Two questions come up before anyone books EMDR, and most websites answer neither. What does it cost, and will something else pay for it? Here is what to expect in Ontario on both.
What EMDR therapy costs in Ontario
EMDR is not priced separately from therapy in general. A therapist charges their session rate and EMDR is what happens during the session. So the cost depends on who you see and their level of experience, rather than on the method.
Our fees range depending on the length of time booked and the clinician’s level of experience. We would encourage you to book a free consultation so we can work out the cost of a session that is right for you.
EMDR sessions can run anywhere from 50 to 90 minutes, depending on what the client needs. Reprocessing takes time to begin and time to close down safely, which is why a session is not always a standard 50 minutes.
Our initial fifteen-minute phone consultation is free, so you can find out whether EMDR is even the right fit before you invest in paying any fees.
Is EMDR covered by OHIP?
Not in private practice. This is the short answer and it is worth being transparent about it.
OHIP pays for psychotherapy when a physician delivers it, which means a psychiatrist or a family doctor doing the counselling themselves. It also pays for hospital based outpatient programs. It does not pay for a Registered Social Worker, a Registered Psychotherapist, or a psychologist working privately, whatever method they use and however well qualified they are.
This surprises people, because both RSWs and RPs are regulated health professionals in Ontario, accountable to a college with a defined scope of practice and a complaints process. Regulation and public funding are simply two different systems here. The designation is rec organized and it is within their scope of practice to administer EMDR if they are trained however, most clinicians do not have funding to allow for it to be free.
The publicly funded route that does exist
Ontario funds a program called Ontario Structured Psychotherapy, which provides free cognitive behavioural therapy to adults with depression and anxiety related concerns. Your doctor can refer you, or you can refer yourself through the regional network covering your area.
Two honest caveats. It is CBT rather than EMDR, so if EMDR is specifically what you are looking for this is not the same thing. And it is explicit that it does not suit everyone, particularly people with more complex needs. But if cost is the only thing between you and any support at all, start there. We would rather tell you about it than have you go without.
Is EMDR covered by insurance?
Usually yes, and most people have more coverage than they realize because they have never looked.
Workplace and personal extended health plans typically allocate an annual mental health amount, often somewhere between five hundred and three thousand dollars, with some of the better plans well above that. The allocation usually resets each calendar year, which means an unused balance in December is simply gone in January. If you have been putting off starting, that detail is worth checking before the year turns over.
The trap that catches people
Plans specify which designations they will reimburse, and they are not consistent with each other. Some cover a Registered Social Worker and not a Registered Psychotherapist. Some cover the reverse. Some cover only a psychologist, which is also the most expensive option on the list.
So a plan that says it covers mental health may still refuse your receipts, not because of the therapy but because of the designation attached to the therapist you are seeing. Ten minutes on the phone to your insurer before you book saves a great deal of irritation later.
Six questions to ask your insurer
Do I have coverage for mental health services, and what is the annual maximum?
Which designations do you reimburse? Say the words Registered Social Worker, Registered Psychotherapist and psychologist, and get an answer on each.
Is there a per session cap as well as an annual one?
Do I need a referral from my family doctor first?
Does my plan cover services delivered by a therapist in supervised practice?
When does my annual amount reset?
At this time we are not able to bill insurance companies directly. You pay for the session and we provide a receipt showing the date, the fee, the service and the registration number of the therapist, which is everything an insurer needs.
How many sessions, and what that means for the total
This is the number that actually matters, and it gets left out of most cost discussions.
EMDR for a single traumatic incident in an otherwise stable adult is often shorter than people expect. For repeated or developmental trauma it takes considerably longer, because the preparation phase alone needs to be thorough before any reprocessing begins. Anyone who gives you a confident session count before meeting you is guessing.
What we can do is review progress with you at regular intervals, so you always know roughly where you are rather than paying into something open ended. A focused treatment plan aimed at one specific thing looks very different from open ended therapy, and knowing the budget in advance lets a therapist build something that fits your needs.
Two things people forget to count
The Medical Expense Tax Credit. Out of pocket therapy paid to a qualified practitioner can be claimed at tax time, which takes a real bite out of the annual total. Keep every receipt.
Your employer's Employee Assistance Program. Many EAPs provide a set number of counselling sessions at no cost and separately from your health benefits, so using those first and your benefits afterwards can effectively double what you get in a year. Most people do not know whether they have one. It takes a single email to HR to find out.
If the full fee is out of reach
Say so. It is not an awkward thing to raise and you will not be the first. Tell your therapist in the first session, and the work can be planned around it.
Common questions
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Not in private practice. OHIP covers psychotherapy delivered by a physician and hospital based programs. It does not cover a Registered Social Worker or Registered Psychotherapist working privately.
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Our fees range depending on the clinician's level of experience, and sessions can run from 50 to 90 minutes. For a specific figure, book the free fifteen-minute consultation.
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Insurers reimburse by practitioner designation rather than by method, so if your plan covers the designation of the therapist you see, EMDR sessions are reimbursed like any other.
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Not to see us. Some insurance plans require a physician referral before they reimburse, which is a separate question for your insurer.
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That depends entirely on whether EMDR is the right treatment for what you are carrying, which is what the free consultation is for. If it is not the right fit, we will say so rather than book you in.