Olsen Psychotherapy

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How to find a therapist in Ontario

Christine Olsen, MSW RSW

If you are one of the many people in Ontario looking for a therapist I do not envy you. I find it difficult to navigate as a therapist, so if the mental health world is fairly new for you it can be even more frustrating to find what you need. Finding a therapist in Ontario is not a clear cut system. I am here to share what I know so you go into your search with some direction.

What you’ll find in this article:

PART 1 - Where to look when finding a therapist in Ontario

  • Therapist Directories

  • Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB)

  • Employee-assistance Program (EAP)

  • Google Search

  • Social Media

  • Asking others

PART 2 - What to look for when finding a therapist in Ontario

  • Specialties or areas of interest

  • Modalities or approaches

  • Fees and coverage

  • Qualifications

  • Other questions to consider

Tips for searching therapy directories in Ontario:

1. Filter your search

Certain locations may have pages and pages of therapists to look through (in Ontario, think Toronto… there's a lot). Filtering your search so you get a list of therapists that can meet your needs will help you avoid looking at a whole bunch of not good match therapists for you. Most directories are going to get you to search for your location, but there will be options to specify further. For example:

    • Individual, family, or couples therapy

    • Therapist gender

    • Adult, child, teen

    • Types of issues like anxiety, parenting, or anger management

    • Insurance or fees

    • Types of therapy like Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), or EMDR

    • Faith-specific support

    • LGBTQ+ affirming

    • Languages spoken by the therapist

    • Online or in-person therapy

Search the items that are most important to you to find in your therapist and go from there. I say most important because if you specify your search TOO much you may not have anybody. Find a few items in the search bar that you see as deal-breakers in your therapist search. 

2. Search in different locations

This is for people open to or looking for online therapy. If you are on a directory where it’s mandatory to search within a certain city, just change to a different city within Ontario. Other therapist directories may have the option to search Ontario-wide. This may be a good opportunity to get more specific with those filter options to weed out any less-good therapist fits.

3. Look at specialities

Many therapist directories allow therapists to specify their top specialities. These are issues that the therapist feels most competent in helping you with and often it’s where they are most passionate. 

4. Learn the lingo the best you can

This may be one of the most frustrating parts of searching for a therapist in Ontario. Therapist directories may use language that people in the mental health world understand, but are less commonly understood by those searching for a therapist. SO if you’re looking to filter your search and don’t come across the issue you are looking for help with, it may help to google a few terms from the filtered search box to see if it fits for your issue.

Directories by Ontario & Canadian associations

Association-based databases are ones where the therapists are affiliated or accredited with the association. Not just anyone can be listed; A therapist will have to meet certain requirements to list there. For example, the Canadian Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (CAMFT) only lists therapists who are Registered Marriage and Family Therapists (RMFT). 

If you want your Ontario therapist to be certified in something specific or have a preferred type of therapy you like, this is a great way to ensure you are getting that. My list is not exhaustive by any means, so a search with:  “[insert issue] therapist” is a quick way to see if there is an association for that thing. Here are examples of therapy databases for associations or certifications where you can search for a therapist in Ontario:

If you recommend any others, please share in the comment section on the bottom of this page.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

These are programs commonly used in Ontario by employers to give you access to and coverage for counselling. The employer has contracted professionals for this program, like a local mental health agency or their own curated list of therapists, to provide the service. Check with your employer to see if this exists.

Advantage: You are covered and the therapist options are provided. 

Disadvantage: You are limited to a specific agency or your employer’s list if you happen to be looking for something more specific.

Even searching for a specific issue or asking a question may bring up information to lead you in the right direction. What I mean is, information pages or blogs that talk about your specific issue may pop up when typed in, like “Why do I feel angry all the time?” or “grieving loss of spouse”. The algorithm will put the most visited and digital footprinted site first, but you may see blogs from therapists in Ontario talking about your specific issue. Adding “ontario” at the end of that search may help as well.

You get to know the therapist before you choose the therapist.

