Making a Referral, Fees & Policies

Referral, Fees & Policies

Making a Referral

For SELF-REFERRALS, prospective clients can use the contact form below to schedule a free consultation:

For HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, please complete the following forms below and fax them to 1-855-509-0193:

Do I need a physician's referral?

You do not need a physician’s referral to commence counselling or psychotherapy. However, you may wish to check with your insurance provider to see if they require one for reimbursement purposes.

Service Fees

The service fee is $150.00 for a 60-minute appointment (50 minutes of therapy & 10 minutes for payment and administration).

If more or less time is required, clients are charged to the nearest 15-minute increment per the hourly rate ($37.50/15 minutes).

Appointments charged on a sliding scale are available for those experiencing significant financial hardship or marginalization. These spaces are limited, so please contact us directly to inquire about availability.

If you require a letter of support, progress report, or another requested document, there is a fee of $100 to prepare and deliver these requested documents. If the time needed to meet the request exceeds 1 hour, an additional fee is prorated per the hourly rate for the time required (e.g. letters of support, progress reports for insurance, etc.)

Extended Health Benefits

Currently, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) does not cover the cost of psychotherapy treatment. However, many private and extended health insurance plans offer financial benefits for counselling and psychotherapy administered by a Registered Social Worker (RSW).

Following payment, you will receive an electronic receipt via email, which you can submit to your insurance provider’s extended health plan for reimbursement.

Remember, as a client, you have an important role in this process. It’s your responsibility to contact your insurer and/or plan administrator for details on available funding and a referral from your primary healthcare provider to access these benefits, if required.

Methods of Payment

The total fee is to be paid immediately following your appointment, and the following forms of payment are accepted:

E-transfer (britney@balbodhiwell.com)
Credit card (online via Jane Payments)
Cash (exact amount only)

Clients may elect to have their credit card information held on file for ease of payment.

Communication Policy

The expected and appropriate forms of communication between you and your therapist are:

In-person during sessions for therapeutic discussions and sharing of sensitive information.
Email for between sessions, including scheduling, administrative inquiries, and sharing resources. Please avoid including sensitive personal information via email.
Phone call may be used for urgent matters, with your therapist’s permission, where email is not appropriate or timely. Voicemails will be returned within 48 hours.
Text messaging is not permitted unless your social worker/therapist specifies otherwise.
Text messaging is not permitted unless your social worker/therapist specifies otherwise.
Contact via social media is not permitted, and your social worker/therapist will not request nor respond to friending, following, likes, or other forms of engagement on any social media app or platform.

Cancellation Policy

To cancel or reschedule your appointment, you must give at least 24 hours’ notice, with 48 hours ‘ notice preferred when possible.

Appointments that cannot be rescheduled or are cancelled without the required notice will be charged the full fee.

No fee is charged if the client’s appointment can be rescheduled within the week or if it is appropriate to continue as a virtual appointment. This is subject to your therapist’s schedule and availability.

Please be aware that insurance plans typically do not cover fees for cancelled appointments.

The fee may be waived on compassionate grounds, for example, due to sudden illness, an emergency requiring medical treatment, or a death in the family.

Confidentiality Policy

All information collected during assessment and treatment is confidential, per privacy legislation. However, while rare, exceptions to this confidentiality do occur, which include your therapist’s duty to:

Inform a potential victim of a client’s intention to harm them
Inform an appropriate family member, health care professional, or police, if necessary, of a client’s imminent plan to end his or her life
Release a client’s file (or portions thereof) if there is an investigation or court order to do so
Inform the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) if there is suspicion of a child being at risk of harm or in need of protection due to neglect, physical, sexual or emotional abuse
Inform the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) if there is suspicion of a child being at risk of harm or in need of protection due to neglect, physical, sexual or emotional abuse
Report sexual abuse of a client by another regulated health professional
Report elder abuse of a resident in long-term care

Release of Information Policy

Client information, including full or partial records, will only be released to a third party with the client’s expressed and written consent or the consent of their substitute decision maker. Records cannot be released when they contain the name of another person, and redaction of content is necessary to protect that person’s confidentiality. Reports from other professionals cannot be released without the consent of that professional.

Clients have the right to access their personal health information, including their psychotherapy records. If you wish to have a copy of your record, please contact us in writing at britney@balbodhiwell.com and allow 30 days for this request to be met. A reasonable fee may be charged for the time spent preparing, copying, and mailing the file (where applicable).

For all other questions or inquiries:

Please contact Britney via email: britney@balbodhiwell.com, and allow 48 hours for a reply.

You may also complete the feedback form:

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Referral, Fees & Policies