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.
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.
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.
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.
