FAQ
About Kim & KECC
What is KECC?
KECC, Kim English Counselling & Consulting, is a nurse-led practice offering counselling, coaching, education, and consulting services for nurses, healthcare professionals, and the organizations that support them. KECC also offers The Wellness Shift®, a suite of digital wellness tools and programs designed specifically for nurses.
Every service at KECC is grounded in over 35 years of frontline nursing experience, doctoral-level scholarship, and a deep commitment to relational, trauma-informed care.
Who do you work with?
I work with individuals navigating transitions in their lives, whether it is menopause, burnout, job transitions, or life transitions.
I work with nurses and healthcare professionals navigating burnout, menopause, career transitions, and workplace challenges. I also work with nursing students, internationally educated nurses adjusting to practice in Canada, and the organizations, schools, and health systems that employ and educate nurses.
If you’re not sure whether KECC is the right fit for what you’re facing, reach out — I’m happy to have a brief conversation and point you in the right direction, even if that’s somewhere else.
Are you the right fit for me if I’m not a nurse?
Possibly, yes. While my practice is designed with nurses and healthcare professionals in mind, many of the challenges I work with,burnout, life transitions, menopause, professional identity, leadership development — are not unique to nursing. If what you’ve read resonates with you, I’d encourage you to reach out for a consultation and we can determine together whether we’re a good fit.
Do you work virtually?
Yes. All individual services counselling, coaching, and initial consultations are offered virtually across Canada. This matters to me. Many of the people I work with are in rural and remote communities where in-person mental health and professional support is simply not available. Virtual care is not a compromise it is how I reach the people who need this work most.
Counselling
What is counselling, and how is it different from therapy?
In everyday use, the terms counselling and psychotherapy are often used interchangeably, and in my practice, they refer to the same relational, evidence- informed process of working through emotional, psychological, and life challenges in a safe, structured space.
Counselling tends to be associated with support for specific life challenges and transitions, while psychotherapy can involve deeper exploration of longstanding patterns and mental health concerns. In practice, the line between them is fluid, and what matters most is that the work responds to what you actually need.
What areas do you work with in counselling?
I offer counselling support in three main areas:
• Menopause mental health — the psychological dimensions of perimenopause and menopause, including anxiety, mood changes, identity shifts, sleep disruption, and the sense that something fundamental has changed
• Healthcare provider and first responder support — moral distress, compassion fatigue, burnout, institutional betrayal, and the particular weight of caring work in high-demand environments
• Life transitions and identity — retirement, role changes, relational shifts, grief, and the disorientation of becoming someone new when the old version of yourself no longer fits
What approaches do you use?
My counselling practice draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), narrative
therapy, and trauma-informed principles. I work at your pace, toward goals that
matter to you, and I hold space for complexity, the kind that doesn’t resolve neatly and doesn’t need to.
I also bring a somatic awareness to the work, recognizing that what we carry
emotionally often lives in the body as well as the mind.
Are you currently accepting new counselling clients?
Yes, I am currently accepting new counselling clients. I offer a free 15-minute
consultation before we begin, so you can ask your questions and get a sense of
whether we’re a good fit. You can book that directly through the link below.
How long does counselling take?
That depends entirely on what you’re bringing and what you’re hoping for. Some people find meaningful relief and clarity in six to eight sessions. Others benefit from longer-term support. We’ll talk about this at the outset and revisit it as we go, the goal is always to help you get where you’re going, not to create dependency.
What does a typical session look like?
Sessions are typically 50–60 minutes, held virtually via a secure video platform. We begin where you are, what’s present for you today, what you’ve been noticing, what you want to work on. From there, the session unfolds relationally, with direction from you and gentle structure from me. I use Jane App for scheduling and secure documentation.
What Is a Nurse Psychotherapist?
What is a nurse psychotherapist?
A nurse psychotherapist is a Registered Nurse who has the skills and abilities to perform the controlled act of psychotherapy.
Nurses bring something distinct to psychotherapy: a deep understanding of the body-mind connection, a relational model of care, and attention to your lived experience.
How is seeing a nurse psychotherapist different from seeing a social worker or psychologist?
All of these are regulated mental health professionals who can offer effective psychotherapy. The difference is in the lens and the lived experience each brings.
As a nurse psychotherapist, I bring a health science foundation, an understanding of the physiological dimensions of mental health (including menopause, chronic illness, and trauma in the body), and a particular expertise in the experiences of healthcare workers. Working with someone who genuinely understands your world, without translation, can make a significant difference in how safe and understood you feel.
Are nurse psychotherapists regulated in Ontario?
Yes. Psychotherapy is a controlled act in Ontario, and as one of the controlled acts authorized to nurses, nurses can perform psychotherapy.
Do you work with a supervisor or mentor?
Yes. I engage with a clinical supervisor and mentor as part of my ongoing professional development. This is a practice I value deeply, it reflects my commitment to continuous learning and to offering my clients the highest quality of care. Good supervision makes for better practice, and I believe in modelling the kind of reflective, accountable professional culture I encourage in the nurses I work with.
Coaching
What’s the difference between coaching and counselling?
Counselling is focused on healing, understanding, and working through emotional and psychological challenges. It often involves looking at the past to make sense of the present.
Coaching is future-focused. It’s about clarifying what you want, identifying what’s in the way, and building the skills, confidence, and plan to get there. Coaching doesn’t diagnose or treat mental health concerns; it works from your strengths and your vision.
