Yes. The Non-Insured Health Benefits program, known as NIHB, includes a mental health counselling benefit for eligible First Nations and Inuit clients. Counselling must be provided by a mental health professional who is enrolled with the program, and when that provider bills NIHB directly, you do not pay for covered sessions.
NIHB is a federal program run by Indigenous Services Canada. It covers health benefits that provincial health plans and private insurance do not, including prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, medical supplies and equipment, medical transportation and mental health counselling.
You also need to be registered with your provincial health plan, which in Alberta is Alberta Health Care. If a band-administered plan or another program already covers the same service, that coverage may apply first.
The benefit pays for professional mental health counselling, and it is designed to work alongside community-based mental wellness services. It can help with a wide range of concerns, including grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, addiction and family difficulties.
Program rules, such as how many hours are covered in a period and whether approval is needed before starting, are set by Indigenous Services Canada and can change. A clinic that bills NIHB will confirm the current requirements with you before your first session, so you are not left guessing.
The counsellor, psychologist or social worker must be enrolled with NIHB as a provider. Before you book, ask the clinic whether it bills NIHB directly and which of its clinicians are enrolled. When the clinic bills directly, you do not pay for covered sessions or wait for reimbursement.
Coverage is only part of it. Many people want a counsellor who understands the history and ongoing effects of colonization, residential schools and intergenerational trauma, and who respects cultural and spiritual practices. It is fair to ask a clinic how its counsellors approach culturally safe care, and to expect a considered answer. Our article on what culturally safe counselling means covers what to look for.
We bill NIHB directly for eligible counselling at our clinics in Calgary, Red Deer and Cold Lake, and for online sessions. Call 1-888-622-8350, tell us you have NIHB coverage, and we will confirm eligibility and match you with a counsellor. No referral is needed.
If you also have benefits through work, we direct bill many private insurers too, including Alberta Blue Cross, Canada Life, Sun Life, Manulife and Greenshield. See direct billing and insurance for the full list.
Related reading: Is therapy free in Alberta?, What culturally safe counselling means and What is complex PTSD?
