At DiveThru, we’re on a mission to ensure no one struggles alone. We understand there can be financial barriers that prohibit people from getting the support they need. And that’s why our Reduced Rate Therapy program exists. Through the program, we aim to support those who face financial limitations access mental health care through reduced rates for counselling services. If you want to access therapy services but feel that it is financially unfeasible for you, we encourage you to take a look at the eligibility requirements and apply to the program.
The first step is to fill out the application form, which provides us with information that will determine your eligibility for the program, as well as details that can help us match with the right therapist for you (such as key concerns you’d like to attend therapy for, age category you fall under, etc.). More details on eligibility can be found below.
Once we receive your application, we will screen it based on our eligibility criteria and let you know if you qualify for the program. We do our best to let you know the decision in a timely manner! If you qualify for the program, we will send you further details on what your reduced rate would be. If you accept the reduced rate, we will move forward in the process.
Once we’ve confirmed the reduced rate for your counselling sessions, we will send you your top therapist match, as well as their next available appointment times. There will be a few other important details to get from you to book your first appointment and create your DiveThru profile. From that moment forward, you’ll be able to login to your DiveThru profile and use it to schedule and manage your future appointments.
Before your first appointment, there will be an intake form and a consent form to fill out. Both of these can be found in your DiveThru profile (under Settings > Forms)! The intake form is especially important and helpful to your therapist so that they can prepare for your session ahead of time. You’ll receive appointment reminders (and other helpful info) in the days leading up to your appointment!
Whether you’re joining us in person or virtually, we’ll be excited to welcome you to DiveThru! After your first session, you will be billed using the reduced rate and we will provide you with a receipt. To book future sessions, you can login to your DiveThru profile and book them yourself or one of our studio coordinators would be more than happy to help you after your session.
The reduced rates available if you qualify for the program are $125, $150, and $175 for a 50-minute counselling session. Although there are a limited number of spots available for a reduced rate client to join a therapist’s caseload, we have no limit on the number of therapy sessions you attend at this reduced rate.
In order to make sure that our reduced rate therapy program services those experiencing financial limitations, we make decisions on eligibility using a matrix of annual taxable household income and number of dependents. For the same reason, we reassess clients in this program every 4 months to confirm that they are still eligible for the reduced rate counselling program. Please note, we will require proof in the application process.
Your annual taxable household income is the pre-tax income your household reports when you do your yearly taxes. It can be found in the Notice of Assessment you received for the most recent tax year. If you live with a common law partner, your total household income includes both of your incomes. Likewise, if you live with family members who are contributing any part of their income to supporting you as part of the household, those incomes and yours are part of the household income. If you live with roommates and submit your taxes independently, their incomes do not constitute as part of your household income. Please note, EI benefits do count as taxable income in the year in which you receive them; if you are unemployed and receive EI benefits, those count as taxable income. Specific definitions and descriptions can be found on the Canadian Revenue Agency website, including who can be classified as a dependent.
Students are able to apply for the reduced rate counselling program. Your eligibility will be determined on the basis of your annual taxable household income and number of dependents. For more details on how to find out that information, please see the FAQ above.
Individuals who are unemployed are able to apply for the reduced rate counselling program. Your eligibility will be determined on the basis of your annual taxable household income (which in this case might be your Employment Insurance) and number of dependents. For more details on how to find out that information, please see the FAQ above.
For those who do not qualify for the Reduced Rate Therapy program and are searching for other low cost counselling options or additional support, we recommend the following resources: https://www.counsellingalberta.com ; https://affordabletherapynetwork.com ; https://www.familycentre.org/counselling ; https://mykickstand.ca/connect ; https://africacentre.ca/counselling-program ; https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/service.aspx?Id=1009754 ; https://www.indigenouspsychologicalservices.com
If our therapists' Reduced Rate spots book up, we will create a waitlist. Currently, we have a waitlist for our Edmonton Studio and Alberta Virtual therapists. We will update this section of the website as things progress.
Generally speaking, yes! If your insurance plan covers therapy services provided by registered psychologists, registered provisional psychologists and registered social workers, then you will be able to submit your receipt (which will have the reduced rate instead of the full rate) to your insurance provider for reimbursement.
If your insurance plan covers therapy services provided by registered psychologists, registered provisional psychologists and registered social workers, AND your insurance provider is on our list of providers we can direct bill for, we will be able to direct bill with the reduced rate. Take a look at our direct billing page for more information.
