Toronto Psychology Clinic - FAQ

Where are you located?

Laksman Doell can be found at 27 Prince Arthur Avenue, which is located one block North of Bloor Street and in between Bedford Road and Avenue Road in downtown Toronto. We are less than a five-minute walk (150 metres) from the Bedford Road exit of the St. George subway station.

How do I make an appointment?

Please complete a request on the Contact Us page or email info@laksmandoell.com. Someone will connect with you within the next business day to see how we might best help you, and to determine if we have any appointments open that match your availability. We are also happy to provide recommendations for additional private practices and resources if we are unable to book an appointment with you at the present time.

Do I need a referral from my physician?

A referral is not required in order to set up an appointment at Laksman Doell. However, some insurance companies require a referral note from a physician before they will reimburse you for services that have been provided.

Are services covered by OHIP?

Registered clinical psychologists are not covered by OHIP, but you may have coverage from your employee benefits plan or private health insurance. We suggest contacting your provider to see how much coverage you do have, because amounts can vary considerably.

What is a psychologist?

In Ontario, a psychologist is a registered member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) and is a regulated health professional. This means that they are required to maintain a high standard of practice, and that any concerns about their conduct may be reported to the CPO. Although qualifications vary in different jurisdictions across Canada, within Ontario it is still the case that most psychologists, including all of those at Laksman Doell, have completed both Master's and Doctoral degrees in psychology, as well extensive, supervised clinical training. Psychologists have advanced training both in psychotherapeutic intervention and in the use of psychological assessment and diagnostic interviewing. This extensive training enables psychologists to understand people’s problems and to provide informed, evidence-based solutions.

Why should I see a regulated health professional?

In Ontario, regulated health professions are governed under the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA). This legislation establishes health regulatory colleges, which regulate the professions in the public interest, and ensure that health services are provided in a safe, professional, and ethical manner. This includes, amongst other things, setting standards of practice for the profession and establishing rules to govern the registration of new members, the investigation of complaints and the discipline of members of the profession who are not practicing in accordance with standards and legislation. These rules ensure that health professional regulation in Ontario is open, transparent and fair, particularly for the clients and members of the public whom the legislation is meant to protect. If you have concerns about the professionalism or practice of any regulated health professional in Ontario, you can contact their regulatory college. For psychologists, that would be the College of Psychologists of Ontario.

What is the difference between a psychologist or a psychiatrist?

The registration standards for psychologists require more training in the assessment and treatment of mental health than any other profession, and psychologists are uniquely trained to use psychological assessment measures in the service of diagnosis. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in the treatment of mental health, the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, and the prescription of medication.

Do psychologists prescribe medication?

No, psychologists cannot prescribe medication. Prescription of medication for mental health issues is limited to physicians, including psychiatrists.

How many sessions do people tend to see a psychologist for?

Every individual experiences therapy differently, and the frequency of sessions and overall length of treatment may vary. This is largely dependent on the nature of why an individual is seeking treatment and what it is that they are hoping to gain from sessions. For example, some people come to see a psychologist in order to develop coping strategies or for help with the reduction or management of specific symptoms, while others come to therapy to understand longstanding patterns that have developed over the course of their lives or to receive ongoing support from a trained professional.

What are the benefits of therapy?

There is an extensive literature base supporting the efficacy of psychotherapy for many individuals and couples. In very broad terms, the purpose of psychotherapy is to assist you in better understanding yourself, to relieve distress and to help you make positive changes to your emotional, behavioural, and psychological health and interpersonal functioning. Thus, the benefits of therapy are often tied to these very goals. Many people find therapy to be an important process in helping them to develop a better understanding and deeper acceptance of themselves, and there are a number of therapeutic interventions that have been shown to help individuals develop new skills, or to draw on their existing strengths, in order to promote more constructive and adaptive ways of coping, to improve the quality of their life and their relationships, and to live a life that they experience as more meaningful. At Laksman Doell treatment is personalized to each client and is guided by best evidence, based on current academic research.

What does an initial session look like?

The goal of most initial sessions is to assess your symptoms and needs and to begin to develop a shared understanding of your strengths and difficulties in order to determine appropriate treatment recommendations, and to ensure that you and your psychologist are a good match. Confidentiality will also be discussed. The security of knowing that your sessions are private and confidential is imperative to building a trusting, open alliance. The relationship that is formed between therapists and clients – the “therapeutic alliance” – is one of the strongest predictors of treatment success, and it is important that your psychologist is both experienced by you as someone with the expertise to help you and as someone with whom you can be open, honest and comfortable with. We will seek to understand your reasons for coming to therapy, whether it was a particular event or crisis, difficulties with relationships or work, or your experience of distressing thoughts, emotions or behaviours. It is also important for us to understand your goals and expectations about what you would like the outcomes of this process to be. You will be asked questions that will help us to collaboratively gain a broader understanding of your personal and family history, and which allow us to complete a thorough assessment of your needs so that we can move forward together with an effective plan for treatment.

What is the policy for cancellations or missed sessions?

Our cancellation policy requires 24 hour notice when cancelling or rescheduling an appointment. Without such notice, the full session fee may be charged for missed or cancelled appointments that were held for you.

Where do you hold your sessions?

At Laksman Doell, we are deeply committed to the principles of choice and equity. Thus, we offer a range of options related to the accessibility of our services. We offer in person appointments at our physical location at 27 Prince Arthur Avenue in Toronto, and we offer remote therapy via secure PHIPA-compliant videoconferencing platforms for those individuals who have mobility concerns or who would otherwise prefer not to meet in person. In addition, with respect to equity of remote services, we acknowledge that not everyone has access to video technology or to a private space at home. We offer phone sessions to accommodate this, and to allow you to attend sessions from wherever you feel most comfortable.

