Counselling may be either short-term or long term in duration, depending on the goals and needs of the client. Therapy successfully ends with the goals set by the client have been met.

Acute difficulties may require fewer sessions than issues that have a deeper hold on the psyche. Moreover, length of counselling also varies with the type of modality used; cognitive behavioral treatments, which focus on a specific problem, are generally briefer than are modalities with a broader focus. Along with your goals for counselling and the modalities that will be used, your counsellor will discuss treatment length with you in counselling, although treatment length is often tentative and revisited throughout the course of counselling.

Research has generally found that there is a positive relationship between treatment length and therapeutic outcomes, meaning that more people show significant change or recovery the longer they spend in counselling. It is therefore important that you spend enough time in treatment and have reasonable expectations for treatment length before deciding that it is not working.

Prior to your first session, Radiant Mind will send you a link to some screening forms for you to fill-out and sign. Importantly, they will ask you some questions about why you’re seeking counselling, your personal history and current situation, and your presenting concerns (i.e. symptoms).

In your first session, your counselor will go through the forms to make sure you understand important aspects of the counselling relationship such as informed consent, confidentiality, and Radiant Mind’s office policies (including our cancellation policy).

Your counsellor will look at the answers you gave to the questions asked and make an initial assessment of your situation. Once the counselor has an in-depth understanding what your needs and your goals for counselling are, they will work with you to come up with a treatment plan to meet them. This may take more than one session, as it is important for your counselor to understand you well enough for them to help you effectively,

Each counselling session is usually around 50 minutes. Sessions are either held in our office, online via Zoom, or by telephone. The format of the session will be decided by the counsellor and the client before the first session.

As counsellors we do not prescribe medication nor give medical advice, so the best person to ask about this is a medical doctor, as they are the only people who can diagnose medical illness and prescribe medication. You could ask your family doctor about it, or if you don’t have a family doctor, you could go to a walk-in clinic. If you need a specialist, your doctor can refer you a psychiatrist.

Psychiatric medication is most useful for severe mental health issues, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and severe anxiety and depression. You should not feel any stigma around taking it if it helps your condition. On the other hand, psychiatric medication alone is usually not a “cure-all”, and having counselling alongside it may be very helpful.  Counselling provides an additional layer that pills alone may not, including helping clients to:

• Understand contributing behaviors, emotions and ideas and learn to modify them
• Identify the life problems or events that contribute to their symptoms and understand which aspects they can change or improve
• Learn coping techniques and problem-solving skills.

Only medical doctors can make diagnoses, prescribe medication or give medical advice. You could get this from your family doctor, or else a from psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a person who specialises in diagnosing and prescribing medication for mental illness. 

If you’re interested in getting a medical prescription or a medical diagnosis, we encourage you to start by speaking with your family doctor, or if you don’t have a family doctor, to visit a doctor at a walk-in clinic near you. If necessary, your doctor may refer you to a specialist, such as a psychiatrist. Psychiatric services are covered by OHIP, but there may be a long wait time to access them, as there is with many other OHIP-covered services.

Only lawyers are able to give legal advice. However, please note that even if a counsellor has multiple professional designations, such as being both a lawyer and a counsellor, they cannot give you legal advice while acting as your counsellor. This would be both outside their scope of practice (i.e. what they’re legally allowed to do as a counsellor) and would create an inappropriate dual relationship, which could negatively affect your outcome in counselling. 

Currently, most psychedelics remain illegal in Canada, and the few exceptions for therapeutic use have been mainly limited to ketamine-assisted therapy (KAP), and research studies such as those conducted by MAPS and others on MDMA and psilocybin. While research on the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic use is moving quickly, meaning that many of these substances may become more readily available for medical purposes, including the treatment of mental health issues, such as depression, PTSD, opioid and alcohol addiction, at this time we cannot legally provide psychedelic-assisted counselling (i.e. conduct counselling, nor “sit” with a client who has taken psychedelics) at this time, nor can we safely or legally recommend anyone who does. 

Given the current illegal status of many these substances in Canada, and the potential for both positive and negative outcomes with their usage, we can neither condemn nor encourage the use of psychedelics. We do note that psychedelic usage is legal in Canada in certain religious contexts, and that some people may choose to use them on their own, in spite of the illegality. Some people may also have participated in psychedelic research studies or may be contemplating going to, or have returned from, a psychedelic retreat in a country where the use such substances is legal, and so on. As such, within the scope of our practice, we provide preparation counselling from a harm reduction perspective to those who are contemplating psychedelic use, as well as integration counselling for those who have already taken psychedelics and may be looking for support in processing and assimilating this experience after the fact. We do not give medical or legal advice, and our counselling services are not a substitute for the medical care of licensed medical practitioners, or the spiritual care of shamanic healers with years of dedicated specialized training and practice in the ceremonial use of sacred medicines.

For more information, please check out our psychedelic harm reduction and integration page here.

There are many counsellors in Toronto, and finding the right one might seem like a challenge. While everyone is different and there is no definitive criteria as to what will make a good match between you and the professional you choose, here are a few basics on what to look for in a counsellor:

1. You feel like you could have a good relationship with them. Regardless of modalities the counsellor uses or the training they may have, the most important aspect of counselling is the relationship you have with them. Healing occurs within the context of the relationship, so having a good connection with someone who is supportive and sees and hears the real you is important.
2. They are skilled at what they do. Empathy, non-judgmental presence, good listening and communication skills, humour, humility, the ability to see patterns in the client’s life, and professionalism are all helpful things to look for.  After the two of you decide on your goals for counselling, your counsellor should keep you updated on how you’re progressing and where counselling is headed, as well as explain what they’re doing to help you, and why.
3. They’ve done their own inner work. A counsellor who has done their own healing and therapy is more aware of their own triggers and biases, so you get more objective help from them. They are also more likely to be able to relate with people in a deeper and more authentic way, which is really important to the counselling relationship. 

At different times throughout the year, we offer process-oriented (i.e. working through issues together) and psychoeducational (i.e. learning about certain conditions and what tools we can use to improve them) group counselling with respect to certain topics, such as grief, depression, addiction, anxiety, men’s issues, and anger.  We also offer conflict management workshops for workplaces, and as well as therapeutic retreats.

Please check out our group events page here to see what’s currently on offer.

Unfortunately, psychotherapy, counselling or coaching is not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).

Your insurance and/or employee benefits program (EAP) may cover psychotherapy/counselling with a registered practitioner. This depends on your plan, however, which you should check before you start counselling. We are willing to work with your EAP company directly if you so wish. Please note that we accept payment directly at the time of your sessions, even if you may get repaid at a later time by your insurance company. Also, even if you do have coverage for psychotherapy and/or counselling, please note your benefit plan may also only partially reimburse you. Coaching will likely not be covered by your benefits plan, unless coaching techniques are being used as a part of a modality within psychotherapy/counselling for a recognized mental health issue (i.e. social anxiety), and you have coverage that includes psychotherapy/counselling.