NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA THERAPY SERVICES
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Mental healthcare can sometimes feel fragmented, with therapists, psychiatrists and primary healthcare providers working separately. For clients navigating questions about diagnosis, medication or treatment options, knowing where to turn next can be challenging.

Orillia Therapy Services is helping address this gap by offering clients access to psychiatric consultation through the Psychotherapy Matters Virtual Clinic (PMVC). The program creates a pathway for collaboration between psychotherapists, psychiatrists and primary healthcare providers, helping clients access more connected care. Clients interested in learning more about the service can contact Jennelle Giesbrecht, Registered Psychotherapist at Orillia Therapy Services.

“Therapists can play an important role in someone's mental health care, but sometimes medical input is an important piece of the picture,” says Ricky Giesbrecht, Registered Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor. “This program helps connect those pieces, so clients can get more coordinated support rather than having to navigate everything on their own.”

By creating a pathway for collaboration between therapists, psychiatrists and primary healthcare providers, PMVC offers a more integrated approach to mental healthcare—one that can help clients access expertise that might otherwise be difficult to navigate independently. The service also provides access to assessment for conditions such as ADHD and autism, where appropriate. Consultations are virtual and covered by OHIP.

For husband-and-wife team Ricky and Jennelle, the addition represents a step forward in how mental healthcare can be delivered: not as a collection of separate services, but as coordinated support built around the individual.

“Good therapy starts with getting to know the person sitting across from you,” says Ricky. “Everyone has their own experiences, challenges and ways of seeing the world. Our job is to understand as much of that as possible to figure out how we can help.”

The couple has built Orillia Therapy Services around personalized, evidence-based care. Ricky focuses primarily on relationships and couples therapy, as well as anxiety and depression. Jennelle works particularly with adolescents, young adults, parenting, maternal mental health, anxiety and depression.

Located at 38 Barrie Road in Orillia, Orillia Therapy Services provides individual therapy for people aged 10 and older, as well as couples and family therapy, both in person and virtually.

Readers can learn more about Ricky and Jennelle, their backgrounds, approach to therapy and services offered at Orillia Therapy Services' website.

Accessing psychiatric consultation: The service is available to eligible new and existing clients who have completed at least three individual therapy sessions with Ricky or Jennelle and are committed to ongoing therapy. A referral from a primary healthcare provider is required. For clients without a regular provider, the practice can help them find a local clinic to support the referral process. Current wait times are approximately four to eight weeks after forms are submitted.

For the Giesbrechts, the goal is to help move mental healthcare toward a more connected future—one where clients feel heard, understand their options and can access the right support without having to navigate the system alone.