Terms of Service

Last updated: August 7, 2026

Island Perinatal Counselling Network

Operated by McGee Wellness Inc.

These terms explain what the Island Perinatal Counselling Network does, what it does not do, and what you can expect from us. They apply when you use our website, contact us, or let us help you find a counsellor.

They are written plainly on purpose, and they are the terms of our service, so please read them.

McGee Wellness Inc. (MWI) privately operates the Island Perinatal Counselling Network. In these terms, “we,” “our,” and “us” mean the Network. Where something is true of MWI more broadly, we say MWI.

Why we are here

Becoming a parent and growing a family has many challenges. It can be one of the hardest passages in a person’s life, and it can be difficult to find and access skilled, knowledgeable help in the middle of it. The Network exists to make that part simpler.

We serve people who need counselling and mental health care during their reproductive journey, from planning a conception through to pregnancy, birth, the postpartum months that follow, and any loss that may arise in the process. That includes birthing persons, their partners, adoptive and intended parents, and those who support them. It also includes support in weighing pregnancy options, and support after an abortion. Wherever you are at, you can come to us.

What we offer is information, connection, and a way forward. We answer your questions. We identify options open to you. We connect you with counsellors in our Network who specialize in perinatal mental health. If needed, we point you to resources or introduce you to counsellors outside the Network when that is what your situation needs.

Our mission is to provide a simple and certain pathway for aspiring, expectant, new, and bereaved parents to access specialized perinatal mental health counselling and care when they need it and can benefit.

If you need help right now

We are not an emergency service. We answer during regular weekday hours, and we cannot respond to a crisis.

If you or someone else is in danger, call 911, or visit the emergency room at the closest hospital.

If you are struggling and need to talk to someone now:

  • 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline, call or text 988, any time
  • BC Mental Health Support Line, call 310-6789, no area code, any time
  • HealthLink BC, call 811 for health advice

How our service starts

We do not act on our own. Our service begins when you contact us, or when you answer us after a health care provider refers you. Until you are communicating with us, there is nothing we can do to provide you with the service we offer.

We also act with your consent. When you agree to a referral, or contact us and share information so we can connect you with a counsellor, we treat that as your consent to help you and to use what you tell us for that purpose. That consent continues until you tell us otherwise. You can narrow it or withdraw it at any time, and we will stop.

What we do for you

We help people access perinatal counselling and connect with a specialized perinatal counsellor. Our service to you is free, and it works like this.

  • We listen. You tell us what you are looking for, and as much as you feel comfortable, you can share what you are going through. We take the time to understand your needs and preferences.
  • We suggest. We put forward service options that may include one or more counsellors in our Network. These are professionals with the skills, availability, approach, and rates to fit your situation.
  • We inform. We offer information about counsellors in the Network, and we answer your questions.
  • We book. When you are ready, we schedule your first appointment directly in the counsellor’s calendar and confirm it with you.
  • We support. We pass along what you have told us to the counsellor, so they have some context before you meet. And we do what we can to help ensure you and your counsellor are ready for the first session.

Then we step back. The counselling is between you and your counsellor, as is the administration of future bookings you decide to make.

Choosing when you are ready. We are here to give you what you need to decide, not to press you into deciding. Take the time you want. Ask as many questions as you want. Come back later. If counselling is not the right step right now, or not with us, that is fine, and where appropriate and where we can, we may point you to other resources that provide the support you seek.

Referrals from health care providers

If a doctor, midwife, nurse practitioner, or other provider refers you to the Network, we accept the referral and act on it, so long as you are eligible. Our referral form asks the provider to confirm that you agreed to the referral before sending it.

We respond promptly on regular weekdays, and we do so confidentially. Usually we will contact you by phone to introduce ourselves, hear from you directly, and go from there at your pace. Being referred does not commit you to anything.

A provider who refers you often stays involved in your care. They may ask us for a consultation note, for a phone consultation, or for confirmation that you have started counselling. Where you are receiving care from more than one provider, your consent to share relevant information among them is usually implied, and we may respond on that basis. We will do our best to confirm your consent, and to tell you when we are in touch with a provider in your circle of care. If you have already had your first counselling session, we forward requests like these to your counsellor.

What the Network is not

We are not an emergency or crisis service.
See the section above: If you need help right now

The Network is not your counsellor. We do not provide therapy, assessment, diagnosis, or clinical advice. Nothing we say to you is counselling, and nothing on our website is a substitute for care from a qualified professional.

The Network is not a counselling service. We connect you with an independent counsellor who provides counselling through their own practice, whether outside MWI or as part of the McGee Therapy Clinic, which MWI operates. What happens in counselling is between you and your counsellor, and we do not monitor or oversee the counselling you receive. Clinical Interns and Clinical Fellows at the Clinic are supervised by a clinical supervisor, though this is part of the Clinic’s operation and not the Network’s.

