You can start online therapy in Ontario from wherever you already feel settled: your own kitchen table, a parked car on a lunch break, a quiet room once the house has gone to bed. Sessions run by secure video with a therapist from our Vaughan clinic, and the work itself is the same work you would do sitting in the room. If you are not sure whether it will suit you, that is what the first conversation is for.
- Sessions from $100, the same rate online as in the clinic
- Free 30-minute initial assessment
- Psychotherapists registered with CRPO and OAMHP
- Secure video sessions anywhere in Ontario
- Russian and Farsi speaking therapists available
- No referral needed
Online Therapy in Ontario: What Virtual Sessions Involve
Online therapy is the same psychotherapy you would have in our Vaughan office, held over a secure video link instead of across a room. Sometimes called virtual therapy, online counselling or teletherapy, it is an appointment with your own therapist at a set time, week after week.
It differs from the apps and message services that share the name. CAMH describes virtual care as a clinical interaction between a patient and a health provider, carried over video or audio. That is what virtual psychotherapy means here: a person on the other side of the screen, doing the same work with you that they would do in the room.
For many people the practical difference is that the hour is simply easier to keep. There is no commute and no waiting room. Some find that being in their own space makes the harder things easier to say out loud. Others miss the separation that leaving the house gives them, and that is worth saying at the first conversation.
Does Virtual Therapy Actually Work?
It is a fair question, and the honest answer has some texture to it.
The worry people raise most often about virtual therapy is not whether the techniques work. It is whether the relationship survives a screen. A systematic review and meta-analysis in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare examined exactly that question and found no statistically significant difference in the therapeutic alliance between therapy by videoconference and therapy in person, whether the alliance was rated by the client or by the therapist.
Closer to home, a CAMH evidence brief reviewed 31 studies of virtual and remote mental health care. Among the studies that compared virtual delivery directly against face-to-face delivery, it reported no significant difference in outcomes. That review looked specifically at older adults, so it does not settle the question for everyone.
None of this means video suits every person or every situation. If you are in crisis, if you have nowhere private to speak from, or if you already know from experience that you need to be in the room with someone, say so at the consultation. We will talk about whether in person is the better starting point.
What We Help With Online
Most of the reasons people come to us work over video:
- Anxiety
- Panic disorder
- Depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Stress
- Anger
- OCD
- Insomnia
- ADHD and ADD
- Assertiveness
Sessions can be held on your own, with a partner, with the whole family, or with a child or teenager, and the approaches are the same ones we use in the clinic, among them cognitive behavioural therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy.
If what you are carrying is not on that list, the consultation is the place to ask.
101 Psychotherapy – Always caring, always here
How Your Online Sessions Work
Booking. You choose a time through our booking system.
Consent. Before your first video session you will be asked to consent specifically to meeting this way. That is not a formality: Ontario’s regulator, the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO), requires it under Standard 3.4 on electronic practice.
The platform. The same standard requires your therapist to take reasonable steps to ensure the technology used is secure, confidential and appropriate for you.
What you need. A device with a camera, a reasonable internet connection, and somewhere you can speak without being overheard. Headphones help more than most people expect.
If the connection drops. You and your therapist agree on a back-up plan at the start, so a technical failure partway through does not end the session.
One thing worth knowing: the CRPO holds electronic practice to exactly the same professional standards as work done in a room. In its own words, registrants “adhere to all professional standards whether their practice is electronic, telephonic, in person, or a hybrid thereof.”
Therapy in Your Own Language, Anywhere in Ontario
Finding a therapist who speaks your first language is hard enough in a large city. Outside one, it can be close to impossible.
This is where video changes something real. Our team includes Russian-speaking and Farsi-speaking psychotherapists, and because sessions run by video, that is no longer limited to people who can drive to Vaughan. If you are in Ottawa, Windsor, Sudbury or Thunder Bay, the same therapist is available to you.
Talking about grief, family or shame in a second language is its own kind of work. Some people prefer the distance it gives them. Others find that the words they actually need only exist in the language they grew up in. Either is a good reason, and it is worth saying which you would prefer when you book.
