Choosing to start therapy is one of the most meaningful decisions you can make for your mental health. But once that decision is made, a second question often follows close behind: How do you want to do it? These days, Ontarians have more flexibility than ever before, with both virtual and in-person therapy widely available across the province. Here at Brock Counselling, we offer both formats — because we believe the right support should meet you where you are, in every sense of the word.
The Rise of Virtual Therapy in Ontario
Not long ago, therapy meant sitting in a waiting room, driving across town, and carving out a significant chunk of your day. That picture has changed dramatically.
Virtual therapy — delivered over secure video platforms — has grown from a niche option to a mainstream, clinically supported format. In Ontario, the shift accelerated during the pandemic, but the demand never went back down. Clients discovered something important: healing doesn’t require a specific room.
Session fees for therapy in Ontario can vary widely depending on the provider, credentials, and format — many private insurance plans cover virtual and in-person sessions equally, so it’s always worth checking your benefits before assuming one format will cost more.
For many people, virtual therapy removed the last remaining barrier between them and getting help.
When Virtual Therapy Works Best
Virtual therapy is not a compromise. For many clients, it is genuinely the better fit.
- You live outside major urban centres, where local therapist options may be limited or waitlists are long
- Your schedule is unpredictable, and a 50-minute session that begins the moment you open your laptop fits your life better than a 2-hour time block that includes commuting
- You’re dealing with anxiety, agoraphobia, or trauma responses that make leaving the house feel genuinely difficult
- You travel frequently for work and need consistency across weeks
- You have mobility limitations or a chronic health condition that makes regular travel challenging
- You feel more comfortable opening up in a familiar environment like your own home
The therapeutic relationship — the single most researched predictor of positive outcomes — forms just as meaningfully over a screen. Studies consistently show that virtual CBT, trauma therapy, and emotion-focused approaches produce results comparable to face-to-face formats.
When In-Person Therapy Has the Edge
For some clients and some issues, sharing a physical space with a therapist carries a weight that a screen simply cannot replicate. This isn’t about quality — it’s about fit.
In-person sessions tend to be particularly valuable when the work involves grounding techniques and somatic (body-based) responses, where a therapist needs to observe and respond to physical cues in real time. For children and youth, especially those accessing Play Therapy, the physical environment and the props within it are part of the therapeutic tool itself. Young clients are often more present and engaged when they can move, touch, and interact with their surroundings.
There’s also something to be said for the ritual of it. Traveling to a session, sitting in a dedicated space, and returning home can help some people mentally separate their “therapy self” from their everyday routine — a kind of psychological container for the work.
Online therapy platforms in Ontario are required to use PHIPA-compliant technology to protect your health information — the same privacy standards apply whether your sessions are held in a clinic or on a screen.
For clients working through particularly intense trauma or dissociative experiences, some therapists also prefer in-person contact, where they can better regulate the pace of the session and offer grounding support in the moment.
Comparing the Practical Side
Let’s be straightforward about the everyday logistics, because these matter too.
Accessibility and Flexibility Virtual therapy wins here. No parking, no gas, no childcare arrangements during a session. You can join from a parked car, a home office, or a private corner of your workplace. For parents, caregivers, and anyone juggling a full schedule, this is not a minor point.
Privacy and Setting In-person therapy offers a guaranteed private, professional space. Virtual therapy requires you to create one. Not everyone has a room with a door they can close, and that is a real consideration — especially for those in shared households or small living spaces.
Technology Virtual sessions depend on a stable internet connection and a device with a camera. For most Ontarians, this is not a barrier, but it is worth acknowledging.
Continuity Virtual therapy makes it significantly easier to maintain your therapeutic relationship through life changes — a move, a new job, a baby. The therapist you’ve built trust with doesn’t have to change just because your circumstances do.
How to Choose: A Few Questions Worth Sitting With
There is no universal answer. The better question is: what does your healing need right now?
Consider what your gut says when you picture each scenario. Do you feel relieved at the thought of logging on from home? Or does that feel too informal, too easy to close the laptop and avoid the hard stuff? Do you feel safer with physical distance, or do you need the grounded presence of another person across the room?
It’s also worth thinking about the nature of what you’re bringing to therapy. Grief, relationship issues, anxiety, and depression respond well to both formats. Parenting support, family conflict, and work with younger children tend to be better suited to in-person contact.
The therapist’s credentials matter regardless of format — in Ontario, look for Registered Social Workers (RSW) or Registered Psychotherapists (RP), whose sessions are often eligible for insurance reimbursement through your employer benefits plan.
And finally: you don’t have to choose permanently. Many clients begin virtually and transition to in-person as their comfort grows, or alternate between formats depending on the season of life they’re in. A good therapist will work with you, not around you.
Finding the Right Fit at Brock Counselling
Whether you are stepping into our Burlington office or joining us from your living room, our team brings the same trauma-informed, strengths-based, client-centred approach to every session. We work with individuals, youth, and families across a range of concerns — from anxiety and depression to grief, trauma, parenting challenges, and relationship difficulties — using evidence-based methods including CBT, DBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and more.
The format is a starting point. The work is what matters. If you’re ready to take the first step, we invite you to book a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation so we can talk through what kind of support would suit you best.