Where can I park?

Laksman Doell does not have any dedicated parking spots, but there is ample paid parking in the vicinity of our location. This includes limited street parking on both Bedford Road and Prince Arthur Avenue that is managed by Green P. There is also a large Green P parking lot at 9 Bedford Road and a smaller paid lot managed by TargetPark that is adjacent to an apartment building just across the street from Laksman Doell at 20 Prince Arthur Avenue.

How do you give back?

At Laksman Doell, we are dedicated to helping individuals who have historically not had access to evidence-based psychotherapy. As such, the psychologists at Laksman Doell each have their own vision of pro bono work that is aimed at giving back to underserved populations, and to promoting high-quality training, supervision and practice. Moreover, as an organization, Laksman Doell believes in giving back to our community through support of charitable organizations that make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals who are struggling with mental health challenges.

Is my health information private and secure?

At Laksman Doell, we are deeply committed to protecting your privacy and to ensuring the confidentiality and protection of your personal health information. We recognize the importance of collecting, using and disclosing personal information responsibly and only to the extent necessary in order to provide you with the services that you have consented to receive. We operate in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), which is the primary legislation that governs the handling of personal information by all regulated health professionals within the province of Ontario. Moreover, we strive to be open and transparent regarding our practices, and you can read more about our privacy policies and procedures in the Privacy section of our website.

What if I have an emergency situation?

If you are experiencing significant distress and feel that you are in need of immediate help or support, then please seek professional services. In case of an emergency, you should go to the Emergency Department of your nearest hospital or call 911. If you are in crisis and need to talk to someone for guidance, then you can call a distress line (e.g.,Crisis Services Canada at 1-833-456-4566, the Distress Centres of Greater Toronto at 416-408-4357, or the Gerstein Crisis Centre at 416-929-5200). There are crisis workers available to speak to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What information can I access about a loved one’s care?

When a loved one is in distress, or is receiving care from a professional, it is understandable that you might want access to information that would help you to understand what your loved one is going through or how you might be helpful to them. However, in the context of the Canadian healthcare system, what a treating professional is allowed to share without the consent of their client is extremely limited. In most cases, psychologists are not permitted to share any information with the family members of their clients, except for circumstances where family members may be paying for their loved one’s treatment and then they are entitled to receive billing information regarding the name of the treating psychologist, and the dates, length and cost of sessions that have been attended or those that have been booked and unattended. The other extenuating circumstance would be in situations where a family member has been listed as an emergency contact person and a treating professional has reason to believe that your loved one may be a danger to themself or others.

While we understand that the lack of access to information can sometimes feel frustrating for family members, it is also important to note that the privacy and confidentiality of your loved one’s personal health information is of paramount concern for us. This is both because privacy and confidentiality are crucial components to ensuring that individuals can trust and feel safe in the therapeutic relationship that they have with their treating psychologist, and also because we are required to act in accordance with all legislation governing the handling of personal health information. The practice of psychology in Ontario is regulated under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA), and as such, all the information that we obtain from and about your loved one in the course of their treatment is considered to be personal health information that is legislated under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA).

If you are feeling at a loss as to how to best support your loved one and you believe that it might be helpful to speak with their treating psychologist, then this is something that we would encourage you to speak with your loved one about. If this is something that your loved one agrees would be helpful for them, then we would be happy to facilitate a family meeting so that everyone can have a chance to meet together in order to answer any questions or address any concerns that you may have.

What happens if I want to share information about a loved one with their psychologist?

There are times when you may want to share important information with your loved one’s treating psychologist. Often this happens in contexts where you may be concerned that your loved one is not willing, or able, to accurately share relevant information about their experiences. Sometimes it may also be the case that you have access to information that your loved one does not. Wanting to share this information is understandable, and when done collaboratively with the individual(s) directly receiving care, can be indispensable to your loved one’s wellbeing. However, psychologists handle information received by clients and information received by other parties differently. We want to be as transparent as possible about what we do with that information and our rationale for doing so.

While there is legislation in place to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the personal health information of individuals who are receiving treatment within our practice, what this means is that we are not able to release any information about an individual without their express consent except for in extreme and limited circumstances. There are, however, no protections that prohibit the sharing of information that we receive about an individual with that individual. In fact, our policy at Laksman Doell is such that if a family member reaches out to provide information about a loved one, then this is something that we will most certainly share with their loved one at either the time of their next clinical contact or the earliest time that feels appropriate. This transparency is of crucial importance in maintaining the trust and safety of the therapeutic relationship that individuals have with their treating psychologist. We will not withhold information regarding contact from family members or what they share, but we will endeavor to share this information as sensitively as possible to protect the integrity of those important relationships.

When we receive contact from a family member or loved one, our policy is to not respond to that contact until we have first had a chance to speak to the individual about whom the information was provided. That way we can ensure that all of the individuals under our care are comfortable with the information that is being provided about them and their care. Should your loved one not wish for us to respond to your contact at all, then you may not receive a response at all (or if the information that you provided shared concerns about your loved one’s safety, then you may receive a generic response with a list of resources). Please rest assured though, that any time we receive information that might suggest that an individual is at risk, that their treating psychologist would assess this risk at the soonest possible clinical encounter.

Frequently Asked Questions