Niwa Therapy Centre
Therapy for your clients — referrals from legal & settlement services
Niwa Therapy Centre provides virtual psychotherapy to adults across Ontario, including refugee claimants covered by IFHP. Your client is offered a free consultation within one week, and we coordinate the prescription and pre-authorization with their physician.
Within one week
from referral to consultation
1 week
to a free consultation
IFHP
paperwork coordinated
3
languages: EN · FR · FA
$0
to eligible claimants
What we commit to
We coordinate IFHP paperwork
We work with the client's physician for the prescription and submit the pre-authorization ourselves.
A free consultation within one week
Your client speaks with a clinician to find the right fit before anything begins.
Treatment letters, with consent
With written consent, we provide letters documenting that treatment is underway.
Care in the client's language
Sessions in English, French, and Farsi. Clients are welcome to bring their own interpreter.
How to refer, in about a minute
Send the essentials
The client's name, a contact number, and a line about what's going on.
We coordinate coverage
We work with the physician on the IFHP prescription and pre-authorization, or confirm private coverage.
We begin, and document
Your client is offered a free consultation; with consent we provide treatment-documentation letters.
Prefer something to print or keep on file?
A one-page summary you can print or hand to a client.
What we help with
Adults 18+. Psychological assessments and expert reports require a psychologist.
Who provides the care
Pouya Bakhshaei, MD
Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #15729)
English · Farsi
Sara Gharibi
Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #9902)
English · French · Farsi
Why it matters to your file
Stabilizing treatment protects both the person and your timeline — consistent, documented support from a regulated clinician through a long process. Nothing is shared with immigration authorities or anyone else without the client's written consent.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I refer a client?+
Send the client's name, a contact number, and a brief note — by email, fax, or our online referral. No portal or account is needed, and self-referral is welcome.
Does IFHP cover therapy?+
IFHP may cover psychotherapy for eligible claimants, but not automatically — it requires a physician's prescription and pre-authorization before sessions begin. We work with the client's physician and submit the pre-authorization ourselves.
What if my client isn't IFHP-eligible?+
Most extended health plans reimburse a Registered Psychotherapist. Otherwise sessions are $180 for 50 minutes, the first 15-minute consultation is free, and a limited number of sliding-scale spots are available.
Can you provide documentation for the file?+
With the client's written consent, we provide treatment-documentation letters confirming that care is underway. We do not provide psychological assessments or expert reports — those require a psychologist.
Is anything shared with immigration authorities?+
No. Everything the client shares is confidential under Ontario's health privacy law (PHIPA). Nothing is shared with immigration authorities, a lawyer, or anyone else without the client's written consent.
What languages are available?+
Sessions run in English, French, and Farsi, and clients are welcome to bring their own interpreter.
How quickly is my client seen?+
Your client is offered a free 15-minute consultation within one week of the referral. If our schedule is full, you hear the same week.
What do you help with?+
Adults 18+: anxiety, depression and low mood, trauma and PTSD, adjustment difficulties, grief, and the strain of migration and settlement — including the waiting that comes with a claim.
How are sessions delivered?+
Virtually — by secure video or by phone — anywhere in Ontario. Sessions are 50 minutes, scheduled around the client's life.
Can the client choose their therapist?+
Yes. And if it isn't the right fit, we say so plainly and help the client find a better match — including outside our practice.
Are you a crisis service?+
No. A client in immediate danger should call or text 9-8-8 or contact emergency services.
Refer a client to care
A free consultation within one week, IFHP paperwork coordinated, and treatment-documentation letters with consent.