In Guelph, a growing call for change is asking Ontario to reconsider who can access mental health care—and who is being left behind.
There is a particular kind of heartbreak in hearing someone say they know they need therapy, but they simply cannot afford it.
Not because they don’t value their mental health. Not because they aren’t ready to ask for help. But because, after paying the rent, buying groceries and caring for their family, there is little left for anything else.
For many Ontarians, seeking psychotherapy means confronting a difficult financial decision at the very moment they may be struggling the most.
And that raises a question we should all be asking:
Why should someone’s ability to receive appropriate mental health care depend so heavily on what they can afford?
A Conversation That Has Reached Beyond Guelph
Marinela Trickett, a Registered Psychotherapist and Clinical Director of Trickett Psychotherapy in Guelph, has spent more than two decades working in mental health. Throughout those years, she has encountered people from different backgrounds, professions and stages of life. Many have something in common: they recognize that they need support, yet the cost of ongoing psychotherapy stands in their way.
That concern inspired a community petition asking the Ontario government to expand coverage under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) to include psychotherapy delivered by qualified, regulated mental health professionals.
The initiative has attracted growing public attention, with Marinela discussing the issue through recent interviews and coverage by CBC News, CTV News and local media.
But behind every interview and every signature is something far more important than a news story.
There are people waiting to be heard.
People Shouldn’t Have to Choose Therapy Based on Price Alone
Imagine someone who has spent years trying to understand why their emotions feel so intense or why relationships repeatedly become painful.
Or a parent experiencing postpartum depression, quietly wondering why a time that everyone describes as joyful feels so difficult.
Consider an adult who carries the effects of childhood trauma or emotional abuse into relationships, work and family life.
These experiences are not interchangeable. Neither are the therapeutic approaches that may help address them.
Someone living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), for example, may benefit from structured psychotherapy incorporating Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), an approach that teaches skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal relationships.
Someone experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may need trauma-focused treatment appropriate to their symptoms and circumstances.
A person recovering from emotional abuse may need support rebuilding trust, establishing boundaries and understanding the effects of prolonged psychological manipulation.
And someone experiencing postpartum depression deserves timely, compassionate assessment and care, with treatment matched to their needs. Yet financial limitations can force people to make decisions based on affordability before they can properly consider clinical suitability.
A more affordable practitioner may be an excellent fit. But price alone cannot tell us whether a particular therapist, therapeutic approach or level of care is appropriate.
People should have a meaningful opportunity to consider those factors without financial pressure determining the answer in advance.
The Gap in Ontario’s Mental Health Coverage
Ontario does publicly fund some forms of mental health treatment, including insured physician and hospital services and certain structured community programs.
However, OHIP generally does not cover psychotherapy provided by Registered Psychotherapists in private practice.
For individuals seeking those services, the alternatives often involve paying privately, relying on workplace insurance or looking for publicly funded programs with their own eligibility criteria, availability and treatment scope.
Some people have benefits covering only a limited number of appointments. Others have no coverage at all.
And for someone who may require consistent psychotherapy over many months, a few insured sessions may not be enough.
The financial burden is not imaginary. The Canadian Institute for Health Information reported that 40% of Ontario adults with a diagnosed mental health disorder had care needs that were only partly met or not met in 2024.
Behind that statistic are individuals and families making difficult choices about treatment, household expenses and whether they can continue receiving support.
Mental Health Care Should Not Begin at a Breaking Point
Too often, people seek help only after their difficulties have become overwhelming.
Sometimes they have been trying to manage alone for years. Sometimes they have searched for affordable services without finding an appropriate option. Sometimes they have exhausted their insurance benefits.
By the time they reach out again, their relationships, employment, family life or overall well-being may already be under considerable strain.
We should be asking why people have to reach that point.
Psychotherapy cannot prevent every crisis, and it is not the only form of mental health treatment. But timely access to appropriate psychotherapy can play an important role in helping people understand their difficulties, develop coping skills and address persistent emotional and behavioural patterns.
Making that care more accessible is not simply about helping individuals feel better.
It is about recognizing that mental health affects families, workplaces, schools and communities.
When someone struggles, the impact rarely stops with one person.
A Petition for a More Accessible Ontario
The campaign led by Marinela Trickett asks the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to recognize psychotherapy and evidence-based mental health services as medically necessary, expand publicly insured access to qualified regulated professionals, and establish a framework for more equitable mental health coverage.
It is not a request for preferential treatment for one clinic or one profession.
It is a call for Ontario to examine how people receive care and whether the current funding system adequately reflects the mental health needs of its communities.
This discussion deserves thoughtful consideration from policymakers, health professionals, families and anyone who has ever had to postpone treatment because of its cost.
We can acknowledge that expanding publicly funded care requires planning, appropriate clinical standards and responsible use of public resources while still recognizing that the present gaps deserve attention.
Every Voice Represents Someone’s Story
A petition is often measured in signatures.
But each signature can represent a parent, a partner, a colleague, a student, a friend or someone who has struggled privately for years.
It may represent someone who has experienced emotional abuse and is trying to rebuild their life.
Someone navigating depression while caring for a newborn.
Someone seeking specialized BPD therapy or support for trauma who cannot afford to continue.
Or someone who has never needed psychotherapy personally but believes others should have a fair opportunity to access it.
At Trickett Psychotherapy, the purpose of this campaign is larger than the practice itself. It is about encouraging a public conversation on the role of psychotherapy in our health care system and how Ontario can make appropriate treatment more accessible.
Because the question should not always be, Can I afford the help I need?
It should also be, What care is right for me, and how can I access it?
Mental health is health. And the ability to seek appropriate care should not be a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.
Learn More and Support the Petition
Add your name to the OHIP for Psychotherapy campaign
The online form records public support for the campaign. To formally sign a petition submitted to Ontario’s Legislative Assembly, Ontario residents must provide an original handwritten signature on the paper petition. Instructions and downloadable forms are available on the campaign website.
Coverage and Additional Information
CBC News — Guelph psychotherapist urges Ontario to fund long-term supportive therapy with OHIP
CTV News — Psychotherapist calls for OHIP coverage for mental health services
GuelphToday — Guelph psychotherapist’s petition seeks OHIP coverage for mental health
Trickett Psychotherapy — Mental Health Care and OHIP Advocacy
Trickett Psychotherapy is based in Guelph, Ontario, and provides specialized in-person and online psychotherapy. Private psychotherapy appointments are not currently covered by OHIP. The campaign is an advocacy initiative and participation does not require becoming a client.