Bring two numbers
Your ICBC claim number and your Personal Health Number. That is the entire administrative requirement. You do not need a doctor's referral for your first 12 sessions, and you do not need to wait for an adjuster to call you back.
If you have paperwork from a walk-in clinic or the hospital, bring it. If you do not, that is fine too.
The first appointment is mostly questions
Expect fifteen minutes of history before anyone touches you. Where were you seated. Which direction was the impact. Did the airbag deploy. What have you been unable to do since — check a blind spot, sleep on that side, lift your kid.
This is not paperwork for its own sake. A clear record from visit one is what supports your file if you need care past the 12-week window, and it gives us something concrete to measure against in three weeks.
The treatment will be gentler than you expect
Patients often arrive expecting a firm massage to "work it out." An acutely injured neck does not respond well to that. Early sessions are lighter and sometimes shorter, and they focus on reducing the guarding that stops you turning your head.
As symptoms settle over the following weeks, treatment gets more specific and more robust. Progress is measured by what you can do again, not by how hard the session was.
You will probably be sore that evening
Mild soreness for a day is normal, even after gentle work. Heat, water and short walks help. Sharp new pain is not expected — call us if that happens, and we will change the plan.
What happens with the money
We bill ICBC directly for the covered portion. If a user fee applies because our rate is higher than the amount ICBC pays per session, we confirm the exact figure when you arrive, before your appointment begins. Many extended health plans reimburse that difference.
How often you will come in
Twelve sessions across twelve weeks supports roughly one to two visits a week early on, tapering as you improve. Most patients do not use all twelve. If you still have symptoms at the end of the window, your therapist can support a request to continue.