Frequently Asked Questions

Here you will find answers to questions on a number of topics. Click on a question below to expand the answer you are looking for. If you have a question that does not appear here, please contact us at info@kwcounselling.com or 519-884-0000.

Whether you are new to KW Counselling Services or have been here before, but it’s been a while – you can request an appointment online. You may also contact our Intake Team at 519-884-000 to book an appointment. The intake department will get a sense of what you are looking for from therapy, let you know what to expect from the process, and work with you to arrange for payment or appropriate subsidy. What should I have ready when I request counselling or speak with intake?

  • Your name and date of birth.
  • The names and dates of birth of anyone else attending counselling.
  • An address and a phone number where you may be safely contacted, and whether or not we can leave a message.
  • Whether or not you are covered by your own or a family member’s insurance. Our counselling staff are all either a Registered Social Worker (RSW) or Registered Psychotherapist (RP). Intake will ask what your coverage is for (RSW and/or RP) and what that coverage amount is.
  • Your family doctor’s name.
  • What issues you are hoping counselling will help with.
  • Your Intake Worker will then set up an appointment with a counsellor, or help you locate other community resources as appropriate.

Please read our guidelines for counselling with children and youth and contact our intake team at 519.884.0000 to discuss your child’s counselling needs.

No referral is required to access our services.

KW Counselling Services is committed to ensuring that no one is turned away due to an inability to pay for service. Our counselling is offered at $130*/session. Individuals are asked to have available their insurance or other benefits information to assist us in determine the best means of cost coverage for counselling.

*Those without insurance or other coverage may be eligible for funded programs or a sliding fee scale, which will take into account such factors as your household income and number of dependents. We will work with you and will not turn someone away due to financial barriers.”

Yes – our services are available for those out of the region, however, most of our subsidies are only available to residents of the Waterloo Region due to the nature of our funding. Please call our Intake Department for more information and associated costs 519.884.0000.

We are not an emergency service and cannot guarantee that an appointment will be available the same day you call. However, we do everything we possibly can to keep our wait times low, including holding Quick Access appointment slots for individuals who need to speak with the next available counsellor. Please call our Intake Department at 519.884.0000 for more information.

We offer counselling to individuals, couples/partners and families. Focusing on your strengths, we offer a diverse range of programs to assist you, your partner(s) or your family with a wide variety of issues including: Anxiety and Depression; Personal or Job Stress; Relationship Issues; Emotional Regulation; 2SLGTBQIA+ issues; Separation and Divorce; Parenting; Balancing Work and Family; Trauma; Grief and Loss; Gender-Based Abuse/Intimate Partner Violence or Domestic Violence; Adjusting to Life in Canada; Alcohol and Drug Use. For further information, please call our Intake Department at 519.884.0000.

We have a number of counsellors on staff that speak a variety of languages. Please contact us regarding our current capabilities. KW Counselling Services works closely with the Kitchener Waterloo Multicultural Centre. We aim to serve clients with a trained interpreter. For more information or to inquire about multi-lingual services, please call 519.884.0000.

Professional and confidential services are provided by over 25 experienced therapists and supervised placement students. All of the counselling staff at KW Counselling Services are Registered Social Workers (RSW) or Registered Psychotherapists (RP) and have experience working with individuals, couples, partners, children, teens, and families on a variety of topics. Placement students at KW Counselling Services come from the Master of Social Work program at Wilfrid Laurier University, the Couple and Family Therapy Program at the University of Guelph, or other recognized institutions.

Yes. KW Counselling Services believes that information gathered during the course of our work – about clients, donors, employees, interns, members of the Board, corporate clients and volunteers – is private and every safeguard should be taken to ensure that personal information is kept confidential, in keeping with sound, ethical principles of Human Service practices, The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Ontario) and the Personal Information Protection and Electronics Documents Act (Canada).

KW Counselling Services is permitted to use and disclose personal information to third parties without the individual’s knowledge and/or consent, where: KW Counselling Services is required to comply with a subpoena, a warrant or an order made by a court or other body with appropriate jurisdiction; KW Counselling Services has reasonable grounds to believe the information could be useful when investigating a contravention of a federal, provincial or foreign law and the information is used for that investigation; (an emergency exists that threatens an individual’s life, health or security; legally required to report a child who may be at risk of harm; required to report suspected professional abuse; a government agency or department requests the information; the information is publicly available; the use is clearly in the individual’s interest, and consent is not available in a timely way; knowledge and consent would compromise the availability or accuracy of the information; required by accrediting body; required by law.).

Yes. You will need to sign the consent form and return it to us. We will respond to these requests as soon as we are able. Requests can usually be fulfilled in 2-3 weeks.

If your employer has a contract with KW Counselling Services, contact us at 519.884.0000 to find out what services you are eligible for under that contract and book an appointment.

Payments for sessions can be made over the phone or through e-transfer. Please call 519.884.0000 and the receptionist will be happy to assist you.

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer child care.

We are located between Ottawa and Stirling (right beside Tim Horton’s) at 480 Charles Street East in Kitchener. N2G 4G8. Call 519.884.0000 for directions or click here for more information.

NOTE: The Walk-In Counselling Clinic is on pause at this time. We offer Quick-Access appointments that will schedule you with our next available counsellor and can be provided in person, or over phone or video. Please call our Intake Department at 519.884.0000 to get started.

Please click here to view your rights and responsibilities as a client. You can also access these through our Client Info portal on our homepage.