LOW COST THERAPY
For individuals and families who are not ready to pay for private practice at market rates, or who are experiencing financial duress, there are other ways to get excellent services than wait for my limited sliding-scale slots to open.
Here is an alphabetized list of other resources .This list is for information purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement by Ariel Blau or guarantee any particular outcome. Some may have a waitlist too.
OHIP COVERED PSYCHOTHERAPY
Your doctor may be able to refer you to free psychotherapy by a doctor covered by OHIP. In some cases this can work out really well, in others the referral can result in being sent to a overly busy practitioner who can only offer short and sporadic sessions due to high demand.
LOW COST THERAPY CENTRES
••• ABERFOYLE HEALTH CENTRE
100-302 The East Mall, Toronto, ON
416 231-7968
Services offered: Individual counselling with a GP, psychotherapist or psychiatrist
Referral: Required by physician (form online)
Fees: Covered by OHIP
••• BARBARA SCHLIFER CLINIC
This AMAZING organization provides free services for women who experience physical, sexual, or psychological abuse. They also provide legal advice, financial and other wrap-around support. They accept collect calls.
Phone (Toronto area): 416-323-9149
Toronto area TTY: 416-323-1361
Website: www.schliferclinic.com
••• BRIEF PSYCHOTHERAPY CENTRE FOR WOMEN
Women’s College Hospital, 76 Grenville St., 7th floor, Toronto, ON www.womenscollegehospital.ca/programs-and-services/bpcw/
416 323-6011
Services offered: Individual and group psychotherapy for women, including cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction
Eligibility: Women over 16 years old Referral: Self-referral Note: There is currently a waitlist
Fees: Free
••• CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH
Simply call 416 535-8501, option 2.
With one phone call, Access CAMH can provide patients, families, friends and health care professionals with: General information about services, Information regarding eligibility requirements and instructions on how to make a referral to CAMH, Support to self-refer for addictions services, Family members and friends may contact Access CAMH if they are concerned about a loved one’s mental health or substance use. Access CAMH answers phone calls Monday – Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm. The line is closed weekends and statutory holidays. Interpreters are available to assist callers in their language of choice.
••• CENTRE FOR TRAINING IN PSYCHOTHERAPY
The CTP has a referral service for members of the public who require psychotherapy at a reduced fee. Therapists in Training are able to offer psychotherapy at a reduced fee. Case work is supervised on a regular basis by CTP faculty members. Please note that CTP therapists in training are required to work under both individual and group supervision. Clients working with therapists in training will need to consent to case material being shared in these strictly confidential contexts. Requests for referrals can be forwarded to: ctptherapyreferralservice@gmail.com”
••• FAMILY SERVICE TORONTO
128A Sterling Rd., Ste. 202,Toronto, ON
https://familyservicetoronto.org
416 595-9618
Services offered: Individual, family and couple counselling; single session walk-in counselling; trauma-specific counselling with specialized programs for male and female survivors of sexual abuse; David Kelley services (a counselling program for the LGBTQ+ community that includes HIV/AIDS counselling)
Eligibility: Programs have specific eligibility criteria, walk in if older than 18
Referral: Self-referral
Fees: Fees are on a sliding scale based on income; walk-in sessions are free
Note: Location of services varies by program
Languages: Farsi, Tamil, Spanish, French, English
••• GESTALT CLINIC
Locations across Toronto, Kitchener, Burlington, Port Credit and Stouffville
gestalt.on.ca/low-cost-therapy-clinic
416 964-9464
Services offered: Low cost therapy from students in training who have at least four years of experience
Referral: Self-referral
Fees: $40 per session
Languages: Cantonese, Croatian, Czech, English, French, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Serbian
••• HONG FOOK MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION / TORONTO WESTERN HOSPITAL
Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., east wing, 9th floor, Toronto, ON 201-3320 Midland Ave., Scarborough, ON
1751 Shepphard Ave. E., North York, ON
www.hongfook.ca
416 493-4242
Services offered: 10-week psychoeducational group addressing issues like stress, communication and emotion management; 12-week integrative behavioural group therapy (IGBT) incorporating cognitive-behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness as the three core elements of intervention
Eligibility: Chinese and Portuguese community
Referral: A doctor or psychiatrist must complete a Toronto Western referral form or the person can be referred by a case manager within Hong Fook or Toronto Western if already a patient; the referral form can be e-mailed or faxed by calling 416 603-5800 ext. 2802 (Cantonese), 416 603-5800 ext. 5423 (Mandarin) or 416 603-5520 (Portuguese).
Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Portuguese
••• JEWISH FAMILY & CHILD SERVICES
4600 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON
www.jfandcs.com/counselling
416 638-7800
Services offered: Groups; workshops; individual, couple and family counselling; cognitive behavioural therapy
Fees: Sliding scale
••• MEDICAL CLINIC FOR PERSON-CENTERED PSYCHOTHERAPY
265 Yorkland Blvd., Ste. 403, Toronto, ON Locations across GTA www.medicalpsychclinic.org
416 229-2399
Services offered: Individual, adult and group psychotherapy provided by GPs; couples therapy provided by a psychiatrist; support group for life management issues
Eligibility: Adults only
Referral: Physician referral required, form can be found online
Fees: Covered by OHIP, you need to get a referral from your family doctor.
Note: Waitlist is six to eight weeks
••• S.T.A.R.T. Clinic for Mood & Anxiety Disorders
32 Park Rd., Toronto, ON
www.startclinic.ca
416 598-9344
Services offered: Specialized outpatient assessment and treatment for people with mood and anxiety disorders, individual and group psychotherapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction for patients of the clinic.
Eligibility: People over age 18
Referral: GP referral, self-referral for mindfulness
Fees: Self-referral mindfulness group has a fee that can be adjusted based on sliding scales if taking more than 10 sessions
••• SHEENA’S PLACE
87 Spadina Rd., Toronto, ON
sheenasplace.org
416 927-8900
Services offered: Support groups, body image groups, skill building groups and expressive arts groups Eligibility: People age 17 and older, families and friends affected by eating disorders
Referral: No referral or diagnosis required
Fees: All groups are free of charge
••• SHERBOURNE HEALTH CENTRE, COUNSELLING SERVICES
333 Sherbourne St., Toronto, ON
sherbourne.on.ca/counselling-services
416 324-4180 ext. 5310
Services offered: Individual and group counselling for anxiety, depression, sadness, anger, substance abuse, relationship difficulties; family and couples counselling; stress reduction programs
Eligibility: Individuals over 18 with a postal code of “M”; priority populations are people who identify as LGBTQ+, homeless and newcomers
Referral: Self-referral Note: Average waitlist is three to six months
Fees: Free for clients who cannot afford to obtain mental health counselling services elsewhere; groups and workshops are free unless otherwise stated.
••• THE TORONTO INSTITUTE FOR RELATIONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY
This institute is a program that trains therapists. It offers private appointments with a supervised student therapist for a fee of $20 (including HST) per session, and this fee is applicable for as long as the student is in training. Relational therapy with recent graduates of the Institute is available at $40 (including HST) per session for up to 20 sessions. They also offer couples therapy at $40 (including HST) per session for up to 12 sessions. The school is run by Pat de Young, a leading Toronto psychotherapist and educator.
••• TORONTO CENTRE FOR COGNITIVE THERAPY
36 Toronto St., Toronto, ON
www.cbt.ca 416 777-6699
Services offered: Brief and long-term cognitive therapy including their eight-week Sleepy Head program to help with insomnia
Fees: Covered by OHIP
••• U of T • OISE PSYCHOLOGY CLINIC
The OISE Psychology Clinic provides comprehensive and confidential assessment and intervention services to children and adolescents, and assessment and counselling services to adults. These services are typically provided by graduate students doing their clinical training under the supervision of faculty and staff psychologists.
Intake line: 416-978-0654
••• WHAT’S UP WALK IN CLINIC
Phone numbers and locations can be found on their website under “Find a location”
www.whatsupwalkin.ca
Services offered: Free walk-in mental health counselling at six locations across Toronto
Eligibility: Children, youth, young adults and their families
Fees: Free
••• WOODGREEN WALK-IN COUNSELLING SERVICE
815 Danforth Ave., 1st floor, Toronto, ON
woodgreen.org/ServiceDetail.aspx?id=266
416 572-3575 ext. 2550
Services offered: Cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and walk-in services Note: Walk-in service open Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 4:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
DIRECTORIES
•• AFFORDABLE COUNSELLING - TORONTO
A directory of therapists offering affordable counselling
2 Bloor St W 7th floor
(647) 558-7468
https://affordablecounselling.ca/
•• AFFORDABLE THERAPY NETWORK
A directory of therapists offering affordable counselling across Canada.
1219 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M6E 1B5
à https://affordabletherapynetwork.com/
•• HARD FEELINGS
Hard Feelings is a non-profit social enterprise. Their mission is to reduce barriers and increase access to mental health supports and resources through an innovative community of practice.
https://www.hardfeelings.org/counselling/
•• OPEN PATH PSYCHOTHERAPY COLLECTIVE
Open Path Psychotherapy Collective provides middle and lower-income level individuals, couples, families, and children with access to affordable psychotherapy and mental health education services.
à https://openpathcollective.org/city/toronto/
•• OPEN COUNSELLING
This is a website that includes sponsored and non-profit providers. They may earn a commission if you choose a sponsored provider. Fees are set by providers and are usually free-to-low-cost based on your income. à https://www.opencounseling.com/ontario/toronto