Small Business Award spotlight: Virtuous Circle Counselling

After receiving close to 1000 votes from Calgary’s business community, the Servus Credit Union People’s Choice Award winner for the 2022 Small Business Awards went to Virtuous Circle Counselling (VCC). By offering high-quality, ethical counselling, VCC aims to destigmatize barriers to those who fear reaching out for help.

Answering the call during COVID-19

Virtuous Circle Counselling (VCC) is a community-based private counselling practice that was founded in May 2020 by Tiffany and Melissa Petite, in response to the closures or pause of many mental health resources due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The co-founders recognized the importance of eliminating barriers during those unprecedented times while seeing that there was a pre-existing need before the pandemic, and they believed Calgarians deserved even more access and continuity of care.

“We firmly believe that counselling is a form of mental health prevention and intervention,” says CEO and co-founder Tiffany Petite. “Virtuous Circle Counselling offers our clients the space to tell their stories and, in that opportunity, we feel passionate about our ability to facilitate meaningful change in the lives of the clients we serve.”

Nearly three years after starting VCC—with Tiffany as the sole therapist at the helm of all operations—they have done exactly what they set out to accomplish, and now employ a team of 16 highly skilled registered psychologists, clinical social workers, and occupational therapists.

“We have provided services to over 3,000 individual Calgarians and, with this ongoing demand, we recently opened a brand new office space in the SE Quarry Park area.” She adds that, since their incorporation, they’ve had a 100% employee retention rate from their team of therapists—a statistic she’s extremely proud of.

Facilitating meaningful change

Each year during Small Business Week, the Servus Credit Union People’s Choice Award is presented to a Calgary small business team that can demonstrate they have engaged the loyal support of their community where the winner is determined by public vote.

Virtuous Circle Counselling was one of 25 local businesses who were nominated for the award and, during the finalist process, gained more votes than any other nominee by a substantial margin.

“Having been chosen as a finalist for the Servus Credit Union People’s Choice Award was a tremendous honor, and this award means more than words can describe,” says Petite. “We feel this award especially assists and helps to further destigmatize the mystery for so many, of what mental health care is and to normalize how mental health support can positively impact people’s lives. Being chosen by the people further validates our mission and values.”

What’s next for VCC

As VCC maintains high-quality mental health services for Calgarians and continue to grow, Tiffany Petite is excited for their future.

“In the short term, VCC is engaging opportunities to expand our reach of services to all Albertans,” she says. “We are also engaging in collaborating in various community partnerships and narrowing our investment in projects of collaboration.”

“Our goal is to continue to help raise awareness and access to mental health resources in Calgary with partnerships that complement our values. In the long term, our goal is to expand our services across provincial borders and aim to have our brand as a trusted mental health leader to Canadians.”

Check out our full list of Small Business Award winners. For more information about Virtuous Circle Counselling, click here.

More about VCC

The counselling services offered by Virtuous Circle Counselling provide an avenue for someone who is feeling overwhelmed or needing direction to begin to regain a sense of control, understanding that life is often stressful, confusing, and scary regardless of how many opportunities we have. VCC’s mission is about enhancing people’s overall lives and helping them move toward their vision and goals in the areas of education, career, family, and relationships.

If you, or someone you know needs someone to talk to, please do not hesitate to contact Virtual Circle Counselling at vccounselling.com.