Pay-What-You-Can Services

At PWO, we believe in making therapy as accessible as possible. To do this, we use a "pay-what-you-can" model, based on the "green bottle" method (you can read more about that here). In order to make accessible services sustainable, we provide a framework where those who are able to pay, do so, in order that people who are less able to pay can access these services.

Please see our guide to the right (or below if you're on mobile) to determine the appropriate fee for our services.

Discounted fees are for individuals who are able to meet their basic needs, but have little or limited expendable income. Paying for therapy may qualify as a sacrifice, but would not create a hardship. There is guidance provided about which price within the range might best fit for your individual circumstances.

There are limited fully subsidized spots for individuals who would not be able to access therapy for a fee, or for whom paying a fee would create hardship and impact their ability to meet their basic needs such as housing and food. See our suggested guidelines to the right.

We do not charge late cancellation fees in the majority of cases, however, missing appointments or cancelling at the last minute prevents us from being able to offer that space to another client, and prevents our student clinicians from gaining the clinical hours of experience that are required for their educational programs. A pattern of missed appointments or late cancellations may lead to administering a late cancellation fee, or clients being referred to other services.

Why do we charge a fee at all if we want to offer accessible services?

Great question! Offering affordable therapy does involve expenses: running a website and email service, an electronic health record management system, insurance premiums, accounting services, marketing costs, supervision time provided to student therapists, and administration time all factor into the cost of providing this service. In order for an affordable therapy service to be sustainable, some income must be generated in order to cover these expenses.

Standard Fee $100

This is the actual cost of the services. Prices below this are discounts.

Individuals in this bracket generally:

Are comfortable and able to meet all their *basic needs
May have some debt, but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs
Own their own home, or rent a higher end property
Own a car
Are employed or do not need to work to meet their needs
Have extended health benefits/insurance or adequate expendable income to cover health-related expenses
Have access to financial savings
Have an **expendable income
Can afford holidays or to take time off work

Discounted Fee $75

This fee is appropriate for individuals who:

Are able to meet their basic needs
May have some debt, but it does not prohibit meeting basic needs
Own their own home, or rent a property
Own a car
Are employed or self-employed
Have extended health benefits/insurance or adequate expendable income to cover health expenses
Have access to some financial savings
Have some expendable income
Can take an annual holiday without significant financial burden

Discounted Fee $50

This fee is appropriate for individuals who:

May have some stress about meeting their basic needs, but still regularly achieve them
May have some debt
Have mortgage or rental costs that exceed 40% of household income
Are employed or self-employed but only work part-time
Have limited extended health benefits/insurance
May own a car, but struggle to cover insurance, gas, and maintenance costs
Have limited financial savings
Have limited expendable income
Have to actively save in order to take a holiday

Discounted Fee $25

This fee is appropriate for individuals who:

Experience stress about meeting their basic needs, but are able to meet them more often than not
Have debt that sometimes prohibits meeting basic needs
Rent a lower-end property
Do not own a car, but can pay for transit or occasional car rentals
Are employed or self-employed but only part-time, or are underemployed
Have limited or no extended health benefits/insurance
Have no financial savings
Have very limited expendable income
Have to actively save to take a vacation, but this may cause financial burden and may not be possible every year

No Fee $0

The lowest fee ($0) is for those who struggle to meet basic needs and for whom paying for this service would pose a significant hardship. This is an appropriate fee for individuals who:

Frequently stress about meeting basic needs and do not always achieve them
Have debt that often prohibits them from meeting their basic needs
Rent lower-end properties or have unstable housing
Do not have a car, or have limited access to a car and gas or struggle to pay for transit
Are unemployed, underemployed, or have been unable to work due to physical or mental health issues or involvement with justice system
Have no extended health benefits/insurance
Qualify for government assistance, including ODSP, food stamps, etc.
Are supporting children, elders, or other dependents
Have no access to savings
Have no or very limited expendable income
Rarely buy new items because they are unable to afford them
Cannot afford a vacation or take time off work without significant financial burden

"Pay-It-Forward" Fee $125

This is slightly above the actual cost of the service, and that extra money goes towards supporting future free and low-cost counselling services for other clients in need. Essentially, it's an opportunity to not only get support, but to also support fellow community members at the same time. This is a suggested fee for individuals who:

Do not have any stress about finances or meeting basic needs
Have savings or assets that significantly outweigh debts
Own a second vacation or rental property
Own more than one car in the family
Are comfortably employed or have a comfortable lifestyle without needing to work
Are able to take multiple vacations or time off work without financial burden

Learn More...

*Basic needs include food, housing, and transportation.

**Expendable income might mean that you are able to buy coffee or tea at a shop, go to the movies or a concert, buy new clothes, books, and similar items each month, etc.

This "green bottle" framework was developed by Alexis J. Cunningworth, www.wortsandcunning.com with additions from Britt Hawthorne, www.embracingequity.org.