We’re glad you asked! One of the most important parts about therapy is making sure it’s the right fit.

You are likely ready for therapy at Counterspiral Care if:

• Your usual systems, tools, and coping strategies aren’t working for you anymore (if they ever fully did), and you’re brave enough to acknowledge that fact.

• You’re willing to choose curiosity over criticism and open to listening to your body, mind, and soul.

• You want to discover your authentic self, and maybe even learn to love them.

• You’re willing to confront the pains of your past, dive deep, and invest in yourself and your future.

• You care about diversity, equity, and inclusion. We celebrate differences and have a zero tolerance policy for discrimination around here, so we hope you do too!

You may not be ready for therapy at Counterspiral Care if:

• You have no interest in getting to the root of your problems, learning new things, or working collaboratively.

• You aren’t ready to make a mental, emotional, or financial investment in yourself.

• You don’t feel willing or able to commit to change or challenge harmful habits. You’d prefer to keep avoiding what feels wrong than confront it head-on.

• You aren’t passionate about human rights, equity, or generally becoming a better person.

• Your concerns are not the right fit for us, and your main presenting concern is not on our list of specializations (if this one hits home for you, send us a message and we’ll do our best to refer you to a trusted professional who can help!).

Are you ready to take the next step with us? Click the “Contact Us” button at the bottom of these FAQs to book your free consultation and start your healing journey.

Before we begin working together, we will always offer a free 20 minute call to get to know each other better and match you to the best fit therapist at the clinic for you. This intro call can be over phone or video, whichever you prefer! You’ll usually be chatting with Sarah, our founder, who runs the matching process between therapists and clients.

We’ll chat about your life and what brought you to therapy, discuss what you can expect from working with us, answer any questions you might have, and set you up for success if you do choose to book with us. You’ll learn all about the therapist who you’ll be working with so that you feel fully comfortable and understand why they would be a good match for you.

We recognize that 20 minutes is a short time to cover a lot of ground! Out of respect and care for you, we’ll keep our initial calls to a high level overview so that you’ll have plenty of time with your therapist to dive deep during your first session. Our first call together will not be a mini therapy session, but can be a great opportunity to ask anything you’re curious about and begin to understand the process of therapy.

Our consultation calls are all about making sure that we’re a good fit. If we don’t have a team member who we feel can support you, we’ll be honest about that, and we’ll refer you to another professional who can help. If you choose not to book with us, that’s totally okay! Every step of our therapeutic process is informed and consent-based, and the first call is no different.

If you do want to get started, we can usually book you in with your therapist within a couple days so that you can get right to work. We understand the importance of short wait times, and we value your healing.

If you’d like to book your free call, click the “Contact Us” button below to reach out. We can’t wait to meet you!

At Counterspiral Care, we recognize the importance of providing quality therapy and hiring therapists who are highly trained in a range of specializations. Our standard fees for therapy are $175 per clinical hour (50 minutes of therapy with 10 minutes for documentation).

We recognize that not everyone can afford therapy who needs it, particularly many folks in populations we serve. As such, we do offer a sliding scale option with limited availability on an ongoing basis. Please send us a message to inquire about sliding scale if this would make therapy accessible to you!

To value your time as well as your therapist’s, we kindly ask that cancellation and rescheduling occurs at least 48 hours in advance of your appointment start time. You can conveniently alter or rebook your appointment by calling (613) 324-0422 or emailing us at info@counterspiralcare.com.

We understand that some situations are emergencies or out of your control. Please reach out to your therapist directly if this occurs. We are always happy to review situations and may occasionally be able to waive our cancellation fee.

Your journey begins with a free 20 minute consultation call where we can get to know more about you and match you with the best fit therapist on our team. We consider your goals, preferences, presenting issues, and personality when choosing a therapist, because we know how important it is for you two to click!

