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how it works
CircleUp Foundation provides an organized, transparent system that connects individuals and families to culturally grounded, trauma-informed care. Our approach ensures that every client receives the right kind of help, at the right time, through a carefully structured and accountable process.
The Circle Up
Clinical Collective
All mental-health services at CircleUp are provided through our Clinical Collective, a team of licensed psychologists, psychotherapists, and social workers, all fully registered in Ontario.
Each clinician undergoes a formal interview and vetting process, and is selected based on their clinical experience, professionalism, and alignment with CircleUp’s values of trust, equity, and compassion.
Clinicians within the Collective are compensated by CircleUp Foundation and are committed to maintaining a defined caseload of CircleUp clients.
Our Clinical Collective provides care across five core programs:
Adult Therapy, Child Therapy, Teen Therapy, Parental Guidance, and Psycho-educational Assessments & School Support.
If you are a clinician interested in joining the Collective and accepting referrals from CircleUp, you can read more here or click the button to fill in the form.
how patients get access to care?
Step 1- Complete the Intake Forms
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The Mental Health Needs Form, which helps us understand your emotional, psychological, and practical concerns.
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The Financial Intake Form, which helps determine eligibility for sliding-scale or donor-supported care.
Together, these forms allow us to understand both your therapeutic needs and financial circumstances so that access to care remains fair, timely, and equitable.
Step 2: Intake or Initial Assessment (if needed)
Some clients may be invited for a short virtual or in-person intake session with our trained intake team to further clarify their situation, urgency, and program fit.
Step 3: Eligibility and Triage Review
Our staff review both the mental-health information and financial information to determine eligibility for subsidized or donor-supported care.This triage process ensures that individuals and families experiencing acute distress or limited financial means receive timely, equitable access to care.
Step 4: Matching to a Clinician
Based on the intake findings, we match the client with the most suitable clinician in our Clinical Collective, considering language, cultural background, clinical expertise, and area of need.
Step 5: Initial Clinical Session
The first session focuses on understanding the client’s goals, history, and priorities.The clinician then provides an individualized treatment plan and professional recommendations for ongoing care.
Step 6: Funding Review and Care Offer
CircleUp reviews the treatment plan alongside the client’s financial eligibility and available funding resources. Based on this review, we offer a treatment package - outlining the number of sessions, cost coverage, and care pathway.
Our Commitment
We work to complete the entire process from intake to treatment offer as efficiently as possible while maintaining clinical rigor and fairness. Our approach ensures that financial barriers do not someone from accessing appropriate, high-quality care.
Please note that CircleUp Foundation is not an emergency or crisis service. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or distress, please contact 911 or click here for mental health emergency services.
request services
We invite you to subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when the next round of intake opens. By joining, you’ll receive updates about upcoming opportunities for care, new programs, and community resources designed to support mental health and wellbeing across Ontario.