How Much Does Therapy Cost in Ontario? What's Free, Covered and Private-Pay

There is no single price for therapy in Ontario, because "therapy" is delivered by five different kinds of professional and OHIP covers only some of them. The table below is the whole answer in one view.

Before looking at private fees, it is worth knowing how much therapy in Ontario costs nothing:

• Therapy from a physician is insured. The Government of Ontario covers doctors' medically necessary services, so psychotherapy from a psychiatrist or a family doctor is free. See medical psychotherapy.
• Ontario Structured Psychotherapy is free. Publicly funded cognitive behavioural therapy for adults with depression or anxiety-related concerns, by self-referral.
• BounceBack, Health811 and ConnexOntario are free. Phone coaching, nurse advice and service navigation, at no charge.

All of these are set out, with who each is for, in the main free therapy routes in Ontario.

If you see a psychologist, a registered psychotherapist or a registered social worker privately, you pay the fee yourself or through insurance. There is no government price, and fees vary with the provider's profession, experience and location.

Psychologists. The clearest current reference point comes from the Ontario Psychological Association, whose 2024 fee survey reported a modal fee of $250 an hour for psychological services. Psychologists may charge more or less than this. One figure to ignore: the $149.61-an-hour rate you may see quoted is the maximum an insurer pays for psychology under auto-insurance accident-benefit claims, not a private-practice price.

Registered psychotherapists and social workers. Their colleges let members set their own fees, as long as they are not excessive, and allow reduced or sliding-scale fees for financial hardship. No regulator publishes a dollar figure, so we do not quote one.

A recent change lowers the real cost of private therapy slightly. The Canada Revenue Agency says that as of 20 June 2024, certain psychotherapists and counselling therapists are no longer required to collect GST/HST on their services. It applies where the provider is licensed with a provincial regulator and located outside Quebec, and the service is within their scope of practice.

In Ontario, where psychotherapy is a regulated profession, a qualifying therapist's sessions should no longer carry HST. The exemption covers therapy services only, not unrelated offerings such as coaching or workshops.

• Extended health benefits. Many workplace and student plans reimburse therapy, but coverage often depends on the provider's exact profession — some plans cover a psychologist but not a registered psychotherapist, or the reverse. Check which titles your plan names before booking.
• Sliding scale. Registered psychotherapists and social workers are permitted to lower their fee case by case for financial hardship. Ask directly.
• Lower-cost clinics. University psychology training clinics deliver assessment and therapy through supervised graduate students at reduced fees, with waitlists. Fees and eligibility differ by clinic.
• Free programs. If cost is the barrier, start with the free routes above rather than paying privately.

Because OHIP pays for physicians, not for professions. A psychiatrist and a family doctor are physicians, so their therapy is insured. A psychologist, registered psychotherapist or social worker is not a physician, and the Government of Ontario does not insure services from non-physician providers working outside a hospital. The full breakdown is in the difference between a psychiatrist, psychologist and psychotherapist and in our guide to what OHIP covers for therapy.