Does Health Insurance Cover Therapy?
Does health insurance cover therapy in Canada?
In Canada, mental health care may be covered by a combination of public health care (including provincial health insurance plans and federally funded programs), workplace insurance benefits and employee assistance programs, and private health insurance.
Public health care in Canada focuses on medically necessary services provided by physicians and/or in hospital settings. Mental health services that fall under this umbrella—say, an inpatient stay at a psychiatric hospital, a visit to a psychiatrist, or routine psychotherapy offered by a GP—may be covered by your provincial healthcare plan.
But most regular therapy sessions, particularly those performed by healthcare professionals who aren’t physicians, don’t fall under public healthcare coverage. To receive reimbursement for these services, you’ll typically need insurance coverage through either a group health benefits plan offered by your workplace (or your spouse’s) or a private health insurance policy.
What’s covered under provincial health insurance
Provincial health insurance covers mental health support only when it’s provided by a physician, such as a psychiatrist or a family doctor, or when it takes place in a hospital setting, such as an inpatient treatment program.
These restrictions mean that provincial plans usually only cover the diagnosis of mental illness, services to rule out physical causes of symptoms, and limited psychotherapy. Public health care typically won’t cover ongoing therapy sessions from mental health professionals such as social workers or counselors, and it may not cover the cost of psychiatric medications such as antidepressants.
You may need a referral from a family physician to see a psychiatrist. Significant wait times can apply to this care.
Each province offers a few additional resources that may extend free, low-cost, or sliding-scale mental health support to select residents, along with nationwide programs sponsored by the Canadian Mental Health Association. Visit your province’s mental health support resources page to learn more about programs available to you.
First Nations and Inuit clients may be eligible for free mental health counselling through the Non-Insured Health Benefits program. The program covers up to 22 hours of counseling per calendar year performed by a registered psychotherapist, psychologist, social worker, or psychiatric nurse.
What’s covered under group and private health insurance
Group and private health insurance plans cover a wider range of mental health options, including therapy sessions with clinical counsellors, social workers, and other registered mental health professionals. Group and private health insurance coverage also includes coverage for prescription drugs, including psychiatric medications.
Depending on the exact details of your plan, group or private insurance may cover:
- Individual therapy
- Couples therapy
- Group therapy
- Online therapy
In addition to health insurance coverage for mental health issues, many workplace group benefits packages include employee assistance programs (EAPs) that may offer additional mental wellness resources, such as free-of-charge counselling.
Because workplace-sponsored group insurance plans are designed to meet the basic needs of a wide group of employees, they’re often not the best resource for mental health coverage. Plan limits may be low or subject to high deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs—and because your coverage is tied to your employment, it could change at any time.
Private insurance for mental health coverage: Compare plans
We’ve outlined the mental health coverage included in the top Canadian health insurance plans below. If you’re looking for private health insurance to cover therapy costs, pay close attention to per-session and annual maximums, limitations, and exclusions applied to mental health coverage.
Is private health insurance worth it for therapy coverage?
For Canadians who may need occasional counselling sessions or a skills course to improve overall well-being and mental health habits, public health resources and group health benefits may be enough to meet their mental health needs.
But for those with more consistent mental health concerns, the cost of therapy that’s not covered by public health care may be high. Private health insurance may be worth it for therapy coverage if:
- You’re in ongoing, long-term therapy
- You’re struggling to access care through provincial health services
- You also need coverage for prescription drugs, dental care, or paramedical services
How to choose the right health insurance plan for therapy
If you’re choosing a private health insurance plan with mental health insurance in mind, be sure to ask the following questions:
- What type of services are covered by this plan? Most private insurance companies cover standard in-person therapy sessions, but some also offer complimentary virtual counselling or other mental wellness benefits.
- Which mental health professionals can I see? Some plans cover visits to clinical counselors, social workers, psychologists, and more; others may limit coverage to just one or two mental health practitioners.
- What are the plan’s limits and maximums? Mental health coverage for private health insurance is typically limited by a per-visit maximum and an annual maximum (expressed as either a dollar amount or number of visits).
Compare each plan’s offerings with your current and expected therapy usage. You’ll also want to compare the premiums for your chosen plan with your current out-of-pocket spending on mental health care to make sure you’re not overpaying.
FAQ: Does health insurance cover therapy?
Prices listed on this page are based on information available as of October 2025. The prices shown are for general reference only and may vary based on factors like your age, location, and product selection.