Cost & access
Free and low-cost mental health support in Ontario
Private therapy runs $120 to $260 a session and no provincial health plan pays for it. Several publicly funded routes exist, and most people have never been told about them.
7 min read · Updated
Therapy in Ontario sits in an awkward position: it is health care, most people need it at some point, and public insurance pays for almost none of it privately. At $120 to $260 a session, and rarely one session, that arithmetic is why people who need therapy go without.
There is more publicly funded support than most people realise. None of it is instant, and all of it is free.
If you need help today
9-8-8 — call or text, any hour, anywhere in Canada, for a suicide or mental health crisis. ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600 gives free, confidential information and referral for mental health, addiction and problem gambling, at any hour.
Publicly funded therapy
Ontario Structured Psychotherapy provides cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety, depression and related conditions at no cost. In most regions you can refer yourself without going through a doctor. There is usually a waiting list, which is the trade-off — but joining it costs nothing, and you can pursue other options while you wait.
Hospital outpatient programmes are covered when you are accepted into one, and often run groups as well as individual sessions. Community Health Centres frequently have counsellors on staff, free to people in their catchment.
Psychiatrists are covered by every provincial health plan, being physicians. They can prescribe and diagnose; waits are commonly months and you will usually need a referral.
Free self-guided support
Wellness Together Canada offers free counselling and self-guided programmes. BounceBack, run through the Canadian Mental Health Association, provides free coaching for low mood and worry. These are genuinely useful for mild to moderate difficulty and cost nothing to try.
If you end up paying privately
Ask about a sliding scale — many therapists keep a number of reduced-fee places and simply do not advertise them. Check whether your workplace plan covers a registered psychotherapist or only a registered psychologist, since the rates differ substantially and so does what your plan will reimburse. Sessions by video are often cheaper and remove the travel.
And if you use this site, you state the most you can pay per session and we introduce you only to therapists who have agreed to work within it.
These articles summarise public health guidance and are not a substitute for care from a regulated health professional who knows your situation. If this is an emergency, call 911. For a mental-health crisis, call or text 9-8-8. See our Crisis resources.