A psychologist is an individual who is trained to work with people—individuals, families, groups and organizations. Not all psychologists provide all services, and some branches of psychology (e.g., Social Psychology) are more academic than applied or clinical.

In Ontario, psychologists are governed and regulated by The College of Psychologists of Ontario. There are also voluntary organizations on the provincial and national level (Ontario Psychological Association, Canadian Psychological Association, American Psychological Association).

Psychologists will often be members of other organizations that help understand and promote specific areas of knowledge. These could include a specific domain of psychological research or treatment. Psychologists will confine their services to domains in which they have training, experience and ongoing education, in order to deliver state-of-the-art service.

In virtually all jurisdictions, psychologists cannot prescribe medication. With your written consent, a psychologist can share information with your family physician or psychiatrist in order to better inform pharmacological treatment.

Sessions can be paid using Visa, MasterCard, or debit. Payment is to be made on each visit. You will receive an invoice suitable for submission to your insurer.

There are certain contexts in which it is very appropriate to see multiple family members at the same time. For example, when conducting a psychological assessment, it is very helpful to have information from multiple sources in order to gain a clearer, more complex and rich portrait of a person. Family therapists will also see family members together in order to foster communication and promote healing.

However, when therapists begins to see someone for individual psychotherapy, they develop a rapport and commitment to one individual. Seeing a second individual (e.g. spouse, sibling, child) would impact this first relationship if new and potentially controversial knowledge emerged that placed the therapist ‘in the middle’. At times, this can be extremely conflicted and challenging knowledge (e.g., a therapist seeing both spouses learns that one is planning to separate while the other has no idea and feels that the marriage is healthy). By keeping out of this ‘middle role’, therapists can empower clients to deal directly with the significant others in their lives.

A therapist trying to do therapy with multiple family member is engaging in ‘dual relationships’ and this is discouraged by most professional governing boards.

Anxiety is a normal and necessary emotion that motivates us toward action. Anxiety helps to move us from a state of rest into action and to ensure quality in our efforts. Without anxiety, a speech or presentation may well risk being mediocre at best. It is normal to feel nervous speaking in front of a group, talking to a stranger, or trying something new. So why is anxiety a problem? Learn more about anxiety here.

The first visit takes about an hour and provides an opportunity to meet and to summarize your reasons for seeking help. You’ll be asked for some history of the problem, along with questions about the past that could be relevant. If you have seen a psychologist or other mental health professional previously, this information (when, for what reason, outcome, etc.) would also be discussed. In addition, family history related to your concerns would be reviewed.

Length of treatment varies from individual to individual depending on the situation and the presenting concern. Some issues can be helped in as few as 2-3 1-hour sessions while others may require longer term treatment with follow-up (e.g., monthly check-in sessions for a period of time after the initial concern has been addressed).

As a scientist-practitioner, I recognize the value of medication in appropriate situations. In such cases, I recommend to clients that they discuss options with their family physician. Most family physicians have a great deal of experience in treating anxiety, depression and other conditions with medication. In certain cases, a referral to a psychiatrist may be necessary. Unfortunately, this can take some months as psychiatrists are in limited supply. Related to this, psychiatrists typically do not provide lengthy psychotherapy sessions and instead focus on treatment/symptom management through medication.

It is important to recognize that a broad range mental health conditions have been greatly helped by the use of medications that are carefully researched and developed for specific purposes such as regulating and improving mood, reducing ruminative or disordered thinking (e.g., hallucinations, paranoid thinking). Some members of the public worry that a person will become “dependent on medication to feel better” and this is an extremely unfortunate characterization. Most medications used in such contexts are not addictive. Instead, they are better understood as similar to medications that are used to regulate blood pressure in hypertensives or blood sugar in diabetics. To extend the comparison even further: Although non-pharmacological means such as exercise, diet and weight loss could help with blood pressure, this is sometimes not sufficient and medication is still used by a physician. Similarly, a depressed person may find great relief and function extremely well on a combination of medication and psychological treatment aimed at altering negative thought and behaviour patterns.
 

Unfortunately they are not. Some psychologists work in hospitals and services can be accessed through the hospital. Most psychologists in Ontario work on a fee-for-service basis like other health professionals including dentists, physiotherapists, etc. Fees are typically $180-$225 per hour depending on the provider and location.

Many people do have extended health benefit coverage, typically ranging from $500-$1500 per calendar year.

Outpatient mental health services can be accessed through community resources. In the local area, Southlake Regional Health Centre provides some services.

There may be a waiting list and you may need a referral from your family physician.