Extended Health Plans
Many employers provide extended health plans that include a yearly allocation for counselling.
If you benefit from such a plan, we encourage you to check with your provider if you are covered for services provided by a Registered Psychologist, a Registered Social Worker, or a Registered Clinical Counsellor.
Insurance coverage for counselling
All practitioners at Innova Therapy Inc. are Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC), with a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology or Clinical Psychology. We are also Registered Social Workers (RSW), with a Masters degree in Social Work. Registered Social Workers can provide counselling in much the same way as a Registered Clinical Counsellor. Additionally, we have Registered Dietitians on our team, who are members of the College of Dietitians of BC.
We counsel our clients from a range of therapeutic modalities, helping our clients to find clarity and peace during a challenging time in their lives. Additionally, we provide psychotherapy, which involves exploring childhood experiences, identifying internal conflicts, dysfunctional patterns, and generational influences. The goals of counselling and psychotherapy are to encourage emotional growth, healing from past trauma, behavioural modification, to name a few.
We are members in good standing with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). We are also members of the Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), and members of the British Columbia College of Social Workers (BCCSW).
In the province of British Columbia, psychologists are individuals with further training and are awarded a PhD or PsychEd. in the field of psychology. Their role in mental health is to diagnose as well as treat mental illness and provide psychological assessments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Are you covered by my plan?
A. This will depend on the plan that you purchased or that your employer purchased for their employees. Employers or individuals buy different plans based their needs and that of their family.
Q. How would I know if I am covered for your services?
A. We encourage all our new clients to speak directly with their insurance provider to find out if they are covered for services prior to your first appointment. Specifically, ask them if your plan covers services by a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Canadian Certified Counsellor and Registered Social Worker.
Q. My plan says that I am covered by a Registered Psychologist and Registered Social Worker. I have found a Registered Clinical Counsellor whom I would like to work with. What do I do?
A. Many insurance plans that covers counselling by a Registered Psychologist or Registered Social Worker also recognise the Masters-level credentials of a Registered Clinical Counsellor.
If you have decided to work with one of our Registered Clinical Counsellors but your plan specifically mentions only Registered Psychologist or Registered Social Worker, call your provider to ask if they would also cover Registered Clinical Counsellors. If you run into any difficulty, please call us for a letter template to request an amendment to your policy.
Q. I would like to get a plan that covers counselling. What would you advise?
A. With increasing awareness of mental health issues, the majority of insurance providers in BC and in Canada recognise our credentials. These include SunLife, Great West Life now known as Canada Life, ManuLife, Desjardins, Pacific Blue Cross, Greenshield, and many others.
Check with these companies for a plan that covers your needs.
Q. I am covered for your services on my plan. Can you bill my provider directly?
A. Unfortunately we cannot bill any insurance provider directly at this time.
Q. How do I make a claim from my insurance provider?
A. When you pay for your session, we will issue a receipt with all the information your provider will need for you to make a claim successfully. Take this receipt and adhere to the claims process set up by your provider.
Each provider has a unique way of processing claims. If you have not made a claim previously, we encourage you to speak to their customer service representative directly.
Not covered for counselling?
Not covered, no worries! We have Counselling Interns on our team for this reason, so that people without insurance can get the help they are looking for. Furthermore, our interns offer counselling at a much reduced rate while completing the final stage of their Masters degrees.
Call us now at 604-484-2737, email us at hello@innovatherapy.com for more information.