Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program

Support will range from self-led tools (with support from a coach) to weekly, one-on-one or group therapy sessions. Treatment is matched to the level of care that best meets your needs, in person or virtually. These include:

• Guided self-help resources: The BounceBack program includes self-help workbooks based in CBT, and up to six coaching sessions provided by phone.
• Psychotherapy: Individual and/or group CBT sessions are delivered in person or online through video conference.

CBT helps you look at how your thoughts, emotions and actions are related. You learn practical skills to reduce your symptoms, enhance your strengths, and improve your quality of life. 

CBT teaches practical lifelong skills such as how to:

• Be more aware of the impact your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs have on your emotional and behavioural reactions
• Identify and change thinking patterns that may be negative, inaccurate and contribute to your depression or anxiety
• Change unhelpful behaviours such as avoidance, and
• Use problem solving skills to manage challenging situations.

Many clients will begin with treatments that combine self-led strategies, such as guided workbooks, with support from a coach by telephone. Additional services may include structured group or one-on-one therapy, virtually or in person.

Clients will want to take an active role in their recovery including:

• regularly completing questionnaires to assess their mood and anxiety,
• keeping track of mood/anxiety-related thoughts and actions,
• reading about and practicing mental health strategies, and
• attending therapy meetings (if required).

OSP is now open for referrals. Health care providers across the region are being informed of this service and how to refer. If your health care provider has been contacted and feels this service is of benefit to you, you will be referred. In future, you will be able to also self-refer to the service. Stay tuned for more information on when this will be available.

Once a referral is received, you will be contacted by telephone to gather additional information for screening purposes. If, following that screening, it is determined services may be appropriate, you will be booked an appointment for a Clinical Intake and Triage assessment. The assessment will determine whether the program is a good fit for your needs and which service is most appropriate for you to start with.