What happens in the initial consult?

You can think of our consult as a zero-obligation meet-and-greet. You’ll have a chance to tell me a bit more about yourself, express your hopes or concerns for starting therapy, and ask any questions about me and my practice. We’ll also review policies, fees, and when and how often you’d like to meet. You can take as long as you need to decide if you want to go ahead and book a session. If you’d like my help in connecting you to other services, we can explore that as well.

What can I expect our sessions to look like?

Depending on your needs, we may begin our first session with an intake and/or structured clinical interview to clarify your concerns for therapy. This initial assessment will look very different from the rest of our sessions and helps us create a foundation for future treatment planning. I’ll ask you a bit about your current context, mental health history, developmental and trauma history, and common mood and anxiety-related symptoms you may be struggling with. I may also recommend additional assessments for issues that require special attention.

After that, it’s totally up to you how we use our time! My role is to help guide our collaborative process depending on what your needs are. This could look like: exploring and unpacking your experiences together, deepening your capacity to connect with and understand your emotions, learning skills for managing stress and anxiety, finding more fulfilling ways to relate to yourself and others, or simply having a nonjudgmental space to be supported and heard. I’m open to trying out different ways of working together until we find a groove.

Do you offer diagnostic services?

In Ontario, only family doctors, psychiatrists, or clinical psychologists can communicate an official mental health diagnosis. While I am unable to offer you a diagnosis directly, I can help you assess your situation and connect you with appropriate resources to access the services you need. This may include completing a psychiatric screening interview together for the purpose of assisting diagnosis by your family doctor, or by connecting you with a psychiatrist through Psychotherapy Matters Virtual Clinic.

Can I do a mix of online, phone, or walk-and-talk therapy?

Yes! Let me know what your preferences are and we’ll find the optimal mix.

How do I know if my insurance plan covers your services?

OHIP does not cover services by Registered Psychotherapists, but many plans do (e.g. student insurance or employee insurance/extended health benefits). If you have private insurance, check with your provider if your plan covers services by an R.P. Helpful questions to ask include how much you are covered for within a given time period and the total amount that is covered per session. A receipt is provided after each payment, which you can use to apply for reimbursement. Please contact me for more details if you are located outside of Ontario.

Policies

BOOKING
Appointments may be booked at least 24 hours in advance (1 business day). Sessions are booked by email, phone, or directly through the therapist.

PAYMENT
All payments are processed through e-Transfer on the day of the appointment. Overdue payments (>24 hours after the appointment) will be deducted automatically via credit card.

ACCESSIBILITY
Please let me know if there are any accessibility needs you would like me to accommodate. Examples of accommodations I offer include (but are not limited to): virtual chat sessions, camera-off sessions, emailing me a list of things you want to talk about before our session, sending you a written summary of our session, and flexibility around cancellations for individuals with chronic pain or other health concerns.

CANCELLATIONS
At least 24 hours' notice is required for appointment changes or cancellations unless otherwise arranged or in case of an emergency. Cancellations made within 24 hours of your appointment will incur a 50% session fee. An appointment will count as a no-show if you decline to show up more than 15 minutes past your session time without prior notice and will incur the full session fee.

PRIVACY POLICY
All of the information you share remains confidential in accordance with the CRPO Professional Practice Standards and Personal Health Information Privacy Act (PHIPA). All electronic records and communications are end-to-end encrypted and stored on secure data centres located in Canada.