Children & Complex Needs Families (up to around middle school age, at our discretion)

• Co-parents will be contacted for consent where required and invited to fill out a separate form with their perspective and input
• At our Intake Team’s discretion, we may reach out to book an intake consult with parents/caregivers only – no children please – for a brief conversation to help us guide your placement (15-30 minutes, usually virtual)
• If a Case Manager asks you for an intake call, please make sure you have a quiet, private space (without children), and that you can give this call your undivided attention so we can make the most of your time, and you are able to speak freely about your child’s needs.
• Out of our intake discussion, we will book your (paid) initial appointments and ongoing services for both parents and children as needed
• Where the presenting needs are more straightforward (eg in the case of a social skills group registration), a Therapeutic Care Coordinator will reach out and book you directly for an initial appointment with the appropriate therapist – this is usually done by email.
• Where there is a known trauma history and the trajectory is clearly clinical, and/or multiple complex-needs family members are seeking clinical services, we may place you directly with an appropriate clinician for a paid initial assessment, so we can gather the information needed to plan your care effectively ($250)

Adults & Teens 

• Once we receive your intake form, a Therapeutic Care Coordinator will review it carefully, and our team will give you a call to place you directly with the appropriate therapist for your (paid) initial appointment and ongoing services
• Teens whose parents are making the initial reach-out will be sent a separate teen/young adult intake form to also fill out by themselves. This will remain private, between them and their therapist (not visible to parents)

Highly Sensitive or High Conflict Family Situations

• For families managing complex or sensitive situations and/or active legal proceedings, it can be challenging to arrange the consent and communication needed to allow their children access to therapeutic services through our standard intake process. We offer paid sessions for all involved caregivers to help create a care plan for their family.  Standard clinical initial & follow-up session rates apply
• In the case of extraordinary levels of ongoing case management due to complex communication plans in highly sensitive family situations, case management fees will also apply at standard clinical rates, at our Intake/Clinical Team’s discretion

Ontario Autism Program (OAP) Core Funding Family Intakes

• Does your child or teen receive OAP Core Funding?  We have a separate, comprehensive intake & case management process for our OAP families offering full support to help understand what services are eligible and plan your budget for the year, as well as reconcile your receipts in the portal – please see our OAP page for full details

Intake Process 

• Placement consultation with a Therapeutic Care Coordinator (this could be by phone, virtually, or by email – no charge)
• Comprehensive OAP intake meeting (cost varies)
• Separation/Divorce intake with our Family Support Specialist (cost varies)

Individual Coaching, Counselling or Case Management Sessions (60 minutes, 50 minutes with therapist):

• Initial Appointments (including file setup & treatment planning) are $250
• Ongoing sessions are $180

In-Home Follow-Up Sessions within 15km of Ancaster clinic (60 minutes, 50 minutes with therapist):

• $225 per clinical hour, or 90 minutes for $330
• Minimum 1 clinical hour; billed in 15-minute increments thereafter

60-min Couple & Family Sessions (60 minutes, 50 minutes with therapist):

• Initial Appointments (including dual file setups & treatment planning) are $250
• Ongoing sessions are $225 per session

90-min Couple & Family Sessions (90 minutes, 80 minutes with therapist):

• 90 min Family Session – Initial Appointment – $375
• 90 min Family Session – Ongoing Sessions – $295

Programs & Groups:

• Groups, packages, and programs are priced individually depending on group duration, size, staff ratios, etc – please inquire for specifics

Please note:

• There is no HST on social work or registered psychotherapy services
• There is no HST on any service provided to those with an autism diagnosis
• Almost all services can be covered by private benefit plans (MSW, SLP, OT, RP)
• All services can be covered by OAP Funds
• All rates are subject to change or adjustment for extraordinary circumstances

• We do not offer direct billing to insurance companies at this time
• Ontario Autism funds can be used to access a full range of supports with our highly collaborative and creative therapeutic team
• Family billing benefit policy (outside of SLP): sessions can be billed under the name of any attending family member (including parents who are involved in their children’s therapy), if your therapist deems it appropriate as part of your treatment plan. Family members who qualify for family billing must have their own clinical file set up in advance, including a signed support agreement, in order for us to be able to invoice you through our system.  For these reasons, we need to be notified in advance if you hope to use family billing.
• Family billing for Speech Language Pathology (SLP):  CASLPO regulations state that when billing for training the parent or caregiver of a child, the child’s name must be on the financial record as they are the ultimate patient.  For example, Miguel (parent) attends a session for their child, Alex. The receipt must be issued in the child’s name, and in the footnotes, you would see: Intervention: Parent Training for Miguel Smith (patient is Alex Smith).  It is up to each family to find out if they are covered for education and training sessions through the parent and/or child’s health insurance – please reach out to confirm your coverage before booking services.
• A valid credit card number is required to be stored on your file. Your card is generally charged within 48 hours of your appointment, and a paid receipt is then emailed to you for you to submit to your insurance company.
• Alternatively, programs or services can be paid in full in advance via e-transfer to accounts@nowwhatsupports.ca. Contact us to talk to our accounts specialist for more information about billing and payment
• Groups and programs are generally billed in full on registration to confirm your spot, with receipts issued weekly from the credit on your account
• Some children’s program bookings require a non-refundable deposit, due on confirmation

If you are an individual, a business, or an organization with an interest in supporting mental health & wellness in the greater Hamilton community, we also have a sponsorship program to help low-income and no-benefit families access our programs – contact us to find out more about partnering with us in this way!

‘Group Session’ refers to any program that is not an individual session; please note that group sessions are billed regardless of attendance so that we are able to hold your child’s place in the program.

If we are able to pivot to an online session, or if we can find a suitable spot with your therapist within the same week, we may be able to avoid the late cancellation fee; this is purely discretionary and is subject to your therapist’s schedule.

If you find you need to cancel multiple scheduled appointments in a row, we may suggest that you take a break, and return at a time when you have more capacity to take the next steps in your therapeutic journey, so that the time slot can be used for those who are waiting for service.

Fixed-length group sessions are booked in blocks, and every group session is charged regardless of attendance, as a place is held for each participant for the full length of the program.

Virtual appointments – therapists will wait 15 minutes inside the provided link and will attempt to contact you before marking a no-show cancellation and leaving the session if they have not heard from you.

If NowWhat cancels your session due to your therapist’s illness, or clinic closure due to inclement weather (with city weather advisory – we do not necessarily close on school board snow days), we will give you as much notice as possible, and you will not be charged.

These policies are in place for both virtual and in-person services in order to minimize wait times for others.

• Family billing benefit policy: Sessions can be billed under the name of any attending family member (including parents who are involved in their children’s therapy).
• To ensure accurate and compliant record-keeping, we are not able to re-issue past receipts beyond the current month’s end – please review your invoices carefully upon receipt so you can catch any changes or errors right away.
• There will be a $15 admin fee attached to each receipt change made at a client’s request (unless it is due to office error). To avoid this inconvenience, we encourage you to connect with accounts@nowwhatsupports.ca proactively if you have specific billing requirements.