Niwa Therapy Centre
Psychotherapy referrals for physicians, NPs & health care providers
Niwa Therapy Centre provides virtual psychotherapy for adults across Ontario and reports back to the referring provider. We accept referrals from physicians, nurse practitioners, and other health care providers. Your patient is offered a free consultation within one week, and with written consent your office receives confirmation that intake occurred.
Within one week
from referral to consultation
1 week
to a free consultation
1 business day
we reply to your office
CRPO
registered clinicians
3
languages spoken
What we commit to
We acknowledge your referral
You'll know it arrived, not wonder — a reply to your office within one business day.
A free consultation within one week
Your patient speaks with a clinician, not an intake coordinator.
We close the loop, with consent
With written consent, your office is told that intake occurred and care is underway.
Treatment, not assessment
We provide focused psychotherapy. Assessments and formal reports require a psychologist.
How to refer, in about a minute
Send the essentials
The patient's name, a contact number, and a line about the concern. Fax or email works.
We consult within a week
Your patient is offered a free consultation with a clinician to find the right fit.
We report back
With written consent, your office hears that intake occurred and care is underway.
Prefer something to print or keep on file?
A one-page summary you can print or hand to a client.
A note from our founder
“Before I trained as a psychotherapist, I practised medicine — and I learned burnout from the inside. High-functioning, still showing up, quietly running on empty. It taught me that the people who hold everyone else together are often the last to ask for help. I built Niwa so they'd have somewhere to turn — care that's practical, confidential, and built around a real life, not an idealized one.”
Pouya Bakhshaei, MD
Registered Psychotherapist · Founder, Niwa Therapy Centre
Medical degree (MD)Our clinical scope
Focused psychotherapy for adults (18+) across Ontario. Treatment rather than assessment.
Who provides the care
Pouya Bakhshaei, MD
Medical degree (MD)Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #15729)
English · Farsi
Sara Gharibi
Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #9902)
English · French · Farsi
Cost & coverage
- $180 for a 50-minute session
- First 15-minute consultation is free
- Most extended health plans reimburse a Registered Psychotherapist
- Direct billing via TELUS eClaims where the plan permits
- NIHB enrolled · IFHP prescription & pre-auth coordinated
- Limited sliding-scale spots available
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I refer, and can I fax?+
Send the patient's name, a contact number, and a brief reason — by fax or email, or point the patient to our online referral. No portal or account is needed.
Will I receive confirmation back?+
Yes. With the patient's written consent, your office is told that intake occurred and care is underway. We reply to your office within one business day of the referral. Without consent, we cannot confirm anything.
How quickly is my patient seen?+
Your patient is offered a free 15-minute consultation within one week of the referral. If our schedule is ever full, you hear the same week so you can refer elsewhere without losing time.
Is this treatment or assessment?+
Treatment. We provide focused psychotherapy for adults. Psychological assessments, capacity evaluations, and formal expert reports require a psychologist and are outside our scope.
Who provides the care?+
Two Registered Psychotherapists. Pouya Bakhshaei holds a medical degree (MD) and practises as a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #15729; English, Farsi), and Sara Gharibi is a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #9902; English, French, Farsi). Both registrations are verifiable on the CRPO public register.
How is it covered?+
$180 for a 50-minute session, with a free 15-minute consultation. Most extended health plans reimburse a Registered Psychotherapist (direct-billed via TELUS eClaims where permitted). We're an enrolled NIHB provider, and IFHP psychotherapy — which needs a prescription and pre-authorization — is coordinated with your office. A limited number of sliding-scale spots are available.
What do you treat, and for whom?+
Adults 18+: anxiety and stress, depression and low mood, burnout, relationship difficulties, trauma and PTSD, OCD, life transitions, and ADHD support. We are a treatment service, not a diagnostic or assessment service.
How are sessions delivered?+
Virtually — by secure video or by phone — anywhere in Ontario. Sessions are 50 minutes, typically weekly or biweekly, set collaboratively with the patient.
Do you prescribe or manage medication?+
No — we are psychotherapists, not prescribers. Medication stays with you as the referring provider. With consent we're glad to coordinate, and we'll flag when a medication review may be worth considering.
How do you handle risk or acute concerns?+
We screen for risk at the consultation and on an ongoing basis. We are not a crisis service: anyone in immediate danger is directed to 9-8-8 or emergency services, and with consent we coordinate with you as the referring provider.
Can the patient choose their therapist, and what if it isn't a fit?+
Yes. The patient can choose, and if it isn't the right fit we say so plainly and help them find a better match — including outside our practice.
What languages are available?+
Sessions run in English, French, and Farsi, and patients are welcome to bring their own interpreter.
Refer a patient to care
A free consultation within one week, and with consent, confirmation back to your office that intake occurred.