Question 1

How do I set up an appointment?

Accepted Answer

Please contact us at (289) 837-1252 or admin@drmalakpsychology.com, or reach out by completing the form below.

Question 2

What happens after I reach out to Dr Malak Psychology Group?

Accepted Answer

You will be contacted (usually within 24-48 business hours) by the clinic manager, who will set up a time that is convenient for you to do an intake and learn a little bit about you and your concerns. This will take approximately 20 minutes and is free of charge.

Question 3

Which psychologist will I be assigned to?

Accepted Answer

Each client will be carefully matched based on a variety of factors (eg, age group, main presenting concerns, clinician's availability) to the psychologist who is likely to be the best possible fit for them.

Question 4

What is the age range seen at Dr Malak Psychology Group?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Malak offers support to individuals aged 12 years and up.

Dr. Tobin works with individuals aged 16 years and up.

Dr. Hanna and Dr. Stead work with individuals aged 17 years up.

Question 5

Do you offer online therapy?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we are currently offering online therapy to clients, in accordance with the standards set forth by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, and the General Data Protection Regulation. We use a video-call platform named Jane, which is specifically designed for use by health practitioners. It is like Zoom, but is fully encrypted so as to preserve your privacy and sessions’ confidentiality.

Question 6

Can I become a client at Dr Malak Psychology Group if I do not reside in Ontario?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In addition to Ontario residents, our clinicians are able to virtually see clients who reside in the provinces of Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Question 7

What is the difference between a Psychologist and Psychotherapist?

Accepted Answer

A couple of important differences.

First, becoming a psychologist in Ontario, compared to a psychotherapist, requires far more training hours and years of education. Specifically, the College of Psychologists of Ontario requires an average of 10 years of education (including a Doctoral-level education and training equivalent to a doctorate in Clinical Psychology), plus 4,000 hours of clinical training in the assessment and treatment of psychiatric issues. By comparison, the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario requires an undergraduate degree, and a total of 360 hours of academic and clinical training.

Second, mental health conditions can be diagnosed by psychologists (and psychiatrists), but not psychotherapists. This is a critical distinction because rigorous assessment and clear understanding of the presenting psychological concern(s) is the foundation of effective interventions.

Question 8

What if I'm experiencing a psychiatric emergency?

Accepted Answer

If you are feeling you are at an active risk of harming yourself and/or others, please go directly to your nearest Emergency Room, or call 911, or contact The Distress Centre by phone at 416-408-4357 or text at 45645.

Question 9

Privacy and Confidentiality

Accepted Answer

When you reach out to Dr. Malak Psychology Group by email to schedule an intake with the clinic manager, please share only basic information to preserve your privacy. 
The information learnt about you and your concerns during your telephone intake will be maintained in a secure file. This file will subsequently become your client record if you end up pursuing treatment. If you do not, this file will be destroyed. 
More about my Privacy Policy can be viewed here.(https://www.drmalakpsychology.com/privacy-policy)

Question 10

Do I need a family doctor’s referral to access your services?

Accepted Answer

No, you do not. However, some insurance providers may require a doctor’s referral before providing access to coverage.

Question 11

How long is a typical appointment?

Accepted Answer

Typical session duration is 60 minutes, with 50 minutes of face-to-face time. The last 10 minutes are used for note-taking and session planning.

Question 12

How long will therapy last?

Accepted Answer

This really depends on who the client is, their individual needs, circumstances, presenting concerns and treatment goals. Some goals (eg, improving assertiveness skills) require short-term treatment where significant gains can be experienced in as little as four sessions, while others (eg, working through childhood trauma) require longer term treatment.

Question 13

Will I be expected to commit to therapy on a regular basis?

Accepted Answer

No, you will not. You may have your initial session(s) and decide you do not have the connection with your psychologist that you are hoping for. In such case, you are welcome to ask for reassignment to another psychologist within the clinic, or keep exploring other options (we will be happy to provide you with a list of referrals).

You may also decide after having your initial session(s) that you do not feel as ready for therapy as you had initially thought you were. In such case, you are free to stop your appointments, and welcome to resume them if and when you feel the timing is right for you.

That said, once you have decided to commit to therapy on a regular basis, we would strongly recommend scheduling weekly or biweekly sessions, especially at the beginning of therapy, so as to promote the development of a therapeutic relationship and treatment progress.

Question 14

What if I can only afford a limited number of sessions?

Accepted Answer

Not ideal, but it happens. If and when this is the case, we can work together to set reasonable treatment goals within the timeline available to us.

Question 15

Didn’t find the answer you are looking for?

Accepted Answer

Contact us at (289) 837-1252 or admin@drmalakpsychology.com, or reach out by completing the form below.

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