Rates:
Rates are set by each individual clinician and are viewable via the online booking system before you book. HST is charged in addition to the posted prices.
Session Length:
One session of psychotherapy is 45-50 minutes in length so that therapists can make notes after your session and review their notes prior to your next session. Double sessions are 90-100 minutes in length.
Reduced Rates:
A limited number of discounts may be available. If a reduced rate is available, it will be finalized in the intake session. Please let us know if you require this.
Payments:
We strongly prefer payments via E-Transfer/EMT to ExaminedLifePsychotherapy@protonmail.com, but we do also accept credit cards.
Session fees are to be paid on the day of the session, unless other arrangements have been made. Sessions longer than the normal hour and telephone consultations may be billed accordingly, rounded to the nearest quarter hour.
Payment Plans:
We also offer payment plans so that you can pay for therapy over time to make it more affordable.
OHIP:
Psychotherapy from a Registered Psychotherapist is NOT covered by OHIP.
HST:
Psychotherapy is NOT currently HST exempt in Ontario. Thus, all services will have HST added.
Extended Health Coverage Insurance:
Psychotherapy is covered by many extended health coverage plans. If you are not sure whether your health insurance plan covers psychotherapy, please contact your plan administrator directly and ask if psychotherapy by a “Registered Psychotherapist” is covered. I am unable to check your insurance coverage. I do not do direct billing of insurance, but will give you an receipt that you can use to submit to your insurance company if your plan covers psychotherapy.
Taxes:
Psychotherapy by a Registered Psychotherapist is a tax deductible medical expense in Ontario according to the CRA (link). Please contact your accountant or the CRA for more information about this.
Non-Payment:
In the event of nonpayment for session(s), a reasonable effort will be made to contact you and to make arrangements for payment, including the option of a payment plan. In the event that no such agreement can be reached or in the event that no response is received for 90 days, a debt collection agency will be retained to assist in the collection of the debt owed.
Cancellation and No-Show Policy:
When you must cancel, we appreciate as much advance notice as possible. Please cancel online via the portal or call or email no later than 48 hours prior to your scheduled appointment. No charge will be levied for appointments cancelled 48 hours or more in advance. If you do not cancel 48 hours in advance you will be billed at your standard rate for the missed session. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you.
If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time (that is, the session will still end at the scheduled time, even if it starts late).
We will consider treatment to be terminated at your request after two “no-shows” or three consecutive cancellations without a good reason.
Accessibility Between Sessions:
If you need to contact your therapist between sessions, please leave them a voicemail or email them directly. Therapists are often not immediately available; however, we will attempt to reply to you within 24 hours.
If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Social Media and Telecommunication Policy:
Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, our therapists do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). This is because adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please bring them up with your therapist.
Please note that while we do accept emails and texts from clients, we cannot guarantee your privacy when communicating in these ways. Please do this at your own risk. If you do not wish to receive emails or texts from us, please let us know so we can update your file.
Meeting in Public:
If you happen to see your therapist in public, they will not acknowledge you first. Your right to privacy and confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us and this may be jeopardized by a public greeting. However, if you acknowledge your therapist first, thereby giving us permission to speak, we will generally be more than happy to speak briefly with you.
Records:
Your records will be kept for a period of seven years or the legal minimum, whichever is shorter. Your records may be requested in writing at any time and will be made available to you. A fee may be assessed for processing physical copies.
Privacy Policies:
All information disclosed within sessions is confidential and will not be revealed to anyone without your written permission, except where reporting is required by law:
1. Where there is suspicion that a child or children (that is, someone who is PRESENTLY under the age of majority) has been or is being abused or neglected.
2. Where the client presents a serious danger of violence to others.
3. Where the client is likely to harm himself or herself unless protective measures are taken.
4. If a client reveals that he or she has been sexually abused by a health care provider who is covered by the Regulated Health Professions Act (for example, a psychologist, a nurse, a physician), the counsellor is obliged to report the name of the perpetrator to her governing body.
5. By the order of a court (i.e., a subpoena).
6. During a review of records by a regulatory college (i.e., The College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario).
If you have any concerns about these matters, or about this form, please discuss these with your therapist.
You can find out more about limits of confidentiality via the College of Registered Psychotherapists at: https://www.crpo.ca/standard-3-1-confidentiality/ & https://www.crpo.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/List-of-Reporting-Obligations.pdf