Many therapists choose to go beyond posting a graphic and actually talk to the camera or make videos showing their personality. This is a great way to see if you jive with them instead of reaching out and starting therapy and being disappointed that they are obviously not the therapist for you.

It is also great for building confidence in starting the process. Getting to know more about a therapist and their practice in this format may be the thing you need to feel more confident to reach out.

Also, social media allows you to see other creative ways the therapist communicated their specialty. You may see video, diagrams, tips and tricks, and even options to ask general questions ex. stories, comment sections, lives.

For Facebook…

Searching in the search bar is probably your best bet using “therapist [insert city or province]” then sorting through the results. Not my favourite way of finding a therapist in Ontario, but you may be lucky enough to find a good page where the therapist shares regularly.

For Pinterest…

Same idea. Search bar. The downside is that Pinterest is a less popular place for therapists in Ontario to share content, so you’ll see less options for therapists in general and specific to the issue you want to talk about in therapy.

Health professional

If you are already working with another health professional in Ontario, they may have heard of or know therapists they can vouch for. For example, your gynaecologist or lactation consultant may know a great therapist who specialises in postpartum depression. As well, many doctor offices have health teams that are multidisciplinary. This means your family doctor for example may have a social worker or therapist providing services in the same office building.

Therapy Apps

I am not going to elaborate on how to find a therapist on therapy apps. I mean the kind that offer online therapy, texting, or phone with these large companies/mental health startups that have dominated results in our search efforts to find a therapist in Ontario.

The reason is that I have heard too much feedback from fellow therapists. Pay is not equivalent to experience being asked of therapists, most of which are master’s level clinicians. Therapists become burnt out and as a result less able to provide effective therapy because when you make so little you have to work many more hours. I can’t support that.

Additionally, because these apps are so new, legislation and protective measures have not kept up. Think of all the information shared on apps in general, and the personal content you would provide when accessing an app for mental health support. Your information is gathered and not protected in the way it would be if you accessed a therapist-led service or mental health organization. It’s on this app, so you sign away information because nobody reads the long winded policies and fine print (understandably) - and also, what does it all mean!? It’s unethical practice and I hope very soon our government or regulatory bodies catch up so clients can be more protected.

What to look for when finding a therapist in Ontario

Here are topics to consider that will help you narrow down your search and give you greater insight into what is a good fit for you. These may be preferences you have for what you look for in a therapist or parameters that are outside of your control that you need to know when searching for a therapist in Ontario.

Modalities or approaches

Psychotherapy is practised using theory and modalities. This means the approach your therapist uses is guided by a theory of how people behave and why, and how they heal or change. Modalities then provide specific interventions and approaches that are grounded in those theories. Examples of a modality are Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) or Narrative Therapy (NT).

There is research to support effectiveness of most modalities, but some with more or less. This is for many reasons, some of which are: how long the therapy has been around, interest of popularity in the type of therapy, who gets funding to do research, and how easy or difficult it is to prove effectiveness through modern research models. Should this matter to you as a therapy-seeker? Maybe or maybe not. The professional you use to provide therapy is required by their regulated body to provide evidence-based interventions. They must provide therapy that is grounded in theory and modalities that have enough evidence to show they are not harmful. 

One question you may want to consider if speaking to your therapist about their approach is whether their modalities are effective for the issue you are coming to them with. For example, there are some therapy modalities that have a stronger evidence-base for certain ailments, like Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Remember that there are MANY theories, modalities, and approaches for providing therapy. If you go to therapy and your therapist uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and you find it’s not helpful, try a therapist that practises Narrative Therapy (NT) and see if that fits. To further explain: I do not provide EMDR therapy and I am not interested in it as a client, but I have suggested it to someone close to me because I thought it would be a good fit for them. Our personalities, and how we develop and change is unique, which will make some approaches in therapy a better fit.

Extended health benefit plans

Extended health benefit plans, which rarely (I’ve never seen it) provide full coverage for your sessions. You will likely see your sessions with your therapist in Ontario be covered for a certain amount per session per year. For example, your therapist may charge $150, but coverage under your extended health benefit plan is $50 and you are only covered in TOTAL for $500 per year.

