Therapy Covered by Green Shield: Direct Billing in Toronto & Ontario
Feel Your Way Therapy is a team of Registered Psychotherapists (RPs) and Registered Psychotherapists (Qualifying) seeing clients in person in Toronto and virtually across Ontario.
If you have Green Shield benefits, here's what typically applies, how our direct billing works, and exactly where to check your own plan before you book.
Does Green Shield cover Registered Psychotherapists?
Most Green Shield plans that include Extended Health Care benefits cover Registered Psychotherapists, alongside psychologists and social workers. Coverage details differ from plan to plan, so it's worth confirming exactly what's included in yours before you book.
Our team includes both fully Registered Psychotherapists (RPs) and Registered Psychotherapists (Qualifying) (RPQs), who practise under supervision while completing their registration requirements — both are usually covered under Green Shield plans that include psychotherapy benefits.
The only way to know for sure is to check your own plan — your plan booklet, usually posted on your employer's HR portal, spells out the exact wording that applies to you.
How to confirm your own plan
- Sign in to your Green Shield member account (GreenShield+ or the plan member portal).
- Look under Extended Health Care for a line item for “Psychotherapist”.
- Some plans fold it into “Counselling Services” or “Mental Health Practitioner” instead.
- Still unclear? Call the number on the back of your Green Shield card and ask directly.
How direct billing with us works
Direct billing — where we bill Green Shield on your behalf, so you're not paying the full fee upfront and waiting on reimbursement — is available for all our Registered Psychotherapists (RPs) and Registered Psychotherapists (Qualifying) (RPQs).
Here's what that looks like
You add your Green Shield details at intake
When you register with us, you'll be invited to add your Green Shield member ID and policy number as part of your intake and consent form.
We submit the claim after each session
We submit the claim to Green Shield directly through their provider system, which typically responds within a short time, so you'll know what's covered.
Green Shield pays their portion to us
You're billed only for whatever balance is left, if any.
If a claim is declined, we tell you right away
Or if you've reached your annual maximum — so you can decide how you'd like to proceed.
What if my plan only covers psychologists?
Some Green Shield plans — particularly older ones, or specific union and association plans — still list “Psychologist” as the only eligible mental health provider, with no separate line for psychotherapists. If that's what your plan shows:
Look closely at the wording first
Plans sometimes use broader terms like “Counselling Services” or “Mental Health Practitioner” that already include RPs without naming psychotherapists specifically.
Ask your HR department, or Green Shield directly
Ask whether an exception is possible. Because RP fees are often lower than a psychologist's, some plans will accommodate this on request.
Check for an EFAP
See whether your employer offers an Employee and Family Assistance Program. It's usually a separate benefit from your extended health plan and often includes a set number of free sessions regardless of practitioner type.
Private-pay is always an option
If none of that applies, we're still glad to see you as a private-pay client. We'll give you a receipt in case your plan changes later, or in case you want to submit it to Green Shield yourself and see what happens.
Typical annual maximums
Every Green Shield plan sets its own maximum, and the range is wide — anywhere from a few hundred dollars a year up to several thousand, depending entirely on what the employer chose when setting up the plan.
Some plans give psychotherapy its own dedicated maximum. Others pool it together with psychologists, social workers, and other counsellors under one shared “mental health” or “paramedical” limit — which means the number in your booklet may not be exclusively yours to spend on psychotherapy.
Check the schedule of benefits in your own plan documents for the figure that actually applies to you.
Green Shield coverage, answered
Let's walk through your Green Shield coverage together.
Book a free consultation and we'll walk through your Green Shield coverage together and match you with the right therapist on our team.
In-person in Toronto, online across Ontario
Toronto, ON M5S 2G8