In the first full session with your best fit therapist, you will discover a warm, compassionate, and non-judgmental space that is fully yours for the next 50 minutes. Most of that session (and several after that) will be dedicated to getting to know each other, building trust, and developing our therapeutic relationship. This will include hearing your story, refining your goals, and creating a plan for therapy together to shape your healing journey and make sure you’re on a path that feels right.

We know that every healing journey is unique, so your sessions will be, too. Our team is very open to feedback, so we’ll be checking in along the way to see how therapy is feeling and offer any adjustments that could make it an even better fit. Your voice and perspective is incredibly valuable to our process, and we always want to hear you. Therapy is designed to support you, so your thoughts and feelings will be prioritized every step of the way.

Most people find that weekly therapy gives them the greatest benefits, and research has shown the same thing. In most cases, we would recommend weekly therapy initially, then scaling back to bi-weekly or monthly as needed. This gives us a chance to build trust and momentum from the start so that you can make measurable progress right off the bat!

How often you attend therapy will ultimately be your choice. We will always explore what option makes the most sense for your unique circumstances so that therapy can fit into your life.

Similarly, how long you stay in therapy will depend on your unique treatment goals. Some folks prefer short-term solution focused support, while others prefer ongoing therapy to expand their goals overtime and achieve more intensive personal growth. Ultimately, therapy is a relationship where we’ll work to unpack your unique story and personal contexts, which will take a different amount of time for everybody. No matter how long you need, we’ll go at your pace.

Virtual therapy can be a wonderful option for making your healing journey more accessible. Research has proven the effectiveness of virtual therapy across diverse populations and therapeutic methods, with some additional benefits for your flexibility and freedom.

Online therapy offers many of the same benefits as being in person, without the stress of commuting, traffic, parking, or getting a babysitter. We understand the importance of convenience and ease when it comes to therapy, which can all be achieved from the comfort of your home. Sessions will take place on our secure video platform called Jane. You will simply create an account and fill out a quick intake form before getting started. All you have to do is click!

Psychotherapy and Social Work services are considered private services in Canada and unfortunately are not covered under OHIP or provincial health insurance plans at this time.

However, most health and employer benefits do cover psychotherapy and/or social work as a part of your health insurance package!

To learn more, chat with your insurance provider and ask if “Registered Psychotherapists” and/or “Registered Social Workers” are covered under your current plan (please note that psychologists and psychiatrists fall under a different category and do not cover your work at Counterspiral!). You may want to ask questions around the maximum amount or percentage of a session that can be claimed, the date your plan renews, and whether your benefits extend to family members.

We know how much courage it takes to open up and share your story, and we honour that story by prioritizing your confidentiality and privacy. In general, almost everything you tell us in session will be kept between us. There are a few exceptions to this rule for the purpose of care and safety, where we can discuss or release your records without your consent:

• Duty to Report: If we have reason to believe that a child or person in long-term care is being abused or neglected, we are obligated to report this for their protection. We also have a duty to report if you have been abused by a regulated healthcare professional to protect the public.

• If our records were subpoenaed by court, these records would be shared as mandated.

• If we have a reason to believe that you are at serious an imminent risk of harming yourself of someone else, we may involve other supports to help keep you and/or others safe.

• If you consent to sharing your care with another professional or parent (if you are a minor) in a written consent form.

In the majority of these cases, we will make every effort to keep you informed along the way to the extent reasonable for your safety.

Your records will be stored in our HIPPA and PIPIDA-compliant online system called Jane to protect your privacy and confidentiality. If you have any further questions about our confidentiality process, your therapist will be happy to answer them in session! You can also contact our Clinic Director at info@counterspiralcare.com for more information.

