Is therapy covered by my work or school health insurance plan?

Most health insurance plans do cover counselling and/or therapy provided by Registered Social Workers like myself. Sun Life, Manulife, Green Shield, Great West Life, Blue Cross, and others are known to cover RSWs, so reach out to your insurance provider or your HR department to confirm.

How does payment work?

An invoice will be emailed to you following each session. Once you have paid you will have access to your receipt, which you can use to submit a claim to your insurance provider. I also offer direct billing via Greenshield/providerConnect, Blue Cross/Medavie, and Telus eClaims.

What does RSW stand for?

RSW stands for Registered Social Worker, which is a protected title that indicates that I am a member of of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. This membership requires me to uphold the College’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, and allows me to provide therapy and counselling services as a regulated professional.

I have also been approved by the Newfoundland and Labrador College of Social Workers and the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers to provide virtual, online counselling to clients in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.

What about MSW?

MSW stands for Master of Social Work, a degree I completed as part of my education and training.

What’s the difference between a social worker and a psychotherapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist?

It’s confusing, right? All of these titles are regulated by an associated college, but when it comes down to it, here are the differences:

• Social Workers are trained to take the context of your life into account, so we’ll want to know about your family, your work, your lifestyle, and all the other factors that contribute to how you’re feeling today. We use various therapeutic modalities, like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Emotion Focused Therapy, to support you through tougher times and help you make the changes you want to make in your life.

• A psychotherapist is trained to support you via talk therapy. Each psychotherapist has their own approach; finding the right match for you can make for an incredibly satisfying process.

• A psychologist studies human behaviour from a scientific perspective, and so while they do provide psychotherapy and counselling, their work is often focused on research, testing, and evaluation.

• A psychiatrist is an OHIP-covered medical doctor who can diagnose and prescribe medications, but they do not necessarily provide therapy or counselling.

What happens in a therapy session?

For the most part, that’s up to you. At the beginning, we’ll spend some time learning about who you are, and then we can start talking about what’s on your mind, or the reason you’ve chosen to seek out therapy. Sessions usually feel like a one-sided conversation, which is how it should be because it’s your hour, and the tone varies depending on what you decide to talk about. I’ll ask questions and make observations, but it’s your space, and you set the pace.

Are sessions happening in person or online?

Both! On my booking page you can choose either video or in-person sessions. For in-person sessions, my office is at 415 Bloor Street West, right at Spadina Station. Video sessions take place via OWL Practice (more on that below), and allow me to continue working with clients throughout Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia.

How secure are online sessions?

I use OWL Practice to book appointments, make notes, store records, host video calls, and manage invoicing. OWL Practice’s end-to-end encrypted platform and servers are based in Toronto and Montreal. The software is fully compliant with the relevant federal and provincial security and privacy legislation, including Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). I work out of a private office, so there is no risk of our sessions being overheard.