Got questions about how therapy works? We've got answers

Psychotherapy helps with anything that is making you not live life to the fullest. It can be a whole range of things including depression, anxiety, stress, life transitions, feeling 'stuck', eating disorders/distress, body image, relationships, and what we specialize in at Centred Self: Trauma.

And trauma can mean anything from early childhood abuse, neglect, or immature parents that caused you to grow up too early. It can also mean abuse - emotional, sexual, or physical. 

If there is something in your life that you are struggling with, we are there to help.

A psychotherapist is a skilled professional - either with a Master's degree or a Doctorate - who is trained to navigate all of the depths of what you may want to bring into therapy through 'talk therapy.’ Basically, this means that we are there to talk through what you are going through and come to a deeper understanding to work towards change. Our main job (sadly!) is not to 'fix' you, but rather to actively listen to all you are bringing into session. This sounds basic, doesn't it?! But actually, listening is one of the hardest skills that any psychotherapist learns how to do, and it is incredibly counter-cultural. In almost every day-to-day interaction, people listen in order to respond to you. So, often when you are sharing, the person listening to you is immediately linking it to their experiences, thoughts and feelings (I often think of it as two people just taking turns monologuing, as grim as that sounds). It is very odd indeed for them to ask pointed or in-depth questions about your experiences because they are thinking about their own!

Because therapy is about you and not your therapist, we have learned the hard task of setting ourselves and our own life narratives aside to help you. Our training is an 'unlearning' of sorts, as we relearn what it means to listen well. True, it is very often our own life narratives that help us with empathy, but that is how we use ourselves to be better listeners; we don't try to cut you off with our own stories but rather listen closely to what you are bringing and meet you in this.

A therapist listens to you in a way that links what you are saying and pays attention to themes, inconsistencies, and the impact rather than the story of what you are bringing. We look for the meaning behind a story to see what is really going on for you and why. Due to paying close attention to what you are saying, we can help you see the interconnections of all that you have brought to therapy recently, your imagery, and patterns to dive deeper into what may be going on in the subconscious - or even unconscious - of your behaviours and feelings. Very often, we can see how your words are impacting you in a way that you may not.

There are therapies that are more solution-focussed, and others, like us at Centred Self, that focus on relational and in-depth work. But at the end of the day, your therapist is an aide to your own self-awareness so that you can be the change you want to see. When you’re looking for your own therapist in Toronto, remember that what they do first and foremost is listen.

A psychologist is typically someone you would see for a mental health assessment or diagnosis. Their educational backgrounds usually include a Master’s or Doctoral degree in psychology where they train in both research and clinical practice. Psychologists also usually have to specialize in a particular demographic. They have to undergo supervised practice (like psychotherapists) before they become fully licensed. You might go see a psychologist if you’re looking for psychological testing and emotional or cognitive assessments.

Psychotherapists work with their clients through talk therapy to improve their mental health and well-being. There are many different modalities and differences between psychotherapy practices but revolve around managing and maintaining mental health. Psychotherapists usually have a Master’s or Doctoral degree and also undergo supervised practice before they can work independently. Before you start looking for therapy in Toronto, check out our frequently asked questions about psychotherapy. There, you’ll find more information about the types of counselling we offer, how long sessions are, and what a typical session looks like.

The biggest benefit to seeing a psychotherapist in Toronto is our skill of listening without needing it to be about us. Having someone focussed on what you are bringing and navigating you into a richer understanding of your narrative can be life changing. 

Another unforeseen benefit to therapy is that we are not your friends. This can be hard, especially if you have a great bond with your therapist! But hear me out: A therapist is not invested in your life beyond the therapy room. This means that you can share everything and anything with them without fear that it can hurt your relationship. If you need to share something over and over (like grief, or struggling in a relationship), you can do so knowing that you are not boring us or taking up too much space. You can get angry, ugly cry, and share secrets that you have not told another. All of this can stay in the safety of the therapy room.

And through this in-depth sharing and self-exploration, you often will feel more energy to focus on other things in life, like work or your relationships. We are there to help you be the best version of yourself and you get to do this in the safety of this special type of relationship. 

In Person Therapy:

At Centred Self, we are thrilled to say that we now offer in-person services on Thursday afternoons. 

Great work can happen when we get to see micro expressions and can actually pass that tissue box over to you.  

Location: 266 Adalaide (or 69 Sherbourne street), Toronto. 

Virtural Therapy:

All of our therapists also offer virtual therapy, which is amazing if you just want to be in the comfort of your home with a cuppa tea. 

This also works well for those around Ontario, or who live further away and do not want to commute to the city.

If you need help with the help with our Scheduler - click here.

Session lengths are the usual therapist 'hour' of 50 minutes in length.

Your therapists at Centred Self primarily work longer term - especially because of our specialization in relational therapy. 

We am very flexible when it comes to frequency. 

A good rule of thumb is to think about it in terms of progress: Meeting weekly gives us a chance to get to know each other faster, and often less happens from week-to-week so we can focus on what you are bringing. Progress can be made in a similar fashion with bi-weekly sessions as well. However, longer gaps between sessions does slow down progress. Which is not a bad thing, just something to keep in mind. .

While you may already 'know' the answer to this one, it is vitally important that you understand that what you say in clinical psychology and psychotherapy is confidential. Sessions are rarely, if ever, recorded, and the notes written after sessions are in a secure and data-protected space. 

When might that change? 

