Virtual Appointments
With so many people working from home, virtual sessions are a convenient way to meet with your therapist. Sessions are just as effective virtually as they are in person, and don’t require any commuting time.
We provide virtual therapy for:
Anxiety Depression Family Counselling Parenting Support Couples and Marriage Counselling Work-Life Balance Stress Mindfulness Meditation | Life Transitions Trauma Grief and Loss Professional and Executives School Performance ADHD & Learning Disabilities Fear of Flying Therapy |
How do you provide virtual therapy?
You and your therapist will meet using a video therapy platform that is fully encrypted to protect your privacy and that permits real-time interactions, just as if you were both sitting in the same room. You will be able to attend your session using your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Existing clients can access our client portal here:
How do I start?
Contact our clinic and a member of our team will speak with you by phone for a brief, and free, initial consultation. We’ll want to understand your situation and learn more about what you’re looking for. With that information, we’ll be able to determine which of our therapists might be the best fit for your specific needs.
What happens during the first appointment?
In a first appointment, your therapist will want to have a conversation with you about the nature of your challenges, as you see them. When we’re struggling, we can become stuck in unhelpful patterns of thought and behaviour, so your therapist will be looking for signs of those and gently pointing them out to you, to help you begin to see them. While your therapist will probably want to ask about your personal and family history to get a better sense of who you are, we know that your challenges are occurring in the present day so your functioning in the here-and-now will always be at the centre of our focus.
At the end of that first conversation you and your therapist will decide on some next steps, you’ll receive feedback about your therapist’s initial impressions, and you’ll both look towards scheduling a follow-up appointment. We know that real change takes time, so we’ll probably ask to meet with you again within 1 – 3 weeks. We’ll take payment from you and give you a receipt to submit to your insurer for reimbursement.
What if that therapist isn’t the right fit for me?
Just let us know if, for some reason, you didn’t feel a good fit between you and your therapist. If you tell your therapist about your concerns, that person can probably correct whatever wasn’t right and make it better for you the next time. Or, if you’re not comfortable doing that, reconnect with our office. We can always arrange a second appointment with a different clinician.
Is everything I talk about confidential?
The answer is: Mostly yes. Psychologists and professional therapists are obliged to keep all of your personal and personal health information confidential. All of the electronic devices we use are encrypted, as are the client management and video therapy systems we use to provide you with care.
At the same time, the laws of Ontario and Canada also oblige us to protect vulnerable people and, on very rare occasions, break confidentiality to do so. The situations where we are obliged to break confidentiality are:
- When we believe you might be an immediate danger to yourself or to someone else, or that you are in immediate danger because of someone else,
- When we believe that a person 18 years of age or younger, or someone living in a long-term care facility is at risk of harm or neglect,
- When we believe you or another, identifiable person, have been assaulted by a registered health provider. In that situation, we would have to protect the public from that person, but we would not have to disclose your identity,
- When the courts of the land or our regulatory organizations compel us to open up our records.
Other than those specific situations, we will not disclose your health information without your explicit consent.
What is your cancellation policy?
Appointments can be cancelled with 24-hours’ notice, otherwise we will bill you 50% of your regular hourly rate. Although our systems can automatically remind you of upcoming appointments, it’s up to you to let us know if you can’t make it.