Mental Health Support

Mental health supports tailored to the needs of our community.

MAX is working with AccessMHA and the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy (OSP) program at The Royal to connect community members to existing mental health services and to develop new programs specifically for our community.

We aim to connect you with services that are both useful and culturally appropriate, whether it’s through peer support, professional counselling, or resources you can read at your own pace.

Fill out the form below to sign up for mental health support and someone from the MAX team will reach out to you with next steps.

Ontario Structured Psychotherapy (OSP) Program FAQs

What is OSP?

OSP provides free, evidence-based psychological treatments (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – CBT) for people living in Ontario who experience depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, or post-traumatic stress symptoms.
OSP services in Eastern Ontario are led by The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. Services are delivered by clinicians at The Royal, or by clinicians at service delivery partners across Eastern Ontario (e.g., Montfort Hospital, Jewish Family Services, Connectwell, Cornwall Community Hospital, Hawkesbury General Hospital, Pembroke Regional Hospital, AMHS-KFLA, etc.).
Depending on a person’s needs and preferences, CBT can be accessed in lower intensity (guided self-help or internet-based treatments offered by OSP service partners), and/or higher intensity (weekly individual or group psychotherapy) provided by our registered clinicians.

AccessMHA vs OSP

AccessMHA is the entry point to OSP, as well as to several other services throughout Eastern Ontario. AccessMHA provides service navigation for anyone age 16 or older looking for mental health, substance use health, or addictions services.
OSP does not require a physician referral, so you don't need to have a doctor in order to access the program.
Anyone can self-refer to, and schedule directly into an appointment with AccessMHA at https://www.accessmha.ca/. Wait times can vary, but typically you can schedule your screening appointment with AccessMHA within a few weeks.
If you are working with a Primary Care Provider (PCP), and would prefer that your PCP send the referral to AccessMHA, this is also possible.
If the AccessMHA screening suggests that OSP is the right option for your needs and preferences, AccessMHA will refer you directly to OSP.

What can I expect next?

When AccessMHA makes a referral to OSP, OSP administrative staff will contact you to schedule a first appointment.
Everyone referred to OSP first does an intake assessment with a registered clinician to make sure that OSP is the right fit for them and if so, to pick the most relevant service option.
If you are referred to begin with a low-intensity service (guided self-help or internet based CBT), you can typically expect to start services within a few weeks. Anyone who starts at lower intensity services can ask to be transferred to higher intensity individual or group CBT at any time throughout their service.
If you are referred to start with individual or group psychotherapy, you will be placed on a waitlist for the specific service you are looking for, and matched with a clinician who has the training and experience required to provide that care. We attempt to keep wait times as low as possible, but wait times for individual or group treatment can be a few months. You may want to start lower intensity services (like guided reading) in the meantime, if this is feasible for you.

What information will I be asked to provide?

At your first appointment, and throughout treatment, you will be invited to share demographic information, relevant personal history, information about your current concerns, your ways of coping, any risk factors you experience, and your goals for treatment.
You will also be asked to complete weekly outcome monitoring measures (brief self-report questionnaires about symptoms) to keep track of their progress, inform decisions about treatment, and to ensure the program’s effectiveness.

How is my information documented, stored, and protected?

Protection of your personal health information is governed by law under the Ontario Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). This Act sets out rules that healthcare providers must follow when collecting, using, sharing, and storing your personal health information.
AccessMHA and the OSP will keep a record of every relevant contact they have with you, including telephone contacts, email contacts, session notes of in-person or virtual meetings, formal reports, details of any communications with other providers involved in your care, and records of any information received to or released from your health record.
MAX doesn't keep or store personal health information beyond what is needed to make a referral.
The information that you share during the course of your care will be summarized in session notes, and when relevant in a treatment summary, which will be stored on your electronic health record at the specific agency where your treating clinician works (The Royal, or one of the OSP service delivery partners across Eastern Ontario).

Who has access to my information, and will it be shared with others?

To facilitate your care, OSP staff at The Royal (OSP leadership, clinical consultants, administrative staff and some clinicians), and when receiving treatment services at a service delivery partner, OSP clinicians and program managers at the specific OSP satellite site, have access to OSP client information. Clinicians in OSP participate in regular, ongoing consultation with a Clinical Consultant who is a registered Psychologist at The Royal OSP. As a result, your clinician will discuss your progress with their Clinical Consultant either individually or with other clinicians who are part of the same ongoing clinical consultation group.
The information you share during your care is confidential, and will not be shared outside of the OSP program without your consent. However, there are specific circumstances in which we may be obligated by law to share your personal health information (e.g., in cases of imminent risk to oneself or others, or to comply with legislation) – these will be reviewed with you in detail at your first appointment.
If you would like us to share information with another healthcare provider or third party, we will ask for your written consent to do so. You can also request to access the content of your health record at any time.