Does My Student Insurance Plan Cover the Cost of Therapy?
Published January 11th, 2024
5.5 min read
Most students don’t know that the Health and Dental plan that comes with university or college tuition can also pay for several sessions of psychotherapy.
Written by Simon Spichak
Most college and university student unions cover several therapy sessions with licensed professionals. That means if you’re enrolled at a college or university in Ontario, chances are you’ve also got a supplemental health benefits plan that can cover the cost of psychotherapy.
How much does therapy cost?
Therapy can cost anywhere from $100 to $200 per 50-minute session, depending on the therapist’s qualifications.
Does OHIP cover some of the cost of therapy?
The costs of therapy are not currently covered by OHIP, meaning that unless you have a supplemental health plan, you will need to pay out of pocket.
What’s the difference between different mental health practitioners?
Resolvve provides students with affordable access to psychotherapists. There are other mental health practitioners, such as psychiatrists and psychologists.
Psychotherapists
Psychotherapists are practitioners registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). They can help you learn more about yourself or help manage the symptoms of anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions. A social worker (RSW or MSW) may also be able to provide services similar to those of psychotherapists.
People across a spectrum of mental health — including but not limited to those with a diagnosis (OCD, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder) — set appointments and visit these professionals regularly. They cannot prescribe medications or provide a mental health diagnosis.
Psychologists
Psychologists study how we feel, think and behave, then use science-based methods to help people understand and change their behaviours. Many psychologists also split their time between the clinic and research at a university or hospital.
They are generally more expensive than psychotherapists. A licensed psychologist may be able to provide a mental health diagnosis but cannot prescribe medication.
Psychiatrists
Psychiatry is a medical specialty, meaning these professionals have received extensive training through medical school. This equips them with specialist knowledge about different mental health conditions and diagnoses. Some psychiatrists are also active researchers or professors, working to advance knowledge in the field.
Since they are a medical subspecialty, psychiatrists are the only mental health practitioners covered by OHIP. They can provide a diagnosis and can also prescribe medications. They don’t have the same expertise as psychologists or psychotherapists when it comes to talk therapy like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT).
How do I check my coverage?
Want to know if you’re covered for the 2023-2024 year? See our insurance breakdowns for Ontario universities and colleges below. We compile the insurance policies from all of Ontario’s colleges and universities. This information is updated every year.
Some terms you should know
Insurance can be confusing. Here is a brief list of a few terms that might pop up in your insurance policy.
Co-pay: A fixed amount or percentage you must pay every time you access a service. For example, if you have a $20 co-pay for each therapy session, it means that for a $120 session, your insurance will cover $100 while you pay $20.
Per-visit: This is a fixed amount covered per visit to a specific practitioner. Some insurance plans may cover $80 per visit, meaning you must pay the rest of the uninsured cost.
Per-benefit year: Many plans might tell you that you are covered for a certain amount of dollars for the benefit year. This refers to the upper limit of coverage for a certain school year.
Finding my insurance ID
You need to find your insurance number for a therapist to charge your insurance. If you go to your Student Union’s website and look for the section on health and dental plans, it will often provide instructions for finding your insurance number.
You can also go directly to the insurance company’s website, select your college or university, and look for instructions there. Usually, universities and colleges use one of these providers:
What if my student coverage isn’t sufficient?
Resolvve and many other therapy companies often offer sessions with student intern therapists at a reduced cost. Other sites like the Affordable Therapy Network provide details on practitioners who offer discounted services or services at a sliding scale. In some cases, students can also access limited free sessions using their school’s internal counselling services.
Since we know that students don’t have a lot of disposable income, Resolvve offers high-quality therapy services with intern student therapists at $30 and more experienced professionals starting at $100 per session.
You can go ahead and book a free 15-minute session to see how we can help. If you are confused about your student insurance coverage, you can ask your Resolvve therapist or contact us over email to ask.
Please note that this post is written for educational purposes; it is not therapy. If you need to talk to a professional, please book a consultation with a psychotherapist through Resolvve.