We recognize the courage that comes with seeking therapy services as a marginalized community member, particularly within the confines of a colonial Western system. We do our best to make the process a little bit easier, while acknowledging the inherent structural barriers to receiving equitable care in our society. Possibilities for support may include:

• Requesting to work with a therapist who has specific training and/or lived experiences with your community

• Using fidget toys, stimming, dimmed lights, and other sensory supports during session

• Gaining access to our resource list for diverse communities (you can find this on our website here)

• Optional referrals to additional supports which affirm your community and lived experiences

• Limited sliding scale spots to support financial challenges

• Holding high expectations for your therapist to examine their own privilege and power, regularly engage with resources and trainings in support of anti-oppression, and to be accountable in reducing harm and systemic oppression throughout therapy.

• Having autonomy in session and co-creating your healing journey alongside your therapist. We operate from a stance of cultural humility and while we may be knowledgeable about therapy, you will always be the most knowledgeable person about yourself, your values, your culture, and your identity. We will value and prioritize your views, thoughts, feelings, and consent at every stage of therapy.

If there are specific ways that we can best support you, please don’t hesitate to let us know! We acknowledge that the process of diversity, equity, and inclusion is one of ongoing consideration and lifelong learning, and we are always interested to know how we can do better. Whether you have a recommendation for your own therapist to support your care or an idea for the clinic as a whole, please feel free to share it with your therapist or the clinic director using the “Contact Us” form below. We can’t wait to hear from you and we welcome ways to learn more about you and your needs!

Counterspiral Care is firmly committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion from a non-performative stance. Our entire team regularly engages with research and training to better support diverse populations, and we are consistently learning from others to do better ourselves. We believe in cultural humility and respect the knowledge that comes with our clients’ lived experiences. We remain open to feedback and change to better support each of our clients.

Our team will always be at least 50% BIPOC and feature neurodivergent, queer, chronically ill, and genderqueer therapists. We encourage and celebrate all bodies, relationship styles, and backgrounds in session, and practice deep care and respect.

We also provide an evolving list of resources to support a diverse range of populations. This can be found here.

Our clinic advocates for Indigenous Land Back and reparations, actively considering how colonial systems impact and damage Western mental health practices. We consider and reflect upon our own power and privilege, both in our role as therapists as well as our personal identities and their intersectionality. We discuss topics such as racism, classism, ableism, fatphobia, queer/transphobia, sanism, and capitalism in our team meetings and trainings, and interrogate our own practices to confront our own implicit biases. Our team members participate in activism and fundraising for initiatives relating to anti-genocide, trans rights, Lack Back, Indigenous Sovereignty, and Black Lives Matter. We centre resources and knowledge by diverse creators to offer a range of voices and perspectives to our clinic and clients.

We also acknowledge that as humans, we will inevitably make mistakes along our process of lifelong learning. We are committed to holding each other accountable and making appropriate reparations when mistakes do occur.

If you are experiencing a crisis or emergency situation, please contact 9-1-1 or your nearest emergency department. The following options may also be appropriate depending on the nature of your emergency:

• 9-8-8: A national suicide crisis helpline available by phone or text 24/7 in English and French.

• 1-800-668-6868: Kids Help Phone. Also available by text at 686868.

• 741741: Ontario Crisis Text Line.

• 905-278-4890: Distress Centres of Greater Toronto helpline. Available in English 24/7 as well as in Cantonese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu from Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 10 PM.

• 2-1-1: A resource hub available 24/7 with service in over 150 languages.

• 8-1-1: Telehealth Ontario for non-urgent medical support.

• 1-877-338-3398 : Emergency shelter support in Ontario, available 24/7.

• 1-866-863-7868 : Assaulted Women’s Helpline in Ontario.

• 1-855-242-3310: Hope for Wellness Helpline, available 24/7 for Indigenous peoples in Canada.

We acknowledge the importance of community care during periods of crisis, and recommend connecting with your doctor or healer, cultural leaders, friends and family, as well as your therapist during challenging periods of your life.

Counterspiral Care is not a crisis service, and is not a substitute for emergency care. In sessions with your therapist, you may develop safety plans together to support you if a crisis arises in a way that feels safe and supportive for you.

For additional supports, please visit our resource list.