Is psychotherapy covered by OHIP?

The fees for seeing a psychotherapist in private practice are not covered by OHIP.

Some extended healthcare plans offered by private/third party insurance carriers may cover the costs of seeing a Registered Psychotherapist (RP). If you have healthcare insurance offered through your workplace or you pay for private insurance yourself, you can consult your benefits package or contact your insurance company to see if they cover the costs of seeing an RP (usually covered under “paramedical expenses”). If your insurance company or employer does not list RPs under their list of paramedical practitioners, you can advocate for this coverage by writing a letter to your employer and insurer requesting this coverage. For a sample letter that you can use as a template for this purpose, please click here.

If you are able to see a psychotherapist through a program or organization that receives funding through the government or other granting bodies, then it may be possible to access psychotherapy without being charged for it. For example, some family health teams (FHTs), community health centres (CHCs), or non-profit organizations may employ psychotherapists and offer their services to their clients/patients. However, these services are unfortunately usually limited, sometimes difficult to access, and often have long wait-lists.