We are not a directory or a platform. We maintain an intake office with a care coordinator to contact you directly in response to referrals and inquiries. There is no online account to create with us, no login, and no portal. If we book you with a counsellor in our Network, we help create an account with a login in your counsellor’s client portal (for example: Jane App or Owl Practice), but this portal is their portal, not ours.

McGee Therapy Clinic

MWI operates both this Network and the McGee Therapy Clinic. They are not the same. The Network books clients with counsellors. The Clinic has counsellors who provide counselling to their clients.

Counsellors we identify as Network counsellors (for example, those who are listed on the Network website) provide counselling services independently through the practice they own or are part of, whether through the McGee Therapy Clinic or another clinical practice. When we suggest counsellors to you, we may suggest counsellors who are part of the McGee Therapy Clinic and counsellors who operate outside it.

Some people seeking perinatal counselling reach the Clinic first. Where it makes sense, and where we tell you, we may treat an inquiry or referral to the Clinic as an inquiry or referral to the Network. This way, the full range of Network counsellors is open to you.

Your choice of counsellor

We recommend. You choose. We book.

We suggest counsellors based on what you have told us and what we know about their practice, availability, and rates. The choice is always yours, and you are free to decline any suggestion, ask about others, or go elsewhere entirely.

We cannot promise that a particular counsellor will be available, that anyone will have openings when you need them, or that a match will be the right fit. If you believe it is not the right fit, tell us. We will help you find someone else where we can.

Rarely, we may decide we are not able to help, or to keep helping. That may be because no Network counsellor is a fit for what you need, or because we cannot work together safely. If it happens, we will tell you and point you elsewhere where we can.

What we ask of counsellors

Every counsellor in the Network signs an agreement with us. Under it, they confirm that they:

  • hold current registration or student membership in good standing with a professional college or association;
  • carry professional liability insurance;
  • maintain a current criminal record check, free of any conviction or charge that would preclude them from working as a counsellor;
  • keep up ongoing clinical consultation with a qualified supervisor or consultant;
  • hold the training and specializations they list with us; and
  • practice under the ethical and practice standards of their profession.

Counsellors at the McGee Therapy Clinic meet these requirements through their arrangement with MWI. Clinical Interns and Clinical Fellows at the Clinic hold student membership in a professional association, and through supervision they are responsible for providing counselling to the standards of a registered professional. We check these things and ask for updates. What we cannot do is guarantee the outcome of anyone’s care. Counselling is a professional relationship, and the professional judgment in it belongs to your counsellor.

If you ever have a concern about a counsellor’s conduct, you can raise it with them directly, or with their supervisor if they are a Clinical Intern or Clinical Fellow.

As well, you can raise it with their college or association, which is the body that regulates the profession. Network counsellors may belong to any of the following:

If you are uncertain about which body your counsellor is licenced or registered with, you can ask them or us.

What it costs you

Our service is free to you. We do not charge you anything for helping you find a counsellor or for booking your appointment.

Counselling is not free. You pay your counsellor directly for the counselling they provide you, at the rates they set, under whatever agreement you make with them. We will tell you a counsellor’s rates and related policies before you book, and you may review any of these matters with the counsellor directly.

The Network is sustained by counsellors. We sustain this service with revenue from two sources: fees paid to us by Network counsellors, and counselling revenue received by counsellors at the McGee Therapy Clinic.

That revenue covers the cost of running the Network:

  • building and maintaining it, and keeping it findable;
  • outfitting and staffing a Network intake office that is open on weekdays from 9 to 5;
  • receiving and responding to referrals from health care providers;
  • the time we spend talking and answering questions with you and other parents;
  • making and confirming your booking, and helping you and your counsellor get ready for the first session; and
  • outreach and initiatives to promote reproductive mental health care or secure external funding to widen access.

It also allows us to help people we never book. We answer questions, offer information, and point people to other resources every week without a fee ever being paid. This work matters as much to us as a completed booking.

How we are funded never affects what you pay. We suggest counsellors based on fit, and the choice always remains with you.

Affordable Therapy Plan

The McGee Therapy Clinic established the Affordable Therapy Plan to widen access to mental health counselling. It is a Clinic program rather than a Network program, though most people it helps are aspiring, expectant, new, or bereaved parents.

The Plan has two tiers.

Counselling with a Clinical Intern or Clinical Fellow. They are master’s level students or graduates who have not yet obtained registration with a professional counselling association or college. They practice under the supervision of a registered clinician at the Clinic. Because they are not yet registered, their rates sit below the rates of registered counsellors. This can matter if you do not have extended health care benefits. Some people also choose an Intern or Fellow because they value contributing to the learning and development of a newer clinician.

A lower cost option for eligible parents. If the fees of an Intern or Fellow are still not affordable or sustainable for you, the Plan offers a further reduced option to parents who qualify.

