At this point, Ontario and other provincial health insurance programs do not cover social work services or most counselling services.

Private or extended health insurance through your employer will likely cover my services. Everyone has different plans, you would need to tell your provider that you would be seeing a Registered Social Worker/Psychotherapist.  They would then let you know your coverage. I do not bill directly, so you would need to submit your receipt.

You are also able to claim these receipts on your income tax.

I do not have an office presently. In the future, this might change and if it does, the office would be located in Barrie, Ontario.

I do not require a referral, simply visit the Book Now to register and book an appoint or if you want to book a 15-minutes free consultation go to the Contact Me page.

However, if you are covered by extended health care at work, they might require a doctor’s referral. So, please check with them.

You can send e-transfers to pat@patshelenko.ca or your credit card will be securely stored with your clinical records to be processed just after our meeting.

Which ever method, I would appreciate payment prior to or shortly after our session (or my response).

Scheduled or requested appointments will be confirmed within 24-hours.

The answer depends in part on the nature of your concerns. I do not view counselling as a long-term process. If we are both committed to the process, change should happen in a timely manner.

I am very sorry that, at this time, I am only able to serve permanent Canadian residents (even if they are temporarily located outside of Canada).

My apologies to non-permanent Canadian residents. Believe me, I would be very happy to serve an international community. Unfortunately, my licence only allows me to practice with people who are Canadian or permanent residents. This is a legal factor beyond my control.

I do not have a license to practice with people who are not considered permanent residents of Canada.

I am so glad you are dedicated to getting the most out of your sessions. Your active participation and dedication is crucial to your success. After all, I will only see you once a week or once every two weeks. It’s the work you do outside of our sessions that will really help you see your personal growth and development.

Yes, I have availability in the evening and for a few hours on Saturdays. Since my services are online currently, I am fairly flexible.

I have taken every possible step to protect your information on my end.  The platforms I use maintain College standards in how they manage and store any information.  The information is securely housed in Canadian servers. Please check out my Privacy Policy for more information.

I do provide a 15-minute video session for free. I offer these from 5pm to 6pm (EST) on Tuesdays. This will allow us to determine if we can work together.

I will not discuss our conversations with anyone without your permission. I will do my best to include you in any of these conversations.

There are three legal exceptions to confidentiality:  if there is a child at risk of harm, if you are at risk of harming yourself, or if you are at risk of harming someone else.  These are legislated exceptions to confidentiality.  If we ever enter this territory, you will likely know and it will be part of our conversations.

I can work with anyone over the age of 16. They are able to consent to counselling services. I will be determining their ability to understand the online process for consent purposes.

Confidentiality will be maintained even for my younger clients. I am not required to report to their parents. There are only three exceptions to this which involve disclosure of suicide, harming another, or child abuse.

If you are in immediate danger, please call 911 or go to your local emergency department.
Crisis Services Canada – call  1-833-456-4566 anytime or text 45645 from 4pm to midnight.
Kids Help Phone – online chat or call 1-800-668-6868 to speak to a counsellor
Transgender Crisis Line: 1-877-330-6366
Find a crisis centre in your province or territory.

If it is not a life threatening situation, and you feel you need to see me sooner than our next scheduled appointment, go online to and book an available time. Alternatively you can send me an email marked *urgent* in the subject line with a brief explanation to request if I have time available. I check my messages about twice a day, and will try to respond as quickly as I can.

We can cover other choices in session and develop a plan if needed.

This would be a good use of the 15-minute free session. It will also give us an opportunity to determine if we can work together. These are available on Tuesdays between 5pm and 6pm (EST). If you wish to request this, please visit the Contact Me page.

If you are ready to book, please click the link below and you will be taken to patshelenko.noustalk.com. This site is Canadian, has servers based in Canada and meets all of the OCSWSSW standards. This site provides the secure platform for my counselling services. You will be prompted to register and the booking process can begin. Book Now.

For individuals:  my fee is $140CD based on a session that is typically 50 minutes long with 10 minutes added to review previous session notes and ensure adequate case notes are documented for the current session. 

For couples and families: my fee is $210CAD which is for an 80-minute session with 10 minutes for preparation and note making.

I do not usually write during sessions unless there are specific details I need to track – I find it distracts me from paying attention to what is said.  If I am writing something during session, you will be aware of why.

Remember that some employer insurance plans cover the services of a social worker. Check with your insurance provider. Counselling services are also tax deductible.

If you are unable to attend a session, please make sure you cancel at least 24 hours beforehand. Otherwise, you may be charged for the full rate of the session.

For a full description of my professional background and training please click on About Me.

I have over twenty years of experience working with individuals, couples and groups dealing with:

• You can feel confident in the service you receive (see the About Me page).
• I am a Registered Social Worker with over 20 years experience
• I am affordable
• My services are healthy (socially distant), secure, and accessible as I provide only on-line services at this time with secure, end to end encryption, no apps to download and you can use computer, tablet or cell phone with an internet connection.
• Services can be claimed on your income tax (this will take you to the Canada Revenue Agency website)

I do offer a 15-minute free session on Tuesdays between 5pm and 6pm (EST). If you wish to request this 15-minutes for questions or to see if we can work together, please visit the Book Now – Contact Me page.

If you are ready to book, please click the link and you will be taken to patshelenko.noustalk.com. This site is Canadian, has servers based in Canada and meets all of the OCSWSSW standards. This site provides the secure platform for my counselling services. You will be prompted to register and the booking process can begin. BOOK NOW.