Is Therapy Free in Alberta?

Some is. Alberta Health Services runs publicly funded addiction and mental health programs, and there are free helplines, school and university counselling services and employer assistance programs. Private psychologists and counsellors, however, are not covered by Alberta Health Care, so private therapy is paid through extended health benefits, a health spending account or out of pocket.

• Visits to your family doctor, who can assess, prescribe and refer.
• Psychiatrists, with a physician's referral.
• Alberta Health Services addiction and mental health programs, including community clinics and specialized services.

What it does not cover is sessions with a psychologist, counsellor or social worker in private practice. There is no provincial billing code for those sessions the way there is for a doctor's visit.

• Helplines. The Alberta Mental Health Helpline (1-877-303-2642) and the Addiction Helpline (1-866-332-2322) are free and open 24/7. If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 988 at any time.
• Health Link. Call 811 for health advice and help finding local services.
• Alberta Health Services programs. Publicly funded counselling and treatment, with waits that depend on need and location.
• Employee and family assistance programs. If your employer offers one, you can usually get a few confidential sessions at no cost.
• Schools and post-secondary institutions. Many schools have counsellors, and colleges and universities offer free counselling to students.
• Kids Help Phone. Free, 24/7 support for young people at 1-800-668-6868 or by texting 686868.
• Community agencies. Some offer free or sliding-scale counselling. Call 211 to find them.

Free services are valuable, and for a crisis or a short-term issue they may be all you need. Their limits are practical: waitlists for ongoing therapy, a set number of sessions, or little choice of clinician or approach. Many people combine them, for example using an assistance program's sessions to get started while arranging longer-term support.

• Extended health benefits through your employer, or a spouse's employer, usually include psychological services up to an annual maximum.
• Health spending accounts can generally be used for psychological services, and they often expire each year.
• The medical expense tax credit applies to psychologists' fees you pay yourself.
• Reduced-rate counselling with newly graduated therapists or interns costs less, although it is usually not covered by insurance.
• Special programs such as NIHB for eligible First Nations and Inuit clients, Veterans Affairs Canada, WCB for workplace injuries and auto insurance after a collision can fund counselling.

No province fully covers private psychologists. Every province funds public mental health services, and some run publicly funded therapy programs, but most ongoing therapy with a psychologist in Canada is paid through benefits or privately. If you read about free therapy in another province, check whether it applies in Alberta before relying on it.

Tell the clinic. It is a normal conversation, and a good clinic will explain your options honestly: which of its clinicians your plan covers, whether a reduced-rate option fits, and what a realistic number of sessions might cost. Knowing the actual figure is usually less daunting than guessing at it.

We direct bill many insurers, including Alberta Blue Cross, Canada Life, Sun Life, Manulife, Greenshield, Medavie Blue Cross and NIHB, so you pay only what your plan does not cover instead of the full fee up front. Some of our therapists offer sliding scale fees, and each clinic runs reduced-rate counselling: Calgary, Red Deer and Cold Lake.

Call 1-888-622-8350 to ask what your plan covers before you book. See direct billing and insurance for the full list of insurers.

Related reading: How much therapy costs in Calgary, Does NIHB cover counselling? and Paying for therapy in Alberta.