Appointments and Frequently Asked Questions​

Sometimes the challenges we face in our daily lives become too difficult to manage alone. We may need someone to talk to who can help us find solutions. Resolve is a non-profit, social service agency which offers a variety of counselling programs; one-to-one, with couples and families, or in groups to help people cope with the challenges of:

Resolve is strongly committed to anti-discrimination practices for all our clients, volunteers and employees. Our services are available to everyone living or working in our community, regardless of their age, cultural background, race or sexual orientation. In order to serve our growing and diverse population, we offer service in numerous languages and our offices are wheelchair accessible.

At Resolve, we offer an encouraging and supportive environment. Our skilled professional counsellors will help you explore and understand your problem, and help you develop solutions. You will initially connect with a counsellor from our intake team who will assess your situation and recommend a program to fit your needs.  This may be connecting with a counsellor, a group or our walk in.  The intake counsellor will help guide you through this process.

Counselling can be a very rewarding experience, but it takes hard work and dedication. That’s why it is important to attend all your scheduled sessions and be open to new ways of looking at yourself. It is also important to be an active participant and to tell us what you find helpful or unhelpful throughout the counselling process.

If you can’t attend a scheduled appointment, please notify us at least 24 hours before your session. This way we can offer your time to another client.

If you don’t give us at least 24 hours advance notice, you will be required to pay for the session in programs that charge fees, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

We understand how important it is for you to feel comfortable with your counsellor and this can take time. That’s why we encourage you to get to know your counsellor before deciding whether their style is right for you. If you still think you will have difficulty working together, you can ask to speak with the intake counsellor and request a new counsellor. Together we’ll find a solution.

All your personal data and anything discussed between you and your counsellor is private and confidential within Resolve. To get advice on how to be most helpful to you, your counsellor may consult with the service team, colleagues within Resolve, supervisor or program consultant. We will not provide other individuals with your information without your written consent.

There are some special circumstances where we may release information regarding your counselling:

• if we believe you or someone else is in imminent danger of physical harm, and information we have might prevent it;
• if a child under 16 may be at risk of abuse;
• if we’re subpoenaed by a court of law;
• or if we’re presented with a search warrant.

For more information, please visit our Privacy & Confidentiality page.

We provide services at several locations. We are serving South Eastern Ontario with office locations in Kingston, Ottawa, and Napanee.

Kingston (Main Office)

417 Bagot Street. Kingston, ON K7K 3C1

Tel: (613) 549-7850

Napanee Office

113 Richmond Blvd—Unit #16, Napanee, ON K7R 3Z8

Tel: (613) 549-7850

Free parking is available at our Kingston, Napanee, Verona and Sydenham locations.  Paid parking is available at our Ottawa location

Unless they are part of the session or group work, you can not bring your children with you. However, if they do not require supervision, they can wait for you in the general waiting room.

We offer practical solutions, short-term counselling to individuals and families going through various difficult situations. We are not a drop-in or crisis service, however, we do offer a weekly mental health clinic. To learn more about our counselling service, read about our Counselling Services.

Resolve Individual and Family Program counsellors are experienced social workers or psychotherapists. They have post-graduate education at the Master’s level. Resolve’s Women’s Program counsellors have post-secondary education, and specialize in Intimate Partner Violence counselling.

At any time you may request a copy of our client record for you.  Please contact us and we will send you a request form. We will need you to sign a consent form before we release this information.  Your file will be redacted to take out any information that is not about you personally.

For your protection, once your record is written, we at Resolve cannot change it. However, if you find statements that are not factually accurate or opinions you disagree with, you can add corrected information to the record. You can do this after reviewing your file. You will need to send us your corrections. Please sign and date your information. Once you’ve submitted your corrected information, it will go on the record.

We want to know what you think of our service. All our staff welcome your comments and we encourage you to speak with your counsellor directly about any concerns you may have about our service.

For any questions, concerns or complaints please see our complaints policy and procedure here. You can also make a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario by calling 416-326-3333.

Resolve strives to provide high quality, accessible services. With help from the United Way and donors to our agency, some subsidized counselling is provided in programs that are not supported by outside revenues or where we are required, through funding contracts, to charge for services. Our intake team can help you apply for a subsidy.

Fees for counselling services range from $15 to $110 per hour. Some groups also have fees. Clients who are unable to pay the full fee can apply for a subsidy. Subsidized fees are based on total household income before tax and family size.

When you first contact us, and if you require a subsidized fee, we will provide you with a subsidy request form or you can download it here. This form will ask you for information about your total household income before tax and how many people live in the household. It is a good idea to have an income tax notice of assessment or other information related to your income available for this form. When you are contacted for your first appointment, we will provide you with the fee you will be expected to pay. The staff person you meet with will review this and set the actual fee with you. You will be asked to sign a fee contract at this time and pay this fee at the end of your first interview.

Talk to the Resolve staff person you will be working with and they will determine how much we will ask you to pay. We may ask you to provide us with proof of expenses if your fee is going to be reduced. We may also suggest that you attend our walk-in clinic, which is fully funded by the United Way.

If your income permits you to pay a fee, it is expected that you will do so. If you choose not to pay, we will not be able to provide service.

Income can go up or down. If this happens to you, please talk to the staff person you are working with so they can work to determine if we can make an adjustment to your fee. We may need you to provide us with proof of expenses if this occurs.

The minimum fee charged for counselling services is for one hour. Your counselling appointment may be for 50 minutes so that the staff person can use the remaining 10 minutes to make notes on your work together. Fees for groups are based on a group rate.

Yes. If your counselling appointment continues beyond the hour, you will be charged based on the quarter hour. For example, if your appointment goes for 1 hour and 10 minutes, you will be charged for 1.25 hours.

There is normally no charge for brief telephone calls to set up or confirm appointments or to provide brief information. If you and your staff person decide to set up a telephone or e-counselling interview your counselling fee will apply.

If you do not provide 24 hours notice of an appointment you cannot make, you will be charged for the missed appointment. If you are late for an appointment, your fee will be charged based from the time your appointment was set. We are not able to extend appointments if you are late.

To notify us that you need to cancel an appointment, please call the staff person you are working with and leave a message. We make every effort to start appointments on time. Sometimes our staff may have to deal with an emergency and if this happens, we will let you know. We appreciate your understanding. In such situations, you will only pay a fee from the time the interview starts.

If materials are a part of the counselling or group work you are doing, you will be told in advance whether there is an additional fee.

You will pay your fee at the end of your first appointment with us. At each subsequent appointment, please pay your fee before your appointment.

We accept cash, debit, VISA and MasterCard.

Yes, we accept these plans; however, it is your responsibility to clarify what your plan covers. Some plans are very specific about who can deliver your service (for example, a registered social worker). If you have such a plan, please review this with your benefits provider before you start service and tell us. We will do our best to match you to the required professional but we cannot guarantee we will be able to do so.

Services provided under private plans are billed at $100 per hour for counselling appointments. If you use your total plan coverage in a given year before you finish your service with us, we will re-assess your fee based on our sliding scale.

Under the Income Tax Act, if service is provided to you by a Registered Social Worker this is considered a medical expense by Revenue Canada. If you plan to use your receipts for tax purposes, check with the staff person you are working with to determine if they are Registered Social Worker or Registered Psychotherapist. Keep all receipts for tax purposes to support your claim. More information is available through the Canada Revenue Agency.