Knowing where to turn when you’re in need of mental health support can feel overwhelming. With your Manulife extended health care (EHC) benefits plan, you have access to confidential counselling at your fingertips.
What are mental health & counselling services?
Your benefits plan can help provide you with more pathways to mental health support.
Mental health & counselling services help you get easier access to mental health care. Whether you’re looking for support with managing stress or anxiety, adapting to a change in your life, dealing with workplace challenges, or managing relationships, you and your eligible family members have options to access therapy. And it’s completely voluntary and confidential (no personal information is shared with your employer)1.
How it can help
Counselling is about having someone who listens without judgment and can help you navigate through life’s challenges.
Counselling can help you to:
- build resilience and coping skills
- improve sleep and focus
- feel supported during difficult times
- manage stress and anxiety
- maintain your mental well-being
With mental health & counselling services you can:
- receive 1-on-1 personalized live care support2 to help you find the appropriate mental health provider and guide you to available resources based on your needs and benefits
- book or reschedule appointments using the online self-serve booking tool
- use your available extended health care coverage to pay part of the counselling costs (based on your plan’s coverage3 )
- access self-guided tools and resources, including therapist guided online programs (iCBT) and personalized care plans with recommendations to help you on your path to mental wellness
New to counselling? Here's what to know
Meeting with a counsellor for the first time can feel like a big step – and that’s normal. You might wonder if it’s the right time, what to expect, or how to begin.
What to expect in your first session
Your first appointment is about getting comfortable. Here's what usually happens:
- you’ll meet your counsellor and talk about what brought you there
- they’ll listen and ask questions to understand your needs
- together, you’ll explore strategies that can help you meet your counselling goals
There’s no pressure to share everything at once; you set the pace, and it's private and confidential.
Features that will benefit you
Access the mental health & counselling services on the Manulife Mobile app. From the app, sign in and click on the “Get care” tab to see available mental health support.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
If your extended health care (EHC) benefit includes coverage for mental health practitioners, you also have access to mental health & counselling services.
Sign in to your plan member site or Manulife Mobile app to check your coverage.
- From Manulife Mobile app: Sign in and click on the “Coverage” tab, then select the specific practitioner type to see your balance.
- From the plan member site: Once logged in, head to the “My benefits” tab and click on “Coverage & Balances”. Then, under “Paramedical”, select the specific practitioner type to see your balance.
No. Our mental health & counselling services are fully voluntary. There is no obligation to use these services. You can still access counselling outside of this program and submit claims under your EHC benefit depending on your plan1 .
If you book counselling through the mental health & counselling services, you can use your available EHC benefit to cover part of the costs (coverage amounts and maximums vary by plan). You will be charged any remaining amount not covered by the plan. Payment will be collected via credit card. Most providers can submit claims on your behalf4 , so you only pay if you go over your coverage.
Yes. Personal information, including whether you reached out to a counsellor, and use the service, is completely confidential and will not be shared with your employer.
If your benefits plan includes an EFAP with Manulife, you and your eligible family members have access to immediate assistance and short-term counselling at no cost to you. You can first use your EFAP sessions, and if support is needed beyond these sessions, you have the option to continue working with the same counsellor, or choose another one, through mental health & counselling services. Based on your plan’s coverage, you could get part of these counselling expenses reimbursed by your benefits.
Collecting and using personal information is necessary to our business as a financial services and group benefits provider. Manulife’s privacy policy and the Personal Information Statement set out the purposes for which we collect employee personal information from employees. Protecting employee personal information and respecting your privacy is important to us. You can learn more about our Canadian Privacy Policy and the Personal Information Statement for employers’ Group Benefits plans. You can also read our Online Privacy Statement which explains how we collect, use, and disclose personal information we collect on our websites and apps.
You can invite your eligible family members to join through the TELUS Health online platform feature, “Invite a family member”, or they can call the toll-free number 1-833-531-4455.
Yes. Counselling is for anyone – whether you’re working through a current challenge or taking a proactive approach to help prepare for life’s challenges.
Anyone covered under your benefits plan – including your spouse and children – can access counselling. Each family member can seek support independently, or you can participate as a family unit.
Yes. If your spouse or children are covered by your benefits plan and you have coverage, they can attend your session if you’d like them to.
Get expert insights
Whether you’re preparing for your first session or looking for extra support, you can also explore these resources.
A doctor explains how to spot the signs of seasonal affective disorder early – and how to take proactive steps to protect your mental health all winter long.
From online resources to different styles of therapy and EFAP, expert information on what can help before issues ever arise.
A psychiatrist explains why you don’t need to wait for a crisis to engage mental health support, and how using your benefits early can strengthen your wellbeing.
These expert-backed strategies can help you reset your physical and mental health and find balance before burnout takes hold.
An expert unpacks what factors we can and can’t control when it comes to preventing Canada’s most common mental illness
Get more health from your benefits.
If you or someone you know is in distress, call or text 988. If it’s an emergency, call 911 or go to your local emergency department.
1 Using our mental health & counselling services is completely voluntary. If you are already working with a counsellor who is not part of the program, you can continue your course of treatment without interruption and continue to submit claims to your EHC benefits plan as usual.
2 Live care support is available Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. nationally (in the jurisdiction in which the services are being provided) in English and French.
3 Coverage amounts, maximums, and practitioner types vary by plan.
4 As of now, psychologists, social workers, counsellors/clinical counsellors, and psychotherapists can submit provider eclaims in provinces where they are provincially regulated.