1. Who do you serve?

We serve people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. All of our staff are professionally trained, and specially skilled in their ability to be sensitive to religious, gender, cultural, racial and other life circumstances.

At the time of initial contact, our staff will help you determine if our services are appropriate to meet your needs. If we are not the right place, our staff will provide you with information about relevant services in the community.

2. Can you explain how counselling works?

Counselling is a two way process between you and your counsellor. The counsellor will help you to consider your situation realistically, help you identify the central problems and assist you to develop positive, achievable goals. The counsellor helps you to gain a fuller understanding of your circumstances and the ways to find solutions for your problems.

3. How do the people who have used your services feel about their service experience?

We regularly evaluate our services and conduct client feedback surveys at the conclusion of Agency service. A large number of former clients respond to our questionnaires and consistently provide us with a high level of positive ratings with respect to their service experience and the results achieved.

4. Can I ask you to contact a friend or family in need of help?

The person who needs service has to contact us directly to make an appointment with a counsellor or to register for a course. We accept self referrals.

5. How long does counselling take?

There is no easy way to tell in advance. It depends on the problems, how deeply rooted they are, how willing a person, couple or family is to work on them and what the goals are. Our counsellors mainly concentrate on the problems people face in their current situations. They assist you in assessing your situation and in establishing achievable goals. The focus is on helping you to achieve solutions to your current problems.

6. Do you charge a fee?

Yes, our fees for counselling are based on a sliding scale that takes into account the cost of service and gross income. Your fee will be set with your counsellor when you schedule your first appointment. If your financial situation changes during service, the fee can be reviewed and adjusted to reflect your ability to pay.

Our funding from ShareLife and income from client fees enable us to provide low cost or free services to those who are unable to pay fees due to their personal circumstances. Everyone receives the same high quality service regardless of their fee status.

7. Are your services confidential?

All information given by you will be treated confidentially. However, exceptions may occur in situations of child abuse or neglect, where there is a threat to yourself or the safety of others or when we are served with a court order. Managers review files for supervision and quality assurance. Our records are also reviewed for accreditation purposes.

8. Can I access my file?

Catholic Family Services of Toronto has a policy on providing access to your records. Your counsellor will provide you with this information upon request.

9. What about my privacy?

Catholic Family Services of Toronto complies with applicable legislation regarding personal privacy. All clinical records are the property of Catholic Family Services of Toronto and are securely stored. Questions or concerns can be addressed directly to the Agency’s Privacy Officer, who is the Executive Director.

10. How do I make a complaint about services?

We take pride in the services that we provide. If you have any concerns about the service you are receiving, please speak directly with your counsellor who will facilitate a resolution.

We are committed to being responsive to your concerns and complaints and to resolving them. Our “Guidelines and Procedures for Concerns and Complaints from Clients and Wellness Group Participants” brochure is available to you upon request and is also available on-line at www.cfstoronto.comin the Resources, Agency Documents section.

11. Do you accept donations?

Yes. The Catholic Family Services of Toronto Foundation has been established to accept donations from the community. Gifts are used to subsidize services to clients who pay little or no fees because of their personal circumstances. Our Foundation is a registered charitable organization. Donations are gratefully received and will be acknowledged with a tax receipt.

You can make a secure on-line donation by clicking the DONATE button located at the top right hand corner of this page or by mailing a cheque to:

Catholic Family Serivices of Toronto Foundation
1155 Yonge Street, Suite 200
Toronto, ON M4T 1W2