Most extended health benefits plans cover psychological services administered by registered psychologists and mental health therapists under the direct supervision of a Registered Psychologist. Clients pay for their sessions at the time of the session, and then submit the receipt to their insurance company for reimbursement. You can ask your insurance company what your annual coverage is for psychological services under your plan, and how much they reimburse per session.
At CBT Psychology for Personal Development, all services are offered under two models:
- Direct services by a registered, autonomous member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario, or
- Services provided under the supervision of a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario
For insurance purposes, a client seeing a therapist under supervision needs to provide the name and registration number of the supervising psychologist (Dr. Silvina Galperin).
All services at CBT Psychology for Personal Development are performed in accordance with the Standards set by the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO). When a client is seen by a supervisee, the supervising psychologist is ethically and legally responsible for the client’s care. Everyone at our practice is either a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario or under the supervision of one. Some associates may be registered with other professions, such as social workers and registered psychotherapists; in that case, both their own college and the College of Psychologists of Ontario may be responsible for overseeing the quality of your care.
We do not provide supervision solely for the convenience of billing. Regardless of whether or not your insurance recognizes supervised practice, if you are seen by a non-psychologist, your services will be overseen by a psychologist, who accepts responsibility for your care. They provide guidance, input, and clinical direction to your therapist, to ensure the highest quality of care. They are available to meet with you at your request, and can also ask to meet with you at their own discretion.
Most insurers pay for services provided by a psychologist through the mechanism of supervision. Some do not. Due to this variety, it is up to the client to ensure that that supervised services will be covered, by communicating with their insurance. However, we suspect that how the question is posed is critically important. Here is the wording we recommend when checking with your insurer: “If my psychologist is legally and ethically responsible for my care, but is providing services through the supervision of someone who is not a psychologist, are these services covered by my plan?” If the answer is “no,” or, “the services must be provided by a registered psychologist,” we recommend emphasizing, “legally and ethically, the supervising psychologist is the responsible clinician.”
We do not provide refunds for services rendered that are subsequently denied coverage by an insurer. The client has full responsibility to ensure that coverage for services is in place by communicating directly with the insurer. As per our professional standards, our invoices reflect both the treatment provider and the supervising psychologist.