therapy FAQs

Each clinician at Starling Psychological Services has different hours of availability. Depending on the team member, we can accommodate weekday, evening, and weekend appointments.

You do not need a referral from a medical doctor to begin psychotherapy. Just send us a message or give us a call to get started.

Give us a call or send us an email to inquire about availability and booking. Kristina will answer any questions you might have and will book you in for an intake appointment without delay.

Prior to your intake appointment you will be sent a link to some information to be filled out prior to your first meeting. This includes our clinic consent forms and some basic intake information to help set up a file and get you set up for your intake appointment.

We offer services in-person at our east end office in Toronto. We also offer virtual appointments to clients located anywhere in Ontario using secure and PHIPA compliant software.

Check out the Contact page for instructions on finding our office.

A typical session is 50 minutes in length. The intake session is usually booked for 90 minutes in length (and is billed on a pro-rated basis).

The simplest answer is that it depends on many different factors, including the type of concerns, the severity and complexity of your concerns, and the interests of the client.

After your intake appointment, your clinician will discuss with you their recommendation for the frequency and approximate number of sessions to address your concerns. Of course, it is ultimately up to you and we will be happy to work with you on a schedule that meets your needs. You are never obligated to attend therapy and are always free to discontinue services at any time.

It does sometimes happen that we get requests for concerns that are outside our areas of expertise.

In other cases it only becomes apparent once psychotherapy has already begun that the priority should be on an area of concern that we don’t treat. In such cases we will make recommendations and provide assistance in finding a clinician that can help.

Our fees range between $170 and $275 per session hour and our clinicians charge different rates depending on their qualifications and years of experience. Please see the team profiles for each clinicians fees. Note that 90 minute intake sessions are billed on a prorated basis.

Several of our clinicians offer a sliding scale for clients demonstrating financial need.

Please inquire for current availability of reduced fee, affordable therapy appointment spots.

We accept all forms of payment but prefer e-transfers or Interac payment.

We have a 24 hour cancelation policy.

If you need to change or cancel your appointment, that’s no problem at all! However, if you cancel your appointment with less than 24 hours notice, then the usual appointment fee will still apply. This is because the appointment time was saved for you and short notice cancelations and non-attendance mean that the time is lost and unable to be offered to another client.

Please note that insurance companies will not reimburse fees paid for appointments that are canceled with short notice or are not attended.

Unfortunately psychotherapy services are not covered under OHIP.

Our services are often covered by extended health insurance plans that are usually offered through employment, post-secondary education, or are purchased privately.

The amount of coverage through extended health insurance plans can vary widely. Please carefully review the amounts and limits of coverage and be sure to check what type of credentials are covered under your plan. If you are unsure, contact your HR department or insurance plan administrator and they should be able to help you figure out what is covered.

At this time many insurance companies are not set up to allow direct billing for mental health services. However, there are a handful that we may be able to direct bill to, including:

-Canada Life

-Sun Life

-Manulife

-Desjardins

-First Canadian

-Green Shield Canada

-SSQ Insurance

-Industrial Alliance (IA)

There are several other smaller insurers that also offer direct billing so if you don’t see your insurance company here please be in touch and we can confirm whether direct billing is available.

Please note that in the case of insurance plans that only cover a portion of the session fee through direct billing, the remainder will have to be paid at the end of your appointment.

You will receive an electronic receipt following the service. It will include all the necessary information to submit for insurance reimbursement.

The short answer is that services provided by a Psychologist, Social Worker, or Psychotherapist may be an eligible tax deductible medical expense.

There are certain rules that must be met, including that total medical costs must reach a certain total or percentage of income in order to be eligible. Please consult a tax professional for more details and hold onto your receipts as they may be required as proof of medical expense.

Both Psychologists and Psychiatrists are specialists in the assessment and treatment of mental health disorders.

Psychologists have completed a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and have specialized training in assessing and treating mental health disorders. They are registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO). Services provided by Psychologists are not covered under OHIP as they are not medical doctors. Psychologists treat mental health disorders with psychotherapy and use research-backed treatments to help improve symptoms and resolve mental health disorders. Since Psychologists are not medical doctors under OHIP, they do not need to be referred by family physicians.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors registered with College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) and have specialized training in mental health disorders. As specialty medical doctors, their services are usually referred directly by a family physician. Psychiatric services are covered under OHIP and Psychiatrists treat mental health disorders with medication and psychotherapy. It can take a long time to be referred to an available psychiatrist as they are in high demand.

A Psychotherapist is a mental health professional registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Psychotherapists use talk-based therapies to help bring about positive change in the client’s thinking, feeling, behaviour and social functioning

A Social Worker is a mental health professional registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. They collaborate with their clients to address individual, interpersonal, social and mental health challenges through assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation.

Both Psychotherapists and Social Workers can treat mental health difficulties and concerns of everyday living and work in a range of settings.

Since we are not medical doctors, we are not able to prescribe or refill medications.