Curio Counselling vs. Calgary Institute of Counselling: Comparing Two Multi-Location Calgary Practices

The Calgary Institute of Counselling operates from North and South Calgary locations with a team of 18 therapists, psychoeducational assessments, OCD therapy, sex therapy, and ART. Curio Counselling offers a comparable specialist depth from its inner SW location. Here is how they compare.

The Calgary Institute of Counselling is a multi-location Calgary practice with therapists across North Calgary (Crowfoot area) and South Calgary, plus virtual sessions. Their published service range is broad and genuinely specialist in several areas: OCD therapy, sex therapy, psychoeducational assessments, ART, EMDR, Gottman Method, EFT, CBT, ACT, IFS, and sandtray and play-based therapy are all listed. The team of 18 therapists includes Registered Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists. Fees follow Psychologists' Association of Alberta guidelines at $235 per 50-minute session, with direct billing available for Blue Cross. Group therapy is offered at $110 per person — meaningfully lower than individual session rates.

Geographic Coverage

Calgary Institute of Counselling operates from North Calgary (near Crowfoot) and South Calgary, making it accessible for clients in the NW and southern communities without a trip to the inner SW. For clients in Crowfoot, Tuscany, Shawnessy, or Legacy, one of the Institute's two locations is the more practical in-person option.

Curio Counselling operates from a single inner SW location, accessible for clients in Mission, Beltline, Marda Loop, and downtown. Virtual sessions serve Alberta-wide. For NW or southern Calgary clients who want Curio's specific services, virtual sessions remove the geographic constraint.

Where Their Ranges Genuinely Overlap

Both practices offer EMDR, Gottman Method, EFT, CBT, ACT, and couples and family therapy. Both have therapists with Registered Psychologist or Provisional Psychologist credentials. Both offer free initial consultations. Both use Jane App for booking — a modern, client-friendly system. For clients whose priority is choosing between similar modality ranges, the decision factors become location, specific therapist fit, and which extended services are most relevant.

Sex Therapy: Calgary Institute's Distinctive Offering

Calgary Institute of Counselling explicitly lists sex therapy as a clinical service. Sex therapy — addressing sexual concerns, dysfunction, intimacy difficulties, and the relational impact of sexual health challenges — requires specific clinical training beyond general couples counselling. It is a service that relatively few Calgary practices offer with explicit clinical framing, and for clients for whom this is a presenting concern, the Institute's specific inclusion of it matters.

Curio Counselling addresses sexual concerns through individual and couples counselling and has published a dedicated service page for sexual concerns therapy. Both practices engage this area — the distinction is in how explicitly each foregrounds it as a named service.

Group Therapy Pricing

Calgary Institute of Counselling's group therapy rate of $110 per person per session (or $220 per couple) is significantly below individual therapy rates, making group work a financially accessible complement to individual sessions. Curio Counselling also offers group therapy programs. For clients for whom group work is clinically indicated — and research supports its effectiveness as an adjunct to individual therapy for many presentations — both practices provide access to this format.

IFS and Sandtray at Calgary Institute

Internal Family Systems (IFS) and sandtray therapy are listed among Calgary Institute therapists' approaches. IFS is an increasingly prominent trauma and parts-based model with growing evidence support. Sandtray is a projective therapy approach used with children and adults that allows processing through symbolic, non-verbal representation. Both are specialist approaches not available at every Calgary practice.

Who Each Clinic Serves Best

Choose Calgary Institute of Counselling if:

• You are in North Calgary (Crowfoot) or South Calgary and want in-person access
• You need sex therapy as a specifically named clinical service
• You want IFS or sandtray therapy approaches
• You want group therapy at a lower per-session rate than individual work

Choose Curio Counselling if:

• You are in inner SW Calgary or downtown and prefer in-person access
• You need play therapy, art therapy, or somatic approaches specifically
• You want a practice with an established inner-city reputation and curated specialist team
• Virtual sessions across Alberta with a multi-disciplinary team are your priority

Curio Counselling Calgary

Address: 1414 8 St SW, Suite 200, Calgary, AB T2R 1J6

Phone: 403-243-0303

Website: curiocounselling.ca