Mental Health Care Shouldn't Depend on Your Wallet
Trickett Psychotherapy is leading a campaign calling on OHIP and the Government of Canada to fund psychotherapy for every Ontarian who needs it — replacing symptom management with evidence-based care that addresses the root causes of emotional distress.
The Access Crisis
Mental Health Care Shouldn't Be a Privilege
Across Ontario, psychotherapy remains out of reach for the people who need it most. OHIP does not cover psychotherapy delivered outside of a physician's office, and without formal recognition of psychotherapy as an approved healthcare service at the federal level, that gap is unlikely to close on its own. The numbers below tell the story of who gets left behind.
Add your voice to the campaign$120–$220
per session
The average out-of-pocket cost of a private psychotherapy session in Ontario — a recurring expense most extended health plans only partially offset, leaving many residents to pay the difference themselves or go without care.
6+ months
average wait time
The typical wait for publicly funded mental health counselling through Ontario's overstretched community and hospital-based programs, forcing many people into crisis before they ever reach a therapist.
1 in 3
Ontarians affected
Ontario adults who report that cost has prevented them from seeking mental health care they needed — a gap that falls hardest on low-income families, students, and workers without employer benefits.
A System That Covers the Diagnosis, Not the Treatment
OHIP covers assessments and prescriptions for anxiety, PTSD, and emotional dysregulation, but rarely the structured, evidence-based psychotherapy proven to treat them. Families are left choosing between mounting bills and the care their loved ones need. This is not a gap in clinical knowledge — it is a gap in policy, one that provincial coverage and federal government approval of psychotherapy as a funded healthcare service could close together.
THE POLICY CASE
Why OHIP Should Cover Psychotherapy
This campaign is not a request for a new benefit — it is a call to close a gap that already exists in Ontario's public health coverage. Mental health care should be treated with the same urgency, consistency, and public investment as every other essential medical service.
Modalities We Practice
Parity with Physical Health Care
OHIP already funds ongoing treatment for diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. Mental health conditions such as anxiety, PTSD, and emotional dysregulation deserve the same standard of public coverage.
Equal Access, Regardless of Income
Publicly funded mental health care in Ontario is largely limited to hospital-based psychiatric services. Evidence-based community psychotherapy remains out of reach for many residents who cannot afford to pay privately.
A Sound Investment in Public Health
Untreated mental health conditions contribute to increased emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and lost productivity. Funding psychotherapy early reduces these downstream costs across Ontario's health system.
A Recognized, Evidence-Based Service
Psychotherapy delivered by Registered Psychotherapists is already recognized under Ontario's Regulated Health Professions Act. Public funding is the logical next step to align policy with professional and clinical recognition.
The Federal Ask
Beyond OHIP: Securing Government of Canada Approval
Provincial coverage through OHIP is only one piece of lasting reform. Trickett Psychotherapy is calling on the Government of Canada to formally approve psychotherapy as a funded healthcare service, giving every province a federal mandate and a funding framework to build from.
Federal approval would move psychotherapy out of the realm of optional, private expense and into the core of Canada's publicly funded health system — alongside physician visits, hospital care, and other services Canadians already rely on without a bill attached.
Recognition under the Canada Health Act
Psychotherapy meets the clinical threshold of a medically necessary service. Formal federal recognition would set the precedent for provinces to fund it as they do physician-delivered care.
A national standard for funded care
Without federal approval, coverage remains a patchwork of private insurance and out-of-pocket fees. A national standard ensures psychotherapy is treated as essential care in every province and territory.
Parity with other essential health services
Canadians do not pay out of pocket for a broken bone or a diagnosed infection. Evidence-based psychotherapy for trauma, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation deserves the same standing within the public system.
Policy in progress
Psychotherapy is practised and regulated across every Canadian province, yet it remains largely unfunded at the federal level. Formal approval by the Government of Canada would close that gap and anchor mental health care as a shared national priority.