If your therapist fears any imminent harm to yourself or another – if they become worried that something harmful will happen when you leave the therapy office (ex. suicidal intent, or violent intent to others). Then, they may need to break confidentiality to keep you and others safe. Almost always, however, they will tell you before this happens.

NOTE: If a therapist hears of harm posed to any child, that will always be cause to break confidentiality. 

This is definitely one of the biggest questions to ask in therapy - where in the world do I begin?
 

Let me put you at ease: it really does not matter where we start! We can start with your childhood, your relationships, a current problem you are facing, what you want to work on, how your week went... the list goes on. 

In our experience, no matter what we are talking about, you are doing the work – because many aspects of our lives link together. 

 This question is harder to answer because sessions are never prescriptive. Your therapist at Centred Self wont work from a workbook, or a set rubric on what our sessions need to be.  

Why?  

Because every single client is different. Every single one. 

And because of that, we do not believe in providing a band-aid approach, so your therapist will tailor the sessions to you and your needs.

This is a Great Question!!! 

We work primarily with all forms of trauma here at Centred Self. We also specialize in:

• LGBTQIA and Gender/Sex expressions 
• men's issues, 
• addictions, 
• personality disorders, 
• all forms of abuse, 
• infidelity, 
• infertility and perinatal therapy, 
• and couples counselling.  

Email with any questions at: therapy@centredself.ca 

Most therapists are absolutely fine for you to message about sessions or a question between sessions. It is best to check in with your therapist about what their practice is.

(Please note: Email is not a secure/confidential form of communication.) 

If it is an emergency please do call: Toronto Distress Centre (416) 408-4357 or text 45645

CPRO Contact Info:

College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario

375 University Avenue, Suite 803

Toronto, ON M5G 2J5

Tel: 416-479-4330 or 1-844-712-1364

info@crpo.ca

Referrals are probably the biggest form of a 'thank you' that any therapist can receive.  

However: Sometimes you may want to have a therapist that is just yours. Seeing the same therapist as your friend can create what we call a 'dual relationship' - and while we may feel comfortable seeing someone you know, it is helpful for you to know that sometimes this can create an unhelpful dynamic for you. 

Complaints are unfortunate, but also something that can happen from time-to-time. 

The best practice if there is a complaint is to talk with your practitioner. This can build trust in the relationship, and we call these the 'ruptures and repairs' of therapy. If you want to contact the Centred Self Practice Team, you can absolutely do so. Please email: therapy@centredself.ca. 

If you feel the need to complain about a Centred Self practitioner and would like to do it through the formal channels of CRPO – their website has some great resources for this at:  CRPO Complaints.

Therapy costs differ most on how much schooling or years of experience a psychotherapist has. For example, a doctor of psychotherapy with over 10 years of experience will be closer to $200, while a student will most definitely be half this price. 

Here is a brief look at what the cost of therapy 'should' look like (but keep in mind that this is just a rough guide. For example, an RPQ might have over 10 years of experience but just moved to Ontario to start their practice here). 

Trainee/student: Around $80-100 a session. 

New therapist in the field: $125-145

Registered Psychotherapist Qualifying (RPQ): $145-165

Registered Psychotherapist (RP): $160-200

What it costs at Centred Self

- Therapy Sessions at Centred Self cost between $165 - $195 CND. 

- Supervision with Dr. Jessie Erb cost $195

- Supervision for students outside of Centred Self is $125

- Reduced Cost therapy is $100

Yes. Centred-Self offers a reduced cost program for affordable therapy through our Student Clinic. You can see a student psychotherapist in Toronto at a reduced cost. Trainee psychotherapists are in the final year of their Master’s program and are supervised by Dr. Jessie Erb.

 Our Reduced Cost clinic is generally around $100 per session.

Whether psychotherapy is covered by OHIP is not always cut-and-dry. OHIP is great for things like doctor’s visits or hospital stays, but it can be less reliable when it comes to other types of health care, including mental health.

There are some mental health services that OHIP covers, but they are limited in their reach and goals. OHIP may cover some mental health and addiction services, but these are limited to appointments with a family doctor or nurse, or advice from helplines like ConnexOntario. The Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program is also publicly funded. The program provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy through self-led and individual or group CBT for people experiencing depression or an anxiety-related disorder. OSP is not right for everyone, and often cannot help with more complex needs.

OHIP does not cover psychotherapy from private practitioners like Centred Self, but we can provide therapy in a wider range of modalities and without arbitrary restrictions on the types of therapy we practice. You can check out our videos about therapy in Toronto to learn more about the different modalities of psychotherapy, and why you might not want to limit yourself to just one of them.

Psychotherapy through the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario is widely accepted  by most insurance companies. 

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Please check to make sure that your insurance coverage reimburses for Psychotherapy services.

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If your company does not provide Psychotherapy services, simply ask them to - many are happy to add psychotherapy coverage if they are asked. Here is a help link with info on how to ask for Psychotherapy to be covered by your employer "RP Outreach to Employer Letter"

Being late happens. We would rather you come a bit late than not come at all!! 

The session length, however, cannot be extended for lateness. And the session rate also stays the same.

Unfortunately, because we have a waiting list for appointments, we charge the full session rate if you do not attend your session or cancel with less than 24 hours.  

If cancellation was due to an emergency, we can definitely talk about this, but out of respect to our services and fellow clients, most missed sessions would have the full payment charged.