Frequently asked questions

Contact connexontario.ca or call their Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600.

We provide free access to a list of therapists and mental health professionals in Ontario. Search to find current listings of local therapists or access our Blog for more information on mental health issues and different types of therapy. We also have therapists with access to the Psychotherapy Matters Virtual Clinic, where providers collaborate to get the best care for their clients. Look for the PMVC icon on therapists’ profiles.

View our short video to see how the PMVC can help you:

Psychotherapy Matters is free to search! Our directory is free, confidential, and anonymous for anyone seeking help. We are a social venture enterprise, which means that our primary objective is to solve social problems and provide social benefits. Our members are private and publicly funded therapists, clinics, and community programs.

Psychotherapy Matters is free, anonymous, and confidential. You do not need to register or provide your name and email address in order to search for services that match your needs.

We do not directly provide counselling. We are an online resource to help you find a counsellor, psychotherapist, or complementary/alternative services that best match your needs and preferences.

Everyone! You can search for yourself or someone you care about.

We want you to be informed and aware. Always ask about credentials and registrations.

Regulated professionals:

• Must meet educational and ethical requirements of their College*.
• Are expected to keep up-to-date to maintain their qualifications.
• Have a disciplinary mechanism through the regulatory body.
• Must have malpractice insurance.
• Have a verification process through their College website to see if there have been complaints against the member.

* The word College is used here to describe a self-regulatory institution set up by Provincial law.

Psychotherapists are mental health providers who meet the criteria of the Ontario Psychotherapy Act (2007). This includes:

• Medical doctors
• Nurses
• Occupational Therapists
• Social workers
• Psychologists
• Psychotherapists and registered mental health therapists

Many talented and helpful providers and practitioners of a wide range of services are not specifically licensed to offer psychotherapy services or choose not to provide psychotherapy. Complementary/alternative services include:

• Acupuncturist
• Chiropractor
• Dietician
• Kinesiologist
• Massage therapist
• Naturopath
• Psychopharmacologist (must be a medical doctor)
• Speech-language pathologist

Psychotherapy Matters can provide general information and assist you to find a counsellor, therapist, or mental health service. Our Blog has articles and information if you are not ready to talk to a therapist.

The Psychotherapy Matters website is currently only available in English but our therapist search does include information about the language proficiency of our member therapists and services.

At this time, our information is primarily focused on finding counsellors in Ontario. The Psychotherapy Matters team will expand the focus to support mental health in Canada as resources allow.

• Addictions or drug abuse
• Anxiety or panic or obsessions
• Attention deficit
• Bipolar
• Childhood or adolescent difficulties
• Depression
• Eating disorder or weight problems
• Grief or bereavement or loss
• Personality concerns
• Physical symptoms or coping with illness
• Relationship problems
• Schizophrenia or psychosis
• Sexuality or sexual difficulties
• Sleep problems
• Suicidal or self-harm
• Trauma or stress

• Couple/relationship therapy
• Distance therapy (telephone or internet)
• Family therapy
• Group therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural
• Dialectical Behaviour
• Humanistic-Experiential
• Integrative or Eclectic
• Interpersonal
• Mindfulness based
• Motivational interviewing
• Psychodynamic
• Supportive

• Your therapist will adjust the cost of therapy based on your ability to pay or other considerations.

Our Become A Member page explains our membership package and the benefits of becoming a part of the Psychotherapy Matters online community. At this time, our membership is limited to therapists and counsellors in Ontario. Our Blog is an excellent source of information for anyone interested in learning about mental health in Canada. If you have any further questions, please Contact Us.

Psychotherapy is sometimes called “talk therapy”. A trained therapist helps a client remove, change, or more skillfully cope with emotional issues, difficult behaviours, or stressful life situations.

Psychotherapy overlaps with counselling, guidance, coaching, and many educational programs. There are many specific types of psychotherapy. Throughout this site, you may click on ? to learn more about a particular modality or therapy.

The Psychotherapy Matters therapist list includes service providers that meet the criteria of the Ontario Psychotherapy Act (2007). This includes the following professions:

• Medical doctors
• Nurses
• Occupational Therapists
• Social workers
• Psychologists
• Psychotherapists and registered mental health therapists

The right therapy for you may not necessarily fall under the realm of registered psychotherapists. For that reason, the Psychotherapy Matters therapist list includes services such as:

• Acupuncturists
• Chiropractors
• Dieticians
• Kinesiologists
• Massage therapists
• Naturopaths
• Psychopharmacologists (must be a medical doctor)
• Speech-language pathologists

Throughout this site, you may click on ? to learn more about a particular modality or therapy.