Does My Insurance Cover Counselling and Therapy in Ontario?

If you're considering counselling but aren't sure if your insurance covers it, you're not alone. At Transformation Counselling, one of the most common questions we hear is, "Does my insurance cover therapy?" The answer: it depends on your provider and your plan.

The good news is that many insurance providers do offer coverage for counselling with either a Registered Social Worker (RSW) or a Registered Psychotherapist (RP). And in many cases, we can even direct bill your insurance so you don’t have to worry about out-of-pocket costs upfront.

To make things easier, we've created a quick reference guide below to show which insurance providers typically cover RSWs and RPs—and which ones we can direct bill.

Note: Every insurance plan is unique. While this list is a great place to start, we recommend checking with your provider to confirm your specific coverage.

Insurance Providers That May Cover Counselling (and Allow Direct Billing)

Registered Social Workers (RSWs)

• AGA Financial Group inc.

• Alberta Bluecross

• Beneva

• Canada Life

• Canada Life - PSHCP

• Chambers of Commerce (Johnston Group)

• CINUP (Johnston Group)

• ClaimSecure

• Coughlin & Associates Ltd.

• Cowan (Express Scripts Canada)

• D.A. Townley

• First Canadian (Johnston Group)

• GMS Carriers 49 and 50 (Express Scripts Canada)

• Industrial Alliance

• Johnson (Express Scripts Canada)

• Johnston Group

• Maximum Benefit (Johnston Group)

• People Corporation

• RWAM *requires MSW

• Simply Benefits

• TELUS AdjudiCare

• Union Benefits

• MDM Insurance Services

• UV Insurance

• Manulife Financial

• Medavie Bluecross (Therapist must have an MSW)

  • Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) (Therapist must have an MSW + 5 Years of Licensed Experience) *requires pre-approval) 

  • Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) (Therapist must have an MSW + 5 Years of Licensed Experience) *requires pre-approval) 

  • Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) (Therapist must have an MSW + 5 Years of Licensed Experience) *requires pre-approval) 

  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) (Therapist must have an MSW + 5 Years of Licensed Experience) *requires pre-approval)

  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) (Therapist must have an MSW + 5 Years of Licensed Experience) *requires pre-approval)

• Greenshield Insurance (Therapist must have an MSW)

• SSQ Insurance

• Empire Life Insurance

• MÉDIC Construction (GreenShield Insurance)

• RBC Insurance

• NIHB *requires pre-approval

• HCAI / MVA *requires pre-approval

Registered Psychotherapists (RPs)

*Unless otherwise noted, we can only direct bill for Registered Psychotherapists eligible for independent practice.

• AGA Financial Group inc.

• Alberta Bluecross

• Beneva

• Canada Life

• Canada Life - PSHCP

• Chambers of Commerce (Johnston Group)

• CINUP (Johnston Group)

• ClaimSecure

• Coughlin & Associates Ltd.

• Cowan (Express Scripts Canada)

• D.A. Townley

• First Canadian (Johnston Group)

• GMS Carriers 49 and 50 (Express Scripts Canada)

• Industrial Alliance

• Johnson (Express Scripts Canada)

• Johnston Group

• Maximum Benefit (Johnston Group)

• People Corporation

• RWAM *

• Simply Benefits

• TELUS AdjudiCare

• Union Benefits

• Manulife Financial

• MDM Insurance Services

• Medavie Bluecross

  • Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) (Requires Therapist has 5 Years of Licensed Experience) *requires pre-approval) 

  • Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) (Requires Therapist has 5 Years of Licensed Experience) *requires pre-approval) 

  • Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) (Requires Therapist has 5 Years of Licensed Experience) *requires pre-approval) 

  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) (Requires Therapist has 5 Years of Licensed Experience) *requires pre-approval) 

  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) (Requires Therapist has 5 Years of Licensed Experience) *requires pre-approval) 

• Greenshield Insurance

  • *RPs requiring supervision and RPQs can be direct billed for.

• SSQ Insurance

  • *RPs requiring supervision and RPQs can be direct billed for. 

• Empire Life Insurance

  • *RPs requiring supervision and RPQs can be direct billed for. 

• MÉDIC Construction (GreenShield Insurance)

  • *RPs requiring supervision and RPQs can be direct billed for. 

• RBC Insurance

  • *RPs requiring supervision and RPQs can be direct billed for. 

• NIHB *requires pre-approval

  • *RPs Requiring Supervision and RPQs can be direct billed for. 

Let’s Confirm Your Coverage—Together

We know figuring out insurance can be confusing. That’s why we’re here to help. If you're unsure whether your plan includes coverage for therapy, just send us a picture of your benefits card and we’ll look into it for you—no pressure.

Whether you’re looking for in-person therapy or online therapy, individual counselling or couples counselling, we’ve got a compassionate team ready to support you.

Click below to fill out our intake form, and we’ll match you with a therapist that fits your needs—and your insurance coverage.

You don’t have to navigate this alone. Let’s take the next step—together.