Insurance companies such as Sunlife or Greenshield will call the therapist periodically to confirm the session date and hourly rate charged for the session to verify the charge and submission by client/patient.  This is a common occurance and we take it a step further by verifying your insurance coverage due to ensuring you are covered for the therapist providing the treatment and if we are able to direct bill.  Our therapists are Registered Social Workers so if you know up front, just let us know since at the intake phase, we will pose this question.

Insurance Verification may not be able to take place due to a number of factors that the person is just getting insurance coverage as they started a new job so it is highly recommended that you follow up right away to ensure your sessions are covered and if they are not, you will have an opportunity to utilize this as a medical expense and claim at the end of the taxation year to claim a portion of your mental health treatment expense.

While we make all attempts to verify your insurance coverage through the intake phase and forms that are sent out, if you decide to only provide this information after your session has taken place, we cannot take responsibility if your insurance company does not reimburse you for sessions due to incorrect coverage. In order to avoid out of pocket expenses for therapy sessions, be sure to have your insurance card handy during intake process.

Couples Therapy sessions are started at the intake phase and each person needs to fill out their own individual forms.  During initial consultation phase (first session), the therapist will go over the therapy process in greater detail.

All our registered social worker, Psychotherapists are at least at a Master’s level of education with extensive clinical training and expertise.   They all have liability insurance and are members in good standing with their respective regulatory bodies.

Online Mental Health Services for the Province of Ontario:

  • Our therapists are a member of the Ontario College of Social Work and Social Service Workers and have a Master’s Degree in Social Work.
    • Mario Spiler
    • Monica Tan

Online Mental Health Services for the province of British Columbia:

  • Our therapist is a member of the British Columbia College of Social Work.
    • Mario Spiler

Online Mental Health Services for the province of Nova Scotia:

  • Our therapist is a member of the Nova Scotia College of Social Work
    • Mario Spiler

Please also note hourly rates will vary based on levels of certification for providing specialized treatment such as PTSD & Trauma or Personality Disorders such as Borderline Personality Disorder.

It is common for those new to therapy (or returning) to feel both eager to get going and uncomfortable about starting the process (again). Coming prepared for your sessions is expected, and may include identifying major current and past issues in your life, identifying therapy goals.  The client is expected to take some responsibility for their treatment progress beyond simple attendance, including being honest with their communication, to keep the therapist well-informed about relevant life events, to provide prompt communication about conflicts and difficulties, and that to carry out assigned work between sessions.

Typically, clients attend therapy once weekly. However, with specific reference to Transference Focused Psychotherapy for Severe Personality Disorders, mainly with Borderline Personality Disorders, twice weekly is the recommended frequency.

Research has shown that the difference between once and twice weekly is far more significant in favor of the latter than it is between two, three, four and five times a week. Of course, simple versus complex, and co-morbid diagnoses, as well as client motivation, readiness, available support system and funding, are all factors to take into consideration. In some cases, depending on the type of therapy being conducted, as few as 5 to 6 sessions can be very helpful with alleviating some concerns and anxiety as an example. With diagnosed psychiatric conditions, use of medications and other psycho-social factors, length of treatment will vary.

Sessions are 50 minutes in length for most Individual Therapy and utilize 10 mins for clinical note taking. Couples Therapy sessions are typically scheduled at 1.5 hours and Family Therapy sessions are 2 hours or longer if needed.

Issues of how long is mental health treatment expected to be, how long will various steps take, when should they be taken, as well as how and when will you know that you are moving toward your outcome, are all relevant concerns that will be addressed throughout the length of the mental health treatment process.

It is a talking treatment provided by a professional psychotherapist to assist the individual to resolve their psychological conflicts and psycho-social issues with significant others.

‘Psychotherapy’ is a treatment provided by a regulated professionally-designated practitioner and an individual who agrees to receive this service. Through this professional relationship, the therapist and the client agree to expect that a emotional learning process will occur such that, the client will gradually develop effective skills, techniques and coping style for managing and improving their troublesome personal and relationship functioning.

We typically require greater than 2 full business days notice by contacting our office at 289-724-5519.  Advance notice of planned treatment interruptions, and arrangements for emergency coverage as needed, pertains to both the client and the therapist. Notices less than 2 business days are subject to late fee charges. “No Shows”, that is, cancellations without prior notice are subject to the full fee charged for the session.  Please take special note that we are not available on the weekends so if you do wish to reschedule your session, you can send us an email and we will respond to you during business hours.  While we do understand that unforseen circumstances can happen and illness so kindly give us a call at your earliest convenience, thank you.

Please refer to our website under About Us menu  Professional Associations and Memberships

We need to firstly create individual profiles for each participating family member which we refer to patient record.  Insurance coverage should be initiated prior to starting your family session so we can identify coverage as well as total amount for the year.   We are always more than happy to call your insurance to do insurance verification since often times, you might have multiple coverages for insurance.  Billing will show each family member on the one invoice and you will need to clarify with insurance prior to session taking place that this is acceptable for submission.  If you have questions, you can always get our intake team to assist you.

Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the 9 different personality disorders categorized in the latest Diagnostic Statistical Manual (V) published in 2013 (and one in 12 according to dimensional criteria).