F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

  • Family Violence describes a systematic pattern of abusive behaviours within a relationship that is characterized by intimacy, dependency and/or trust. The abusive behaviours exist within a context where their purpose is to gain power, control and induce fear. All forms of abusive behaviour are ways in which one human being is trying to have control and/or exploit or have power over another.

    Family violence can occur in multiple ways like verbal abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse, spiritual abuse, physical abuse, etc.

    If you interested in learning more about types of violence or tactics of violence, this is something you can explore with your Family Violence Specialist.

    Our definition of family violence aligns with that used by Community Initiatives Against Family Violence (CIAFV).

  • There are no fees for any of our client services.

  • We offer free child-minding services for you to take advantage of! If this is a service you require, please inform us during intake so we can ensure a staff member will be available.

    A Family Violence Specialist or other staff member will be happy to spend time playing with your child in our child-minding room that is full of toys, books, stuffed animals, games, crafts, learning materials and more. Our child-minding room is in the same office, only a few feet from your session room.

    Due to the potentially traumatizing nature of the conversations taking place in sessions, we advise clients to refrain from bringing their children into their session with them.

  • We do not provide or offer housing to clients, but are happy to connect them to other organizations that may be able to help.

  • The Today Centre’s address is 17724 102 Avenue NW. We are located in the Westgate Business Park just across 102 Avenue from the Westgate Chevrolet dealership. We are located right beside Pat & Mike’s Diner.

  • If you are travelling by bus, it is common to take a bus from West Edmonton Mall. From there, you can take Bus Number 205 towards St. Albert from Bay B. This route will drop you off on 178 St. just past Stony Plain Rd.

    For a slightly longer route, you can take Bus Number 054/906 from Bay A towards Clareview. This route will also drop you off on 178 St. just past Stony Plain Rd.

    Or, you can take Bus Number 907 towards Westmount from Bay A. This will drop you off at 176 St & 102 Avenue. From there, it’s a two minute walk, westbound along 102 Ave, to our office.

  • You can access our services by calling our main line (780) 455-6880, reaching out on our LiveChat on our website, or by emailing info@thetodaycentre.ca. Each of these options will connect you with a Family Violence Specialist who will be happy to help.

  • Any adult who has recently (within the past year) been subjected to family violence. We work with individuals of any gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, economic status, and culture.

  • If you feel more comfortable accessing services in your first language, The Today Centre can arrange for interpretation during your sessions. Please let us know if this is required during your intake session.

  • We do accept walk-ins. However, we cannot guarantee someone will be available to support you should you walk in.

    It is best to book an appointment through our intake line to ensure there is a Family Violence Specialist available.

  • Your contact will be transferred to our Family Violence Intake Specialist to chat about The Today Centre’s services, ask questions about resources, and/or to book an appointment. If you are interested in booking an appointment, our Family Violence Intake Specialist will complete an intake questionnaire with you, and this information will be passed to the Family Violence Specialist you will be seeing. Our Family Violence Specialists will get back to you via the means in which you contacted us. For example, we will email you if you emailed us, call you if you called us.

    If you need to leave a message, we ask that you provide your name and number and also indicate whether it is safe to call back and leave a message when we return your call.We will not leave a message unless we know it is safe to do so. We strive to return messages as quickly as possible.

    Family Violence Specialists will ask various questions about age, address, ethnicity, gender, etc and about the violence you have been experiencing. You do not have to answer any question you are uncomfortable answering. This process is based on your individual needs and usually takes about 30 minutes.

  • The Today Centre is ground level with lots of free parking in the business park. If you have mobility issues and need parking closer to the building, please let our Family Violence Specialists know and we’ll reserve a space for you. We are also wheel-chair accessible and strive to be a scent-free workspace. When you arrive, you’ll find our main door, which enters into a small vestibule with a second door in front of you that is locked. On your left, you’ll find a doorbell to ring to be buzzed into our reception area. The person behind our reception desk will ask for your name and the name of the person you have an appointment with. If you are unsure of the person's name, we can help you by checking our scheduled appointments for the day. We'll let your Family Violence Specialist know you have arrived and offer you something to drink, or use of our restroom*, beore your session. Your Family Violence Specialist will then introduce themselves and show you into the room where your session will take place.

    *Please note: Our restrooms, although designated with ‘male’ and ‘female’ signs, are both free for any gender to use. Our ‘female’ restroom has a change table and our ‘male’ restroom has toilets and a urinal. While our restrooms are multi-stalled, we limit the capacity of each washroom to one individual. On the exterior of each restroom door, you will see an “occupied and vacant” sign. We ask that you please slide the sign to the appropriate setting when entering and exiting the restroom.

  • The role of the Family Violence Specialist is to provide a non-judgmental, safe space for you to tell your story and provide resource information and support. Family Violence Specialists are able to support with the creation of safety plans, assess for risk associated with harm or domestic homicide, provide education on family violence, and connect you to resources. Initial sessions are typically between 45 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on the individual’s needs.

  • Our office and Family Violence Specialists are available Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (closed from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM).

    We do not provide crisis or emergency services.

    For 24/7 help, please call 211 for more information or the Family Violence Information Line at 310-1818.

    In case of emergency, please call 911.

  • That is 100% okay!

    All sessions with a Family Violence Specialist are 100% client driven, focusing on the individual needs, desired outcomes, and wants you have identified in session.

    All sessions with a Family Violence Specialist are 100% client driven, focusing on your needs and wants.

    If you choose to continue with our services and schedule more sessions, you can typically expect to return for a total of 4-6 sessions, depending on your need.

  • In your last session with your Family Violence Specialist, you will be invited to fill out a survey that we use to evaluate our services. You will be given time, space and privacy to fill out the survey in quiet, or you may choose not to fill out the survey. You can also complete the survey by answering only the questions you want to.

    If you wish to share your story, or a testimonial, for The Today Centre to use in external communications, please let us know. You will be given a form to fill out, however, all identifying information pertaining to you (contact information, name, etc.) will remain confidential and anonymous.

  • The Today Centre will only share information about you with other service providers with your written consent, unless a child is at risk, or a person is a danger to themselves or others.

    If you consent to the use of your information in our external communications, all identifying information will be removed and your story will be shared anonymously, or under a pseudonym.

  • You can check out our page on ‘Helping Someone Else’ here for more information.