Online gestalt therapy practice

Adults paying privately or through workplace health benefits, often those with limited local access to therapists.

A fee per session, usually booked in regular weekly or fortnightly slots, with no room rental cost.

• Gestalt training and supervised clinical practice
• Building rapport through a screen
• Comfort with secure video and booking tools

• Regulators usually expect you to be registered where the client is located, so check before accepting clients from another province
• Psychotherapy and counselling titles are regulated in some provinces, so check before advertising
• Use video and storage tools that meet Canadian privacy requirements, and check where data is held
• Professional liability insurance that explicitly covers online work
• Have a plan for client crises when you cannot be physically present
• Home-based business rules vary by municipality, so check whether a licence applies

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $500 to $2,500, depending on your secure video and booking tools, home-office setup, insurance and any supervision or training. Check that your tools meet Canadian privacy requirements before buying.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $800 to $4,000, depending on how many clients you see and how quickly you build a caseload. You could begin with as little as about 6 hours a week.

Regulators usually expect you to be registered where the client is located, so check before accepting clients from another province. Also check title rules before advertising, privacy requirements for video and storage tools, insurance that covers online work, and any home-business licence.