next step.
Clients may ask questions, express disagreement, request clarification, or decline recommendations where participation is voluntary and doing so is consistent with the terms of the service.
Where services are court-ordered or otherwise legally required, the co-lab will work within the applicable order while remaining attentive to professional ethics, safety, consent, and scope of practice.
The structure, pacing, or format of services may be modified where needed to support safety, readiness, accessibility, professional responsibility, or the integrity of the process.
Collateral Contacts & Third Parties
Depending on the nature of the service, it may be helpful or necessary for a co-lab professional to communicate with other individuals involved in a client's care or family system.
This may include lawyers, physicians, therapists, schools, parenting professionals, child protection professionals, extended family members, or other relevant service providers.
Where consent is required, appropriate authorization will be obtained before information is shared.
Professional and administrative time associated with collateral communication, consultation, document review, coordination, or meetings may be billable at the applicable rate.
The co-lab cannot control how information is used, interpreted, or further disclosed by third parties once lawfully shared with them.
Role Clarity & Professional Boundaries
The co-lab offers a range of services, including counselling, coaching, mediation, family support, facilitated conversations, reports, and court-adjacent professional services.
The role of each professional will be identified at the outset of services and may also be outlined in the applicable Service Agreement.
A professional engaged in one role may not be able to take on another role within the same family or file where doing so could create a conflict of interest, dual-role concern, ethical issue, or compromise the integrity of the original service.
For example, a professional acting as a counsellor or mediator may not be able to later provide an evaluative opinion, act as an advocate, or provide evidence about matters that fall outside the purpose of their original role.
Requests for opinions, letters, reports, testimony, affidavits, or other forms of professional involvement will be considered in light of the professional's existing role, scope, ethical responsibilities, and available information.
Questions
If you have questions about pricing, policies, or your invoice, please contact hello@theco-lab.co