Virtual Care
At The Downtown Psychology Clinic, our priority is ensuring that you have convenient access to high quality evidence-based therapy no matter where you live in Ontario.
Many clinical concerns, including depression and anxiety, as well as other life transitions and stressors, can be treated using virtual therapy. We offer ongoing virtual therapy options by videoconferencing (online counselling) or telephone. Whether you are working from home, live outside of the GTA, or find travel to the clinic to be too costly or time-consuming, virtual therapy allows you to access one of our clinicians from the comfort of your home.
Please contact us for more information or to book a virtual therapy appointment.
Here are some commonly asked questions about virtual therapy:
Does virtual therapy work?
Yes – the research suggests that clients obtain similar outcomes with virtual care, and can still establish and maintain a positive therapeutic relationship.
Is virtual therapy confidential?
We use software with secure end-to-end encryption, which meets requirements for the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), and sessions are never recorded. The same limits of confidentiality would apply in virtual therapy as in in-person therapy.
How does billing work?
We can accept eTransfers or are able to process your credit card for payment.
Can I submit this to insurance?
At the end of each session, we will provide you with a password-protected receipt that will include the information about the session, as well as your therapist’s registration number. As insurance providers can vary in their policies, we suggest that you reach out to them directly to confirm that your coverage extends to virtual appointments. Most insurers do cover virtual therapy.
Could I still do in person sessions?
Absolutely. You can choose in person or virtual sessions at your convenience.
What if I live outside of Ontario?
Unfortunately, according to the regulations of the College of Psychologists of Ontario, clients need to be located in the same province that the clinician is registered in.
Are there any special steps I should take?
If you are using videoconferencing (video therapy), it is important to use a secure internet connection rather than public/free Wi-Fi to ensure confidentiality. Sometimes we can also experience technical issues, so you may want to have your phone handy in case we would need to move to a telephone session.
It is also important to have someone in your area that can be your emergency contact in the unlikely case of a crisis.
