Counselling

If you’ve never been to counselling, you might wonder if counselling will be helpful for you and what to expect. JSS counselling is based on predominant counselling theory and practise and includes the following components.

How to contact

JSS offer counselling and information service by telephone, online or in-person. During our business hours, we check voicemail every few hours. Please email us or leave a message with your name, phone number, brief description of your inquiry, and when and how you would like to hear from us.

Office Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm (except 12-1pm and Holidays)

Contact: 416-385-9200 | counselling@jss.ca

JSS Counselling is…

Client-centred

Contrary to popular belief, counsellors do not give advice. Rather, the work of the counsellor is to help the client explore different options and solutions in order to figure out what the client wants to do. The counselling relationship is based on the needs of the client.

Action-oriented

The client and counsellor figure out together what action the client can take to improve his/her situation.

A combination of social work and personal counselling

JSS combines social work, which focuses on helping people function in wider society and personal counselling, which focuses on helping the person to develop self-awareness on a personal level.

Culturally Sensitive

Counsellors have extensive knowledge and experience with Japanese culture.

Counselling can help if…

• You feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with daily living
• You want to change but don’t know where to begin
• You want to talk to someone who is objective and supportive

Myths About Counselling

Going to counselling means you are a weak person

Although there may still be some stigma around seeking counselling, getting help does not mean you are weak. On the contrary, admitting you need help is a brave act which should be commended.

Talking to a stranger about your problems is shameful

In fact, the theory behind counselling is that talking to someone who is in effect ‘a stranger’ is therapeutic. This is because the counsellor does not have any vested interest except your well-being, which means they can be more objective and supportive than perhaps your friends and family can be.

Talking about your problems will only make things worse

While talking to a counsellor will not immediately solve all your problems instantly, most people find that sharing their problems with someone else eases their burden and helps to give them a different perspective. If you feel counselling is not helping you, talk to your counsellor.You always have the choice to discontinue counselling if you so desire.

Fee Schedule

Q: Do you have insurance that covers counselling (overseas travel insurance, student insurance, benefit plans from the company (where you or your partner works))?

① Reimbursement Type

If your insurance covers counselling by a registered psychotherapist / social worker up to a certain amount annually, you may be eligible for reimbursement by submitting the receipt issued by us to the insurance company. If you have such insurance, the counselling fee is $65 from the first session.

② EAP / SAP (Employee Assistance Program / Student Assistance Program)

If your student insurance or insurance from the company where you or your partner works covers counselling through EAP / SAP providers such as Homewood Health, Morneau Shepell, or Aspiria, please contact them to be referred to us. With this type of insurance, you may receive free counselling support depending on the insurance coverage.

If you do not have insurance to cover counselling:

The fee for the first session (60 minutes) is $ 10 regardless of your income.

If you will be receiving subsequent counselling, you have two payment options from the 2^nd session and thereafter:

1. Pay a counselling fee of $65 per session (without disclosing household income);
2. Pay a counselling fee according to your household income (with disclosure of your household income).

• Household – refers to the unit of family members who share a household budget.

• Household Income usually does not include the income of “parents of an adult client” or an adult child(ren) of a client.

Session	Service Fee	Number of people in the Household (Gross Income)
		1	2	3	4+
Initial session	$10.00	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
After the second session	$65.00	$50,000 or more	$60,000 or more	$70,000 or more	$80,000 or more
	$40.00	$40,000 ~ $49,999	$50,000 ~ $59,999	$60,000 ~ $69,999	$70,000 ~ $79,999
	$20.00	$30,000 ~ $39,999	$40,000 ~ $49,999	$50,000 ~ $59,999	$60,000 ~ $69,999
	$10.00	$29,999 or less	$39,999 or less	$49,999 or less	$59,999 or less

Example 1: If a client lives alone and has an annual income of less than $30,000, the counselling fee will be $10 / session.

Example 2: If a client is of a family of 3 (eg: the client, his wife and 1 child) and the annual income of the household (= total annual income of the client and his wife) is $ 65,000, the counselling fee will be $40 / session.

• Generally, sessions are one hour in length;
• The above rates apply to all styles of counselling (in-person sessions at our office or a client’s home / remote sessions via telephone and/or the Internet), home visits or accompaniment/advocacy support by attending a meeting/conference.
• At the time of your first appointment, please bring your proof of income (one of the following documents) and present it to your counsellor. The counsellor will confirm the price setting. If you do not submit this by the second session, the maximum fee ($65) will be applied. However, if you cannot prepare the documents due to unavoidable circumstances, please consult a counsellor.
  • Documents issued by CRA related to income tax for the previous year (Notice of Assessment, all T4, notice related to Child Tax Benefit, T1 General, etc.)
  • Payroll statement (dated within 3 months)
  • Bank account statement – showing the balance and the transactions, etc.
  • Proof of Spousal Support and child support amount
  • ODSP (Program), OW (Ontario Works) payment notification
  • Visitor Visa, Student Visa, etc.

• The fee is $10/session for a client receiving ODSP or OW.
• At the discretion of the counsellor, the fee may be lowered or waived for victims of domestic violence, addictive gambling addictions, HIV patients and those facing serious financial difficulties.
• There will be a $40/hour fee for a counsellor to issue a counselling report at the request form a client.
• For the services that require a counsellor to travel, fees will be carged for  transportation (25 cents/km) and parking as required.

*The fee for the initial session is $10 to enhance accessibility to our services, especially for those who do not have insurance coverage.

*For clients who have difficulty paying the fee due to their financial circumstances, the fee may be reduced or waived. Please consult us if that is the case.

Online payment

Please make an online payment from here.

Case study

Read counselling case studies from here.

Confidentiality policy

Japanese Social Services operates using this confidentiality policy. Please read this before providing us with any personal details.