Clinical Authority Behind the Campaign
Led by a Clinician, Not a Lobbyist
This campaign is advanced by Marinela Trickett, founder of Trickett Psychotherapy, whose two decades of evidence-based clinical practice inform every argument made to policymakers. Her work treating trauma, Borderline Personality Disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and emotional dysregulation demonstrates why structured, evidence-based psychotherapy belongs in Ontario's publicly funded healthcare system — and why the Government of Canada should formally recognize it as such.
20+ Years Experience
Two decades of direct client work treating trauma, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation.
Evidence-Based Modalities
Trained and practising in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Trauma-Informed approaches.
Registered Psychotherapist
Practising in Guelph, Ontario and across Canada, within the regulatory standards governing the profession.
DBT
CBT
Trauma-Informed Care
Emotional Regulation
PTSD Treatment
Specialized Care
Evidence-Based Services Offered by Trickett Psychotherapy
Trickett Psychotherapy provides structured, evidence-based treatment across a range of clinical areas. The services below reflect the same standard of care this campaign is advocating to make publicly funded for every Ontarian.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Borderline Personality Disorder is treated through structured, evidence-based intervention addressing emotional dysregulation, identity instability, and relational patterns. Clients receive clinically validated care tailored to long-term stabilization.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy equips clients with skills in distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, applied within a structured, evidence-based framework proven effective for chronic emotional dysregulation.
Emotional Abuse Recovery
Recovery from emotional abuse is supported through trauma-informed, evidence-based psychotherapy that addresses the lasting psychological impact of coercive control, manipulation, and relational trauma.
Common Questions About the Campaign
Clear answers about OHIP coverage, federal approval, and what funded psychotherapy would mean for Ontarians.
Why isn't psychotherapy already covered by OHIP?
OHIP currently funds psychiatric services delivered by physicians, but it does not extend coverage to registered psychotherapists working outside hospital settings. This gap leaves many Ontarians paying out of pocket for evidence-based mental health care, even though psychotherapy is recognized internationally as an essential treatment for anxiety, depression, trauma, and emotional dysregulation. The campaign calls on the provincial government to close this gap and fund psychotherapy as part of the public healthcare system.
What exactly is this campaign asking OHIP to do?
The campaign asks the Ontario government to expand OHIP coverage to include psychotherapy services provided by regulated, registered psychotherapists. This would allow Ontarians to access structured, evidence-based treatment without the financial barrier of private-pay session fees, bringing mental health care in line with the universal access principle that governs physical health care in the province.
How would federal approval from the Government of Canada factor in?
Beyond provincial funding, the campaign seeks formal recognition from the Government of Canada that psychotherapy is an approved, fundable healthcare service under national health policy frameworks. Federal recognition would support consistent standards and funding pathways across provinces, reinforcing that mental health treatment deserves the same systemic backing as physical health treatment nationwide.
Isn't this just about promoting private therapy practices?
No. This campaign is not a promotion of any single clinic or practice. It is a call for systemic change to how mental health care is funded in Canada. The goal is equitable access for every Ontarian who needs psychotherapy, regardless of income, so that a person's ability to pay never determines their ability to heal.
Who would benefit if psychotherapy becomes a funded service?
Ontarians managing anxiety, post-traumatic stress, emotional dysregulation, and other trauma-related conditions would gain reliable access to structured, evidence-based treatment such as CBT and DBT. Funded coverage would particularly help those who currently delay or forgo care due to cost, allowing earlier intervention and more sustainable, long-term recovery outcomes.
How can the public help move this policy change forward?
Public support demonstrates to policymakers that mental health funding is a priority for Ontarians and Canadians alike. Signing the petition, contacting elected representatives, and sharing the campaign all help build the visible momentum that provincial and federal decision-makers need to see before committing to funding reform.
Add Your Voice to the Campaign
Sign the petition, contact your elected officials, or share this campaign to help make psychotherapy a funded right for every Ontarian. Together, we can urge OHIP and the Government of Canada to recognize psychotherapy as essential, publicly funded healthcare.
Sign the Petition
Add your name to the call for OHIP to formally fund psychotherapy services for every Ontarian.
Contact Your Officials
Write to your MPP and Member of Parliament urging provincial and federal action on mental health funding.
Share the Campaign
Help this message reach more Ontarians who deserve equitable, publicly funded access to care.
