Our Process

Children & Complex Families (up to around middle school age)

• Once you reach out, we’ll send you an intake form – please fill this out with as much information as possible about your child.  Co-parents are invited to fill out a separate form with their perspective and input.
• When your intake form has been received, we’ll book an intake consult with parents/caregivers only – no children please – for a complimentary conversation (approx 30 minutes, usually virtual).
• Please make sure you have a quiet, private space for the intake, and that you can give this session your undivided attention so we can make the most of your time with the case manager and you are able to speak freely about your child’s needs.  All parents & co-parents are invited to attend.
• Please note that if you are not in a private space or you have children in the room with you during the session, we will add you back to the waitlist for an intake at a time when you are able to give it your full attention.
• Out of our intake discussion, we will book your (paid) initial appointments and ongoing services for both parents and children as needed

Adults & Teens 

• When you call or email in, we’ll send you an intake form to fill out with as much information as possible about yourself
• 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)

Our Rates

Intake Consults:

• Complimentary Complex Intake consultation for families and children (no charge) – approx 30 mins, virtual
  OR
• Complimentary Booking Intake consultation for teens, adults, and some children’s services and programs – approx 15 mins, phone or virtual
• From either of these intakes, if desired, we can offer a complimentary 15-minute phone consult with an EMDR practitioner to determine your suitability for this modality (no charge)

Individual Sessions (60 minutes, 50 minutes with therapist):

• Initial Appointments (including file setup & treatment planning) are $250
• Follow-up sessions are $165

In-Home Follow-Up Sessions within 10km of Ancaster clinic (60 minutes, 50 minutes with therapist):

• $225 per clinical hour
• Minimum 1 clinical hour; billed in 15-minute increments thereafter

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

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

Programs & Groups:

• All groups, packages, and programs are priced individually depending on group duration, size, staff ratios, etc.  Please inquire for specifics.

Shuttle Services:

• If transport is a challenge getting your child to 1:1 appointments, we can provide pick-up or drop-off services from school or home in the clinic shuttle van within a 15-minute radius of the clinic, for $165/hr (minimum charge $41.25).  This service can include:

– transition support
– separation support
– traveling/vehicle behaviours
– orienting to the clinic space
– transportation waiver required on file

• If a screened and trained volunteer driver is available, we will match families in need to pro-bono transport in a volunteer driver’s private vehicle (transport waiver required on file)

Please note:

• There is no HST on social work-covered services
• There is no HST on any services 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

Intake Process Details

• Your first step is to reach out by calling 289 678 0581, filling out the Contact Us form, or emailing info@nowwhatsupports.ca .  We will then send you an Intake Form via email.  If you are filling the intake form out on behalf of a minor child, please ensure the child is the ‘Primary Contact’ – there will be space to enter guardian details further down the form.
• For adults and teens approximately 16+, our intake team will review your information, and we’ll reach out for a booking intake call to set you up with an Initial Appointment with the appropriate therapist or service and explain our clinic processes and policies.   This is your opportunity to discuss your benefit structure, identify any funding you may have available, ensure your receipts are set up correctly for billing, ask any account-related questions, and set up your payment method in the system.
• For complex situations or families with children under approximately 16, we will set up a complimentary intake appointment via Zoom or in person with our intake team, who will get an overview of your needs and help guide you to a group, service, or therapist that feels like a good fit
• If you have decided on a group program, we will register you and forward you the details. This often involves an individual assessment/orientation session prior to beginning the group, and some groups will include parent workshops or extra 1:1 sessions.
• If you choose to move ahead with individual appointments, we’ll book you a 50-minute Initial Appointment ($250)  so your new therapist can assess as needed, take a detailed background, and help you map out your goals for your sessions together (initial appointment cost includes treatment planning and team collaboration as needed.)
• If you are working one-on-one with a therapist, they will then book you a block of 4-8 regular 50-minute sessions, at the end of which you and your therapist will review your progress and plan your next steps!

Payment Info

• NowWhat Support Services is a private clinic and is not covered by OHIP, but most of our services are able to be covered by many private extended benefit plans as well as OAP, SSAH, and Passport Funds
• 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: sessions can be billed under the name of any attending family member (including parents who are involved in their children’s therapy)
• A credit card number is required to be kept on file.  Your card is generally charged within 48 hours of your appointment and a paid receipt is emailed to you for you to submit to your insurance company. Alternatively, programs or services can be paid in full upfront 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 other than DBT 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 families access our programs – contact us to find out more about partnering with us in this way!
  

  Cancellation Policy

• Individual appointments require 48-hours notice for no-charge cancellations as of August 1, 2023.  Failing 48-hour notice of cancellation, we charge 50% for the first occurrence, and full session fees will be charged for any subsequent late cancellations.  We understand that illnesses and unexpected events are impossible to plan for; unfortunately, without a cancellation policy in place, we wouldn’t be able to keep the doors open to serve families like yours.  Please be kind to our front desk staff.
• 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 are able to prioritize 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
• Our DBT programs generally have one weekly make-up opportunity available at a fixed time for anyone who misses the group session due to illness/emergency
• Virtual appointments – therapists will wait 15 minutes inside the provided link and will attempt to contact you before marking a no-notice cancellation and leaving the session if they have not heard from you
• These policies are in place for both virtual and in-person services in order to minimize wait times for others

Invoice and Receipt Change Policy

• If you require specific information on an invoice in order to be covered by your benefit plan (eg. if you are receiving a family service that is being billed under more than one family member’s name), please make clear arrangements with our billing team (accounts@nowwhatsupports.ca) ahead of your appointment to ensure the information needed to bill you is accurate and up to date
• 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 efficient bookkeeping, 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 (not due to office error).  To avoid this inconvenience, we encourage you to connect with accounts@nowwhatsupports.ca proactively if you have specific billing requirements

Admin & Case Management Fees

Any administrative or case management services asked of your therapist outside of your session (except for scheduling of appointments) will be billed to you by the quarter hour at our standard rate ($165/hr).  This will include:

• Writing letters, reports, or emails on your/your child’s behalf
• Phone calls (eg. with school, teachers, parents, and other services)
• Case management meetings requested by clients