Pricing
How Saalvio pricing works
Your first session, under CANADAHEALS
$0 CAD
Free first session, no prepayment, ever.
Your first 50-minute session is at no cost, under the standing CANADAHEALS public health commitment. We ask for your name, your contact details, and a short intake form. Saalvio never prepays or pre-authorizes anything, and you do not need a credit card to book the first session. You meet your therapist, talk through what brought you here, and decide whether the fit is right. If it is not, you walk away, and there is nothing to charge for.
The collaborative range, $100 to $150 per session
After your free first session under CANADAHEALS, our regular per-session rate is a collaborative range from $100 to $150 CAD. The exact number is something you and your therapist agree on together, openly, before your second session.
We chose a range, not a single price, because therapy is not a haircut. The same hour with the same therapist can be very different work depending on what you are bringing into the room, how often you meet, and what you can sustain financially right now. A collaborative rate is the most honest way we have found to set that.
What you and your therapist talk about
- Your situation right now. Are you between jobs, supporting family, paying for school? Honest financial reality is part of the conversation, not a reason to hide.
- How often you want to meet. Weekly sessions add up faster than biweekly. Your therapist can suggest a cadence and a rate that work together over the long run.
- What insurance you have. Most extended health plans in Canada reimburse part of registered psychotherapy and registered social work fees. See our insurance page for how that works.
- The clinical work itself. Some kinds of work ask for a different rhythm of sessions. Your therapist will be clear with you about what they suggest and why.
If your circumstances change a year from now, you can revisit the rate together. The conversation does not happen once.
What a session includes
- Pre-booking messaging with any therapist
- Free under CANADAHEALS, before any commitment. Write to any therapist on our roster with fee, scope, or fit questions; you will usually hear back within one to two business days. How messaging works.
- 50 minutes with your therapist
- The session itself. You and your therapist meet on our secure video platform from anywhere in Ontario.
- Clinical notes kept under PHIPA
- Your therapist keeps clinical notes for your file, held under PHIPA.
- A receipt you can submit
- Emailed right after your card is billed, which happens once your session is complete. It includes your therapist's name, registration body, registration number, and session date, so insurers accept it for reimbursement.
- Between-session messaging with your therapist
- Brief clarifications between scheduled sessions: a quick question about an exercise, a short note about something that came up. It is not therapy by text, and it is not crisis support. Clinical work belongs in session.
- No membership, no booking fees
- You pay for the sessions you attend. That is it.
If a session is out of reach
For some people, paying for therapy at our regular rate is not workable, and we will not pretend otherwise.
A sliding-scale option below our regular collaborative range is something Saalvio is actively working on. It is not in place today. We have not set a launch date, because we would rather build it properly than announce it early.
If affordability is the gating issue for you, please write to [email protected] with one or two lines about your situation. We cannot promise a reduced rate right now, but we can tell you honestly where we are and whether anything has changed.
Pricing questions, answered
Is the first session really free? What is the catch?
Yes, free. There is no catch. The first session is free under CANADAHEALS, the standing Saalvio public health commitment. You do not need a credit card to book it. If you decide to keep going, your therapist sets up a card on file for ongoing billing. Saalvio never prepays or pre-authorizes anything, and your card is only billed after each session is complete.
Can I ask a therapist about a fee or a fit question before I book?
Yes. Open any therapist's profile and use the Message button to ask about pricing, scope, fit, languages, scheduling, or anything else you would reasonably want answered before you commit. Pre-booking messaging is free under CANADAHEALS, asynchronous, and carries no commitment. Most therapists reply within one to two business days. See How messaging works for the full explainer.
Why is the price a range and not a fixed number?
Because a fixed price assumes everyone arrives in the same financial situation, with the same insurance, doing the same kind of work. They do not. A collaborative range lets you and your therapist set a rate that is honest about all three. Hiding it inside a single number does not make therapy more accessible. It just makes the conversation harder to have.
Do I pay upfront, or after the session?
After. Saalvio never prepays or pre-authorizes anything. Your card on file is only billed once your session is complete, and your receipt is emailed to you right after the payment is processed. You are only ever charged for sessions you have actually attended.
What payment methods do you accept?
Major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) and Interac e-Transfer. We do not currently accept cash or cheque, because our practice is virtual.
Is online therapy reimbursable through my insurance?
Most extended health plans in Canada reimburse part of the cost of seeing a registered psychotherapist or a registered social worker. We are not set up for direct billing, so you pay us and submit the receipt for reimbursement. See our insurance page for the carriers we have working details for.
What about HSA, EAP, or employer benefits?
Most Health Spending Accounts (HSAs) accept psychotherapy and social work receipts. Many Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) cover a set number of sessions per year with a partner network. Saalvio is not currently in-network with major EAPs, so if your EAP requires an in-network provider, our sessions are usually paid out of pocket and submitted to your HSA or extended health plan. If your employer has set up a custom benefits arrangement with Saalvio, you will see it noted on your intake.
What if I need to cancel?
If you need to cancel or reschedule, please tell us as early as you can so your therapist can offer the time to someone else. Genuine emergencies are handled case by case; just tell us what is going on.
Does Saalvio offer a sliding scale?
Inside our regular collaborative range, the rate is something you and your therapist agree on together; that is the point of the collaborative model. A dedicated sliding-scale pathway for clients who cannot meet the regular rate is in development and is not available today. If affordability is the gating issue for you, email [email protected].
I am not in Ontario. Can I still get a session?
Our psychotherapy service is live in Ontario today, and expanding across Canada and to the United States in stages. Join the waitlist and we will email you the moment we open in your area. Thrive AI, our CBT chatbot, plus our separate guided self-help tools, calming music, and cognitive games, are already available across Canada and the US.
Ready to start?
Your first session is free under CANADAHEALS. You meet your therapist, decide if the fit is right, and only then talk about money. If a free session is still a lot to commit to, message a therapist first.