Hallucinations and Delusions
Hallucinations and delusions can be frightening and confusing for individuals and their loved ones. These symptoms often coincide with various mental health concerns, including severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other disorders. Hallucinations and delusions can be stigmatized and many people fear seeking support because they worry about negative judgment or involuntary hospitalization. At Boreal Therapy Collective, we offer compassionate, evidence-based care for those experiencing hallucinations and delusions. No matter how difficult things may feel, we are here to support you every step of the way.
To begin therapy to treat hallucinations and delusions, book with:
Amy Parsons
D’Arcy Arseneau
Kim Cardinal
Lyndsy Stevenson
Understanding Hallucinations
Hallucinations refer to sensory experiences that feel very real without actually being real. Hallucinations involve any of the five senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
Visual hallucinations: Seeing images, shapes, or people
Auditory hallucinations: Hearing voices or other sounds
Tactile hallucinations: Feeling certain sensations like something touching the skin or crawling on the body
Olfactory hallucinations: Smelling certain scents
Gustatory hallucinations: Tasting certain tastes
Hallucinations can coincide with substance abuse, medication side effects, sleep deprivation, and some neurological disorders. The onset of hallucinations can occur at any age, but people often first experience them around late adolescence to early 30s.
Although it's rare, hallucinations can occur in childhood. If you're concerned about your child's well-being, please reach out for support as soon as possible. The right treatment can make a significant difference, especially when symptoms first emerge.
Understanding Delusions
Delusional thinking refers to experiencing false perceptions that aren't rooted in reality. People with delusions may present as paranoid or irrational in their thinking. These seemingly unshakable beliefs come in many forms, including:
Grandiose delusions: Beliefs of having special powers or exceptional abilities
Somatic delusions: Beliefs that the body has some serious medical issue or physical condition (eg: parasites)
Delusions of control: Beliefs that something or someone else is controlling one's thoughts
Persecutory delusions: Beliefs that one is being conspired against, harassed, or intentionally tracked (eg: believing the government is plotting to hurt them and their family)
Delusions likely come from a variety of biological, environmental, and psychological factors. In addition to certain mental health conditions, delusions may result from brain abnormalities or dysfunction, substance use, neurological impairments, and severe trauma.
How Are Hallucinations and Delusions Treated?
Although these symptoms can be challenging to live with, the right treatment can make such a difference in helping you feel better. Treatment tends to be multifaceted and may include several components, including:
Comprehensive assessment: If you feel concerned about your mental health, a full assessment reviews all past and current physical and psychological symptoms. Because misdiagnosis can happen (even with the best intentions), a proper assessment may help rule out other conditions contributing to hallucinations or delusions.
Psychiatric medication: Antipsychotic drugs are typically the first treatment measure for hallucinations and delusions. Antipsychotics affect the dopamine receptors and they can help manage the underlying mood shifts that may trigger a psychotic episode. Medication can also support overall emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
Therapy: Therapy helps people cope with their symptoms and improve their overall emotional well-being. We use a combined approach at Boreal Therapy Collective, pulling from cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and dialectical-behavior therapy (DBT) to change the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. We may also recommend family therapy for family members seeking to better support a loved one.
Lifestyle changes: People experiencing hallucinations or delusions often benefit from making basic lifestyle changes, such as sleeping and eating regularly and eliminating mood-altering substances. It’s equally important to adhere to medication recommendations and attend all medical appointments.
Wraparound support: Comprehensive care can be an important part of treating any mental health condition. A treatment team may include a psychiatrist, medical doctor, qualified mental health professional, and case manager. The key is for all individuals to collaborate on a treatment plan and advocate for the client's well-being.
Therapy for Hallucinations and Delusions in Fort McMurray
How to Start Therapy for Hallucinations and Delusions
Beginning therapy with Boreal Therapy Collective is easy and requires no referral. You can book your initial assessment here.
Understanding Length of Therapy and Treatment
Your first appointment will be 90-minutes long. For all future appointments, you can choose to book for 1 hour or 90-minutes. During your first appointment, your therapist will ask you questions to better understand you and your areas of struggle. This is known as an assessment. Depending on how much you share, the assessment phase can last anywhere from one to three appointments. The assessment is critical. It helps you and your therapist understand your goals, and it helps your therapist develop a treatment plan to support you in achieving these goals.
After the assessment is complete, treatment begins! In the treatment phase, you will be introduced to a variety of skills to practice and implement to better manage your symptoms. Most people will have a therapy session every two weeks, and we recommend this for optimal treatment. Effective therapy typically takes somewhere between six to twelve appointments (for some more, others less). Many choose to continue therapy once formal treatment is complete. This is referred to as maintenance. People who do this typically have an appointment once every six to eight weeks. This is not a requirement and is a matter of personal choice.
Therapy for Hallucinations and Delusions at Boreal Therapy Collective
Where We Are Located
We’re located at 8530 Manning Avenue, Unit 104. You’ll find us in the Service Canada building (on the side of the building that faces the Clearwater River). To check out our space, click here.
Parking is located at the front and back of the building. The front parking lot is closer to us but tends to fill up quickly. There is also an empty dirt lot adjacent to our office that many use for parking. If you park at the back (where Service Canada is located), you can walk around the building to reach our office. To learn more about parking, click here.
Importantly, you do not need to be in town for treatment. We offer in-person and virtual therapy and our therapists are happy to provide whatever option works best for you!
Rates & Benefit Coverage
Initial assessments are billed at a rate of $330.00 for a 90-minute appointment. Follow-up sessions are billed at a rate of $220.00/hour or $330.00/90-minutes (you can choose your preferred appointment length when booking).
Our social workers offer direct billing to 25+ benefit providers. Many benefit providers will cover a portion or the whole amount of your therapy session. With your consent, we will always direct bill your benefit provider first. Please note that our Registered Psychiatric Nurses are typically ineligible for direct billing.
If we are unable to direct bill, you can pay via email money transfer or credit card. You will be given a receipt once payment has been collected. For more information on benefit coverage, click here.
