A cancellation or change to your appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice is considered a late cancellation, and we will charge the full fee of the appointment. This fee is due the day of the missed appointment and payment can be made by e-transfer, a credit card on account or by calling into the office with payment. This policy applies to all in-person, virtual and phone sessions.

An appointment that was not cancelled but you do not attend the appointment, is considered a no-show appointment and we will charge the full fee of the appointment. This fee is due the day of the missed appointment and payment can be made by e-transfer, a credit card on account or by calling into the office with payment. This policy applies to all in-person, virtual and phone sessions.

Clients who are late by 15 or more minutes, without notice to their clinician or administrative staff, will be charged the full fee of the appointment as it is assumed that the session will not be attended.

Appointment reminders are sent out through our online booking site 48 hours before your appointment. Like any service based in technology, there can be errors and maintenance that impacts reminders being sent. We expect clients to make note of and keep track of their appointments in addition to these notifications.

Please note that no-show, late cancellations and cancellations due to arriving 15 or more minutes late are invoiced as a No-Show and may not be reimbursable by insurance companies. Please check with individual insurance plan on what is covered before submitting these receipts.

Information shared in therapy is confidential and will not be disclosed without your written permission. Ontario law and professional ethics require information discussed in therapy to be shared with the associated authorities under these exceptions:
1. If you are at imminent risk to harm yourself or another person
2. If you disclose information pertaining to child or elder abuse
3. If you disclose information pertaining to assault or abuse by a health professional
4. If your therapist receives a court order for your clinical records or to testify

When appropriate, your therapist will consult with other mental health professionals and engage in clinical supervision in order to provide you with the best possible service. When discussing aspects of your case with a member of Calming Tree Counselling or an equally qualified expert, every effort will be made to exclude information that could identify you in order to protect your privacy.

In Ontario, only doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists can make a mental health diagnosis. Of these professionals, doctors and psychiatrists are covered by OHIP and can prescribe medication. If you have questions about receiving a diagnosis or starting medication, we recommend asking your family doctor as a first step. If you don't have a family doctor, there are doctors at walk-in clinics around Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge that can also help.

At Calming Tree Counselling, all sessions are 50 minutes in length at a fee of $150.00. Shorter and extended sessions are available upon request.

Calming Tree Counselling accepts cash, debit, Visa, Mastercard and email transfer payments.

Calming Tree Counselling does offer services at a reduced rate through our MSW or MA interns. Practicum students at Calming Tree Counselling are supervised by experienced team members during their placement and are able to offer counselling to individuals looking for affordable counselling options. Please note that student interns are on placement for a limited amount of time and counselling is subject to these time constraints. Please call or email Calming Tree for more information.

Generally speaking, doctors and psychiatrists are covered by OHIP, while other health professionals in private practice are not covered. Private insurance or employer benefits may or may not cover your counselling sessions. It is important to confirm with your insurance or benefit provider what credentials they require in a therapist prior to your first session. Calming Tree Counselling is unable to process third party billing, you will need to pay for your session at the time of service and remit your receipt to your benefit provider for reimbursement.

At Calming Tree Counselling our therapists are either registered social workers (RSW) or registered psychotherapists (RP), or registered psychotherapists (Qualifying) and registered in Ontario. We recognize that the word therapist may be confusing or need clarification when submitting receipts to insurance providers, below we have provided clarification of the different therapist designations generally found in Ontario:

Registered Psychotherapist
A registered psychotherapist (RP) has a master or doctorate level degree in a relevant counselling discipline and is registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). A registered psychotherapist who is qualifying is nearing completion of their psychotherapy training and is identified as RP (Qualifying). Many employee benefit plans cover the services of a registered psychotherapist; please make sure to check your insurance plan to see if counselling with a registered psychotherapist is covered.

Registered Social Worker, Master of Social Work
A social worker may have a bachelors, master or doctorate degree in Social Work. At this time counselling services provided by a social worker are not covered by OHIP. Many employee benefit plans cover the services of social workers; please make sure to check your insurance plan to see if MSW or RSW counselling is covered.

While Calming Tree Counselling does not have a psychiatrist or psychologist on staff, we work closely with our client`s mental health professionals to ensure their overall wellbeing and mental health needs are met. We have added a description of these health professional's scope of practice to further clarify the varying roles in today's mental health teams.

Psychologist
In Ontario, a psychologist typically has a doctoral degree in psychology. Psychologists may work in private practice and provide counselling services. Psychologists are able to complete psychological (including Psych-Ed) diagnostic testing and assessments, in addition to having the capability to diagnosis psychiatric conditions. A Psychologist cannot prescribe psychiatric medication. You do not need a family doctor`s referral to access psychologist services (unless required by an insurance provider) and psychologist services are not covered by OHIP.

Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor that specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental health. In Ontario you require a referral from your family doctor in order to access the services of a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist can prescribe medication and will oversee the ongoing management of a client’s mental health, often in collaboration with a therapist and/or psychologist. Psychiatrist services are covered by OHIP in Ontario.

Most commonly, employer benefits provide coverage for counselling services that are administered by ‘Registered Psychologists’, ‘Registered Psychotherapists’ and/or counselling provided by Registered Social Workers (‘MSW’ or ‘RSW’).

However, it is possible that employer benefits will only cover a portion of your counselling fees, so it is best to be clear on the details of your particular coverage before starting counselling. You will be expected to pay for the session in full at the time of the appointment and can submit the receipt to your insurer for reimbursement.

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