All sessions are by appointment only. To schedule an appointment or obtain additional information please contact us at 905 214 7363 or complete our “Request Your First Counselling Session” form and submit. We always seek to schedule your first appointment with your therapist at your earliest convenience.
In addition to answering any general questions you may have, we first ask you several screening questions to assess the best type of counselling service for you. We then ask you for:
Finally, we inquire about your typical availability throughout the week in order to schedule your first counselling session (with your preferred therapist, if you have one) at your earliest convenience.
Unfortunately, we cannot always immediately book your first counselling session with your preferred therapist – for example, if your availability differs from your preferred therapist‘s weekly appointment schedule or if your preferred therapist is currently at his or her full caseload. We understand how disappointed you may feel if your preferred therapist is currently unavailable to you, and we can:
Although you may feel uncomfortable if you choose to disclose more difficult topics to your therapist, he or she is here to help you by listening to your story with acceptance and empathy. The highest priorities for your therapist during your first counselling session include:
To conclude your first appointment, you and your therapist may agree upon an initial set of counselling goals for your counselling sessions. Your therapist may also inform you of his or her therapy plan for you; the types of therapeutic methods that he or she believes may work best for you; and some additional resources that he or she recommends for you at home or within your community.
Finally, you and your therapist may strategize together about the number and frequency of counselling sessions you may require based upon your counselling needs and scheduling availability.
During your child’s first counselling session, your child’s therapist fully explains the principle of confidentiality and how it applies specifically to your child depending upon his or her age. As a Registered Psychotherapist (RP), your child’s therapist complies with specific confidentiality laws and regulations to protect your child’s privacy. Your child’s therapist may discuss your child’s case (without personally identifying your child) with his or her approved clinical supervisor for professional consultation purposes and to ensure the highest standard of ethical service delivery to your child. Any other disclosure of your child’s personal identity or case information by your child’s therapist is based upon his or her age:
Your child’s therapist is also subject to several legal and regulatory limits to confidentiality. (For more information about the legal and regulatory limits to confidentiality, please see What are the legal and regulatory limits to confidentiality?)
Your therapist is required by law and/or professional regulations to discuss your therapy and/or disclose your client record without your written authorization under the following circumstances:
Your therapist documents your counselling sessions within your client record (which is stored in both -copy and electronic format) for record-keeping purposes. Your client record is the legal property of Cornerstone Family Counselling Services (CFCS) and we must retain your client record for at least 10 years following your last counselling session with your therapist. We protect the security and privacy of your client record in the following three ways:
If you wish to access your (or your child’s) client record, we first need you to contact us and make arrangements to document your request for a copy of your (or your child’s) client record in writing. We then follow a different release procedure depending upon the type of counselling service that you (or your child) received from us – that is, Personal Counselling for Adults, Personal Counselling for Children/Youth, Couple Counselling, or Family Counselling. Please contact us for additional information.
You and your therapist meet for 55 minutes.
Typically, your counselling session is approximately 60 minutes in length. You and your therapist meet for 50 minutes, and your therapist utilizes the remaining 10 minutes to document your counselling session within your client record.
Our standard fee is $150.00 per counselling session. We do not charge HST with your counselling session fee. Payment is due prior to your counselling session. We accept cash, AMEX, Debit, MasterCard, and Visa as methods of payment. PayPal for online sessions.
We email you a receipt that includes the name and Registered Psychotherapist (RP) license number of your therapist. Retain your receipts, as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) recognizes counselling with a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) in Ontario as a medical expense that is eligible for a tax credit. To determine whether your counselling with us is covered through your private health benefit plan, please submit copies of your receipts to your benefits provider.
Your counselling with us is not covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). OHIP may cover counselling with your family doctor or with a psychotherapist, psychiatrist, or social worker employed at a publicly-funded institution (such as a hospital or a social services agency). Please speak with your family doctor about accessing counselling services covered under OHIP.
Please inquire with your private health benefits provider to learn if your private health insurance plan covers counselling sessions with a Registered Psychotherapist (RP), a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT), or a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist (RMFT). If your private health benefits provider covers your counselling, they need to know the name and licensed credentials of your therapist. This information is included upon all of your receipts; it is also available through your therapist’s profile page. Please note that it is your responsibility to submit copies of your receipts to your private health benefits provider.