Also, make sure if you use your plan that your therapist is licensed or regulated under a profession covered by your plan. For example, your plan may cover psychotherapy or counselling by a psychologist or registered social worker, but not a registered psychotherapist or registered nurse, even though those professions are allowed to practise psychotherapy in Ontario.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Always check to see if your workplace has an Employee Assistance Program too. They will already have providers you can use and it’s covered. Always check out what the limits to that coverage are.

Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB)

If First Nations or Inuit, you can be covered under Non-Insured Health Benefits. This coverage is way more realistic. As of February 2023 it looks like 22 hours per year of mental health counselling and option to apply for additional coverage if it runs out. Remember to ask if your therapist takes this benefit as payment, and whether they require pay upfront or they submit for you.

Low Cost Directory

Most directories for Ontario therapists will have a fee range option when searching. Feel free to use this in your search.

Personally, I use Open Path Collective for low fee counselling spots. This is a therapist directory that has a fee to sign-up that is good for a life-time. Then you have access to therapists who offer therapy in a fee range set by the site. Of course, there are requirements to be in a financial situation that makes paying for therapy more difficult, like not having other coverage. Check out their site for more information.

Registered Social Workers (RSW) or Registered Social Service Workers (RSSW) - Ontario College of Social Workers & Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW)

Registered Nurses (RN) - College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO)

Occupational Therapists (OT) - College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO)

Registered Psychotherapists (RP) - College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)

Medical Doctor (MD) - College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) (psychiatrists are medical doctors and fall under this category)

Psychologists (C.Psych) or Psychological Associates (C.Psych.Asso) - College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO)

Level of education will vary from college diploma to PhD for these professions.

Whatever Ontario therapist you choose, please check their licence or registration number to ensure they are professionally able to provide psychotherapy.

YES, fraudulent service providers actually exist (see here Ontario woman charged after allegedly providing unlicensed therapy at Whitby clinic | CTV News). 

To check whether a therapist is licensed or regulated you can visit the sites under which the professional is licensed and search their name to confirm (links above).

It is important to understand that “psychotherapy” is a protected act and “psychotherapist” is a protected term, but the term “counselling” and “counsellor” is not for the province of Ontario.

This means that there may be services that provide “counselling” but are not licensed or regulated professionals providing therapy. They may be competent professionals providing counselling, it’s just that there are no parameters on who can or cannot provide mental health counselling services. An option is to ask: “What is your background, training or schooling that has prepared you to offer counselling services?”

Further, someone can call themselves an expert or specialist, like Grief Expert or Grief Specialist, and have no schooling or training at all because certain terms are not protected, meaning only certain professionals can use them. Your “grief specialist” may be someone with lots of their own personal experience with grief and choose to use this term to provide support to others, and you might not mind that they do not have professional qualifications. That is okay, as long as you are aware and that person is not providing support outside of their understanding and training.

That is why if you are looking for regulated or licensed professionals, to always ask for their license or registration number or look up their name on the college or licensing website associated with their profession (see above list).

Balancing wants vs options. 

What I mean by balancing wants and options is: What is most important? You may not check every box when looking for a therapist in Ontario. Understand what your parameters are that are out of your control; For example, I can afford [this much]. Also, understand what the most important preferences are; For example, I want a LGBTQ+ affirming therapist and that’s non-negotiable. OR I want in-person therapy, but if they’re LGBTQ+ affirming I will consider online therapy.

Lastly, good luck in your search. Therapy can be just the thing you need to help you through a hard time and/or be completely life-changing. I hope this information provided you direction in where to look and what to look for.

Disclaimer: This is general advice. Like all self-help information, it is not personal and tailored to fit for all people and situations. This content should not be taken as a substitute for individual mental health or relationship support.

I have used information that is available at this point in time (February 2023) and some of which has been guided by personal experience as a clinician in the mental health system. If you see any information I have missed or been misinformed about in this Blog, please share in the comment section and I will do my best to update promptly.

Also, please share if you have been a therapy-seeker in Ontario and have found a therapist in ways you think other therapy-seekers might benefit from.