Some people move between coaching and counselling over time as their needs shift. Others come to one and stay. There’s no wrong answer; we’ll talk about what fits where you are right now.
Who is coaching for?
Coaching at KECC is designed for nurses and healthcare professionals who are ready to grow, not because something is wrong, but because they can feel that something more is possible. You might be:
• Navigating a career pivot or considering a significant role change
• Stepping into leadership and wanting to do it with intention
• Recovering from burnout and ready to re-engage on your own terms
• Working on a project, program, or idea and needing a thinking partner
• Wanting to reclaim your voice after a period of being silenced or sidelined
What is Finding Your Voice Again?
Finding Your Voice Again is my signature coaching program for nurses and healthcare professionals who have been silenced, by systems, by culture, by exhaustion, or by circumstance, and who are ready to reclaim their professional identity and step back into their full presence.
It runs as a small cohort program, combining individual coaching with peer connection and structured learning. Cohort spaces are limited intentionally — the small group format is where the real work happens.
Do you offer individual coaching outside of the cohort program?
Yes. Individual coaching engagements are available for nurses and healthcare professionals who prefer one-to-one work or whose goals don’t fit the cohort format.
We’ll begin with a discovery call to make sure we’re a good fit and to clarify what you’re working toward.
Consulting
What kinds of organizations do you consult with?
I work with nursing schools, post-secondary health education programs, healthcare organizations, health authorities, rural and remote health services, professional associations, and community-based health programs. My consulting focus areas are leadership development, curriculum development and redesign, rural nursing, and nurse wellbeing and retention.
What does a consulting engagement look like?
Every engagement is different, and that’s intentional. I don’t offer pre-packaged consulting products, I offer tailored partnerships that begin with a scoping conversation to understand your context, your goals, and what you’ve already tried.
Engagements can range from a focused one-time consultation to a multi-month project partnership. We’ll agree on scope, deliverables, and timeline before any work begins.
What is The Wellness Shift®?
The Wellness Shift® is my flagship organizational wellbeing program, a structured, cohort-based intervention for healthcare teams navigating burnout, moral distress, or the aftermath of workplace harm. It is built on the R.E.S.I.L.I.E.N.T. Framework and delivered by nurses who understand healthcare culture from the inside.
The Wellness Shift® is available as a full organizational engagement or as a licensed program for health authorities and educational institutions. Visit the Consulting page for more detail or reach out to discuss whether it’s a fit for your organization.
Can you present or speak at our conference or organization?
Yes. I am available for keynote presentations, workshops, panel contributions, and professional development sessions on topics including rural nursing, nurse wellbeing, trauma-informed education, equity and inclusion in healthcare, and nursing leadership. I have presented at national and international nursing conferences and am comfortable with both academic and practitioner audiences.
Reach out through the contact form to discuss your event, audience, and topic.
Fees & Access
Is counselling covered by OHIP or insurance?
Counselling with a Nurse Psychotherapist is not covered by OHIP. However, many extended health benefit plans do cover Nurse Psychotherapy services. I encourage you to check your benefits plan directly, as coverage varies.
I can provide receipts for all sessions that you can submit to your benefits provider.
Do you offer a sliding scale?
Yes, sliding scale fees are available for certain services. I believe that financial barriers should not stand between someone and the support they need, particularly for nurses in rural and remote communities or those navigating financial hardship. If cost is a concern, please mention it when you reach out, and we’ll find an approach that works.
Are you registered with WSIB?
Yes. I am a registered WSIB provider. If you are a nurse or healthcare worker with a workplace injury claim, I can work with you within the WSIB framework. Please indicate this when you book so we can ensure the right documentation is in place from the start.
What platform do you use for virtual sessions?
I use Jane App for all scheduling, secure video sessions, and client documentation. Jane is a Canadian-owned, PIPEDA-compliant platform, your information is private and protected. You’ll receive a link to join your session directly from Jane ahead of each appointment.
What is your cancellation policy?
I ask for at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule a session. Late cancellations or no-shows may be subject to a fee. I understand that life — especially in healthcare — is unpredictable, and I’ll always try to work with you. My full cancellation policy is available in your client agreement, which we’ll review before our first session.
Getting Started
How do I know which service is right for me?
If you’re not sure whether you need counselling, coaching, or something else entirely — that’s completely okay. The free 15-minute consultation is exactly the right place to start. We’ll talk about what’s going on for you, and I’ll give you my honest sense of what kind of support might help most. There’s no pressure and no commitment required.
What happens in the free consultation?
The 15-minute consultation is a conversation, not an assessment. It’s a chance for you to ask me questions, tell me a little about what’s bringing you here, and get a feel for whether working together seems like a good fit. I’ll give you an honest response, including if I think someone else might serve you better.
How do I book?
You can book your free 15-minute consultation directly through Jane App using the link below. For consulting inquiries, please use the contact form — consulting engagements begin with a scoping conversation rather than a direct booking.
I’m not ready to book yet. Can I just get more information?
Of course. You’re welcome to browse the rest of the site, read the blog, or download a free resource from The Wellness Shift®. If you’d like to stay connected and receive occasional resources and updates from KECC, you can join the mailing list below.
No pressure, no inbox flooding — just thoughtful content for nurses and healthcare professionals, when it’s ready.