We’re adding psychotherapists and clinical counsellors as part of our standard Extended Health Care (EHC) plans as of May 12, 2024. This will significantly increase access to care by giving plan members access to 24,000 additional practitioners across Canada.

What’s changing:

On May 12, 2024: All new proposals will cover psychotherapists and clinical counsellors as standard on EHC plans. This is in addition to psychologists and social workers under existing shared maximums. Coverage limits aren’t changing.  This change applies to new Clients in all segments (National Accounts, SunSolutions and SunAdvantage) with a standard EHC plan.

Adding these new practitioners means plan members will have better access to qualified practitioners for mental health care. They’ll also have more options for treatment. This will help make it easier for them to get the mental health support they need. They’ll be able search for these providers on Lumino Provider Search.

Rates won’t be changing. Any pricing impacts will be part of the standard renewal process.

This means, as of May 12, 2024, our standard EHC plans will cover:

  • Psychologists
  • Social Workers
  • *New* Psychotherapists
  • *New* Clinical Counsellors, which includes the following practitioners:
    • Registered Clinical Counsellor
    • Registered Counselling Therapist
    • Therapist in Helping Relationship
    • Registered Therapeutic Counsellor
    • Canadian Certified Counsellor
    • Registered Professional Counsellor
    • Licensed Counselling Therapist

How we determined which new mental health practitioners to add to our standard:

We’ve defined specific criteria for assessing which practitioners to include as part of our coverage. This ensures we’re meeting tax and regulatory requirements and protecting members.

Some of the key criteria and considerations include:

  • Practitioners that are governed by provincial regulatory bodies and/or associations in good standing and are recognized by Sun Life.
  • The practitioner’s services qualify as an eligible medical expense.
  • They complement the care available within the public system.

The mental health practitioners we've selected for our new standard may practice various forms of therapy (i.e. cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), family therapy, etc.). However, we're adjudicating claims based on their credentials from their provincial regulatory bodies and/or associations.  

Existing Clients and Questions

If you have existing Clients who’d like to add these providers to their plan, please reach out to your Sun Life Group Benefits representative. They can also help answer any questions you may have.

Questions? We’re here to help.

Please contact your Sun Life Group Benefits representative.