FAQ's
Where are you located?
Our Ottawa offices are in the downtown YMCA-YWCA located at 180 Argyle Avenue, between O’Connor Street and Metcalfe Street. The Men’s Project administrative office is room 321 on the third floor.
What are the costs for your services? Do you have any subsidized services?
All of our services have fees - some are offered on a sliding fee scale (Men & Healing and Fathering group programs). Please see the Counselling section of our website for the most up to date information.
Will I be covered by my extended health care benefits?
Our experience has been that the large majority of our clients with health care benefits are reimbursed by insurance providers. Many of The Men's Project’s therapists are supervised by registered psychologists and can provide receipts for our services that have fees attached to them. Most health care benefits plans provide coverage for psychological services, up to a certain amount per calendar year. Check your policy to find out what coverage you have and to ensure that it includes group and/or individual counselling. Some plans require a referral from a physician.
Can your fee-for-service groups be covered by Ontario Works or O.D.S.P.?
Our understanding is that some social services may have discretionary funds available for initiatives such as counselling for the people they serve. Please check with your social service worker to see what arrangements could be made.
Do you provide services in French?
Yes, we provide services in French. However, these are currently not as ample as those offered in English, and we are looking to expand in this area. While we provide individual counselling services in French, we do not currently offer any of our group programs in French. The Men's Project’s Intake Services is able to provide general information and referrals in both French and English.
Do you have wait-lists?
As you can appreciate, wait times will vary depending on the volume of interest in a particular program at the time of your call. Please contact Intake Services for general information regarding projected start dates of specific groups.
Do you offer evening or weekend appointments?
There are a number of therapists working with The Men’s Project. While some of them are able to accommodate evening and/or weekend appointments, others prefer to keep their work schedule to our regular office hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Do you provide services to gay and/or bisexual men?
Absolutely. Gay and bisexual men are welcome in all our group and individual counselling services.
Do you provide services to women?
Yes, we do offer individual counselling for women - they are included in our mission statement "to serve men and their families". Women often call our agency for service due to the reputation of our clinical staff, or to work on a number of specialty issues that our staff have particular expertise.
We also run a Partner's Group for the spouses/partners of men enrolled in the Men and Healing program. Our therapists provide couples' counselling as well.
Are there similar services in other Ontario communities?
For the most accurate information on counselling services in your area, we suggest that you contact a local family service agency, community resource centre or the nearest United Way initiative. You may also find information through your local hospital and the telephone directory. A large part of the work at The Men’s Project involves supporting men and their families who have been affected by sexual abuse and victimization. As such, we do our best to keep informed about Ontario-based services for male survivors. If you are trying to locate a service relevant to male sexual victimization, the Ministry of the Attorney General (Ontario) has funded a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week Support Services for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Line; please call 1-866-887-0015.