If you arrived in Canada recently, our page on therapy for immigrants and newcomers covers what that first appointment tends to look like.
Simple, Affordable Pricing
Sessions start at $100, and the rate is the same online as it is in the clinic.
The first 30 minutes are free. It is a real conversation rather than a sales call: you describe what is going on, we tell you honestly whether we are the right fit, and you decide.
On coverage, two things are worth saying plainly. OHIP does not cover psychotherapy in private practice. Most extended health benefit plans do cover sessions with a Registered Psychotherapist, though the amount and the exact wording vary by plan, and coverage usually depends on the designation of the therapist you see. Ask us to confirm before your first session, and check your own plan for the exact term “Registered Psychotherapist”.
Book a Free ConsultationStart Online, Switch to In Person Whenever You Want
A good deal of online therapy in Canada is delivered by services that have no room to sit in. If video stops working for you there, the only option is to start again somewhere else, with someone new.
We are a clinic first. Our address is 1520 Steeles Ave W in Vaughan, and you can move between video and in-person sessions without changing therapist and without telling your history twice. Some people do the first few sessions by video and switch once it feels less exposing. Some do the reverse. Some alternate depending on the week.
Being a physical clinic has one more practical consequence. 101 Medical Centre operates from the same address, so if medication or a psychiatric opinion becomes relevant, there is a route to discuss it with a physician rather than a dead end.
Meet Your Online Therapists
Every therapist at the clinic works by video as well as in the office, so choosing online does not narrow who you can see. Our team includes psychotherapists registered with CRPO and OAMHP, the Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals.
Natalie Besharat
Clinician, Pediatric Care and Addictions Specialist, MSc, CCAC, CICAPP Candidate
Full profile
Online Across Ontario, In Person in Vaughan
We're here to support individuals and families across Vaughan, including Concord, Woodbridge, and Maple, and in nearby communities such as Aurora, Brampton, Markham, Mississauga, Milton, Oakville, Oshawa, and Richmond Hill, as well as Thornhill. We also welcome clients from across Toronto, including North York, Midtown, and Uptown Toronto. If you can't make it to our office, we offer virtual appointments across Ontario.
Visit us: 1520 Steeles Ave W #101A, Vaughan, ON L4K 3B9 (Steeles & Dufferin, Concord). Phone: (905) 597-2521
Frequently Asked Questions About Online Therapy in Ontario
How much does online therapy cost in Ontario?
At 101 Psychotherapy, sessions start at $100, and the rate is the same online as it is in the clinic. Your first 30-minute consultation is free, and there is no obligation to book anything after it.
Is online therapy covered by insurance, and does OHIP pay for it?
OHIP does not cover psychotherapy in private practice, whether it happens online or in a room. Most extended health benefit plans do cover sessions with a Registered Psychotherapist, and some list them as virtual counselling. Plans differ in how much they pay and in which designations they recognise. Coverage usually depends on the designation of the therapist you see, so ask us to confirm before your first session.
Is online therapy as effective as seeing someone in person?
A systematic review and meta-analysis in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare found no statistically significant difference in the therapeutic alliance between therapy by videoconference and therapy in person, rated either by clients or by therapists. A CAMH evidence brief reported no significant difference in outcomes among the studies it reviewed that compared the two directly, although that review examined older adults specifically. Video does not suit everyone, and the consultation is a good place to work out whether it suits you.
Is online or in-person therapy better for me?
It depends on what you need and what you have access to. Video removes travel, waiting rooms and the problem of being seen going in. A room gives you a space that is not your own home, which some people need in order to speak freely. Because we offer both, you do not have to decide permanently at the start.
How does an online therapy session actually work?
You book a time. You consent to meeting by video before the first appointment. At the agreed time you join from a device with a camera, somewhere private, and the session runs like any other. You and your therapist agree on a back-up plan in case the connection drops.
Can CBT be done online?
Yes. CBT is structured around between-session practice and shared worksheets, which translate to a video session without much loss. You can read more on our CBT page.
Book Your Free Consultation
You do not need to explain anything to get started. Leave your name and a number below and we will get back to you to arrange the free half hour, or phone (905) 597-2521 if you would rather speak to somebody today.
