Ontario Structured Psychotherapy in Southwestern Ontario and Niagara: Free Therapy and How to Refer Yourself

Ontario Structured Psychotherapy is delivered through regional networks. Here it is Ontario Structured Psychotherapy West (OSP West), coordinated by a partnership between St. Joseph's Health Care London and St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton.

The network gives this as the area it serves:

• Brantford-Brant-Norfolk
• Burlington
• Chatham-Kent
• Elgin county
• Grey-Bruce
• Guelph-Wellington
• Hamilton-Haldimand
• Huron-Perth
• Kitchener (KW4) and Cambridge North-Dumfries
• Middlesex-London
• Niagara
• Oxford county
• Sarnia-Lambton
• Windsor-Essex

These are the 14 areas OSP West lists under "Locations we serve". Its locations page spells out the Kitchener (KW4) area as Kitchener, Waterloo, Wilmot and Wellesley, and names Woolwich in one place but not in another. Ontario Health describes the West Region as running from Waterloo to Windsor and Tobermory to Niagara Falls.

If you live somewhere else, the provincial Ontario Structured Psychotherapy guide lists the network for every region.

OSP West accepts self-referral through an online form, and a health care provider can also refer you.

OSP West's pages present self-referral as the way to start. They do not say a doctor's referral is required.

1. Complete the self-referral form on OSP West's Refer yourself now page.
2. Do not contact the in-person locations directly. OSP West says to go through its main intake process first.
3. OSP West says a member of its team will contact you within eight to ten weeks of receiving your referral. Its pages describe a screening call, then a questionnaire package, then an assessment appointment.
4. If you have problems with the online form, call toll-free 1-833-944-9966 or email OSPWest@stjoes.ca.

Phone

1-833-944-9966 (toll-free, during business hours)

Email

OSPWest@stjoes.ca

Hours

OSP West says business hours but does not give them. Its email inbox is monitored Monday to Friday during business hours and replies can take up to five business days. Email is not secure and is not for urgent or sensitive issues.

Referral form

The network's online referral form

Contact details are copied from the network's own pages as of October 7, 2026. Check them on the network's page before you rely on them.

• Adults 18 and over who live in Ontario. You do not need a health card or to be a Canadian citizen.
• A primary problem such as anxiety, stress or worry; feeling down or hopeless; panic attacks; traumatic memories, flashbacks and nightmares; social anxiety; fears and phobias; or obsessive thoughts or behaviours.
• Able to commit to 6 to 12 consecutive weeks of treatment, to fill out surveys regularly and to practise strategies between sessions.
• Open to different CBT formats, including a self-led approach.
• A formal diagnosis is not needed.

OSP West's What we offer page lists these circumstances under "You must not be":

• Currently, or within the past three months, having problematic substance use or needing specialized concurrent disorders treatment
• Being actively suicidal, or having attempted suicide in the past six months
• Currently self-harming as your immediate, primary concern
• Currently, or within the past year, having symptoms of mania or hypomania that are not due to medication or substance use
• Currently, or within the past year, having symptoms of psychosis that are not due to medication or substance use
• A diagnosed personality disorder that is currently causing the most distress or impairment and has not been treated
• A severe eating disorder, or distress or impairment related to an eating behaviour
• Seeking medication management only
• A significant cognitive impairment such as dementia or an acquired brain injury, or a developmental or learning disability that would affect your ability to take part in psychotherapy

Being excluded is not the end of the road. See the other routes to covered care, and ask a doctor or nurse practitioner whether a psychiatry referral makes sense for you.

OSP West describes the program as free, time-limited, evidence-based CBT. It states that clients do not need a formal diagnosis or a health card to be referred.

• Stepped care. Most people start with self-led, coach- or clinician-supported CBT delivered online or by phone, through BounceBack, Tranquility, MindBeacon or clinician-assisted bibliotherapy.
• Group CBT, which OSP West delivers in an online setting.
• One-on-one CBT, online or in person.
• OSP West says in-person therapy and one-on-one therapy are not guaranteed, and that long-term treatment and follow-up are not available.

OSP West states a 6 to 12 week treatment commitment but does not state the session length for group or one-on-one therapy.

Languages and pathways the network states: OSP West's self-led services sheet lists BounceBack coaching and workbooks in English, French, Arabic, Farsi, Traditional Chinese and Spanish, and MindBeacon in English and French; OSP West is still co-designing a care pathway with Indigenous people and communities, according to a January 2026 article on its site. No finished Indigenous pathway is described.

The network lists these in-person sites. It says in-person therapy is not guaranteed, that you must go through its main intake first, and that you should not contact the sites directly.

• Brantford-Brant-Norfolk: Willowbridge Community Services (Brantford); South Coast Wellness (Simcoe); Cowan Community Health Hub (Paris)
• Burlington: CMHA Halton, Thrive Counselling office (Burlington)
• Chatham-Kent: Chatham Kent Health Alliance (Chatham)
• Elgin: CMHA Thames Valley, Elgin branch (St. Thomas)
• Grey-Bruce: Brightshores Health System (Owen Sound)
• Guelph-Wellington: Homewood Health Centre (Guelph); Homewood North Wellington ACTT, Fergus office (Fergus)
• Hamilton-Haldimand: CMHA Hamilton (Hamilton); Hamilton Family Health Team, Queensdale hub (Hamilton); OSP West Hamilton office (Hamilton)
• Huron-Perth: CMHA Huron-Perth, main office (Stratford); CMHA Huron-Perth, Goderich branch (Goderich)
• Kitchener (KW4) and Cambridge North-Dumfries: Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services (Cambridge); Interfaith Counselling Centre (New Hamburg); Woolwich Counselling Services (Elmira); Camino Wellbeing + Mental Health, Charles Street branch (Kitchener); Shalom Counselling (Waterloo)
• Middlesex-London: CMHA Thames Valley, London branch (London)
• Niagara: CMHA Niagara, St. Catharines branch (St. Catharines); CMHA Niagara, Welland branch (Welland)
• Oxford: CMHA Thames Valley, Oxford branch (Woodstock)
• Sarnia-Lambton: CMHA Lambton Kent, Sarnia branch (Sarnia)
• Windsor-Essex: Family Services Windsor Essex (Windsor)

OSP West publishes its waiting time on its pages: after receiving your referral, a member of its team will contact you within eight to ten weeks. It also says its wait times have recently increased, so check its page for the current figure.

• OSP West names more areas than any other network on this site: 14, from Windsor-Essex to Niagara and Grey-Bruce.
• OSP West shows its waiting time on every page: contact within eight to ten weeks of a referral, with a note that waits have recently increased.
• A health card and Canadian citizenship are not required, but you must be able to commit to 6 to 12 consecutive weeks of treatment.
• OSP West's Refer yourself now page and its What we offer page word the exclusion criteria differently. The shorter list does not mention seeking medication management only, so read both before deciding whether the program fits.
• OSP West does not offer walk-in service. It lists in-person sites for people who are already in the program, and says not to contact them directly.

OSP West says OSP is not a crisis or emergency service. If you need help right away, it says to go to the nearest emergency department or call 9-1-1, and its Immediate help page lists 24-hour phone lines.

For immediate suicide crisis support, call or text 9-8-8 at any hour.