Either tier can be accessed by calling the Network intake office.

Funded counselling, if it is available

From time to time we may have funding from outside donors, grants, or programs that covers some or all of the cost of counselling for people who qualify.

There is no funding available at present. If it becomes available, we will provide information about who qualifies and how it works. Funding always depends on what is available and on your continuing eligibility, and it can end. If you receive funded counselling, we will ask for the information a funder requires to confirm eligibility and to pay your counsellor.

Your information

If we received information about you in a referral, from you directly, or both, then we will have information that identifies you, and we may have some of your personal health information.

We will handle the information we receive about you in accordance with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act. In practice, we minimize what we collect. We limit access to the MWI staff who need it, and we use it only for the purposes it was given for. We ensure it is stored securely. And when the information we hold has served its purposes, we destroy it or strip what identifies you.

If you book an appointment, we require additional information such as your date of birth and street address, so your counsellor can identify you.

We do not ask for information about your baby or your birth. The one exception is your expected due date, or the date or approximate time of your baby’s birth, where either applies. We ask because it tells us where you are in your reproductive journey, which can matter to the kind of care that fits and to whether you qualify for programs inside or outside the Network.

Even so, we may receive more. People tell us about events in their reproductive journey, and a referral may carry such information. What reaches us can include details about a pregnancy, a birth, a baby, a partner, a medical history, or medications. We give the information we receive to your counsellor, and for the limited time we may hold some or all of it ourselves, always keeping what we have confidential and protected.

If we book you to see a counsellor, we enter the information we received into their secure record system. Your counsellor gives us access for that purpose alone, limited by time and by task: we can create your profile, add information we received or were told, and manage the appointment we booked. We cannot see your counsellor’s clinical notes, and we are prohibited from reaching the records of anyone who did not come to them through the Network. From that point the record we create is your counsellor’s, held by them and the practice they are part of.

We may also study how well the Network works, using booking and appointment information. We do that only where your counsellor and we both agree to it, and we strip out what identifies you first, so the analysis says nothing about you or any other individual.

Our Privacy Policy explains all of this in full: what we collect, why, who at MWI can see it, what happens when we hand it to your counsellor, how long we keep it, and how to see or correct it. It forms part of these terms.

Ways we communicate

We communicate by phone, text, email, our website form, and fax. Most of the time we start with a phone call and follow up by phone, text, or both, or by another way you get in touch.

We do not use social media to arrange counselling, and we do not monitor it regularly. If you message us there and we see it, we may reply and ask to move somewhere private.

Email, text, and fax are convenient and not fully private. Please see our Privacy Policy for what that means and how to tell us your preferences. You can ask us to stop contacting you at any time.

After your first booking

Once your first appointment or first set of appointments is booked, your counsellor becomes your point of contact. If you need to change or cancel your first appointment, contact them.

If you reach us instead before that first session, we will help where we reasonably can and let your counsellor know about any change we make.

After you attend your first session, we do not book or change follow up appointments. That is between you and your counsellor, and if you contact us about it, we will point you back to them.

If you cancel or miss your first appointment and do not rebook, we may follow up with you for a limited time after the date of that appointment, to ask whether you still want help making a new appointment with your counsellor or with finding a different counsellor. If you would rather not hear from us, tell us and we will leave it.

Your part

We ask you to give us accurate information about what you are looking for and how to contact you. We rely on it to communicate with you and to provide you with the services offered by our Network.

Our website

MWI holds the copyright for the content on our website. It is not available for copying or use by others without our consent. We licence some material on our site, such as some of the images, and we are unable to consent to their use. You are welcome to read our content, print it for your own use, and share a link to it.

We keep the site accurate and current as best we can, and we cannot promise it is free of errors or always available. Our site may link to other organizations that we think may help. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for what they contain.

Where we serve

To access the Network, you need to be a resident of British Columbia, or be located in British Columbia. If you are neither, we cannot connect you with a counsellor in our Network.

We are based in Victoria and on Vancouver Island, where we have direct relationships with health care providers, and where our focus is connecting people with counsellors who specialize in perinatal mental health.

Our responsibility, and its limits

We are responsible for our conduct in providing the Network’s services to connect you with a counsellor.

It is your professional counsellor, not us, who is responsible for the care they provide, or do not provide, to you. And they, not us, are responsible for their availability, their fees, their cancellation policies, and their business practices. Any claim about that care lies with them.

Nothing in these terms of service takes away any right you have under BC law.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The current version is always posted here with the date it was last updated.

The law that applies

These terms are governed by the laws of British Columbia and the laws of Canada that apply here. Disputes belong to the courts of British Columbia.

Talking to us

Questions about these terms, or about anything else, are welcome.

Island Perinatal Counselling Network
Phone: 778-410-7000
Email: hello@islandperinatal.ca
Mail: 111-645 Fort Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1G2
Web: www.islandperinatal.ca