NIHB coverage, made plain
NIHB mental health counselling, with no paperwork for you.
Is counselling free for First Nations and Inuit people? With NIHB coverage, yes. Every counsellor we match you with is NIHB-enrolled and bills the program directly. No receipts, no forms, nothing to mail in.
Pick one to see where you stand. Not sure? Send your intake anyway. Checking costs you nothing.
NIHB covers in-person counselling, and your counsellor bills them directly.
Start your intakeNIHB doesn't cover Métis or non-status people. We'll point you to what does.
See your options ↓
What a covered session costs you.
For status First Nations people and Inuit enrolled with a land claim organization. Your counsellor bills NIHB directly.
No forms for you
How NIHB counselling works
Three steps. None of them ask you to fill out benefit paperwork.
- 1
We confirm your eligibility together
After your intake, someone from our team gets in touch. Your intake includes your status or Inuit enrolment number, so we can confirm coverage quickly. If anything is unclear, we work through it with you.
- 2
Your counsellor bills NIHB directly
The counsellors we match are enrolled NIHB providers. They send billing straight to the program. You don't pay up front and wait to be paid back.
- 3
You just show up
Go to your session, in person. That's the whole job. If a question about coverage ever comes up, it comes to us, not to you.
For Métis and non-status readers
Métis or non-status? We'll be straight with you.
NIHB covers status First Nations people and Inuit enrolled with a land claim organization. It does not cover Métis or non-status people. That's a real gap in the federal program, and we won't pretend otherwise.
Wapan is built around NIHB-covered care, so we're not the right service for you. But you do have options.
MN–S in Saskatchewan, and equivalents in Alberta and Manitoba, may cover counselling for citizens.
Both can point you to low-cost or covered care near you.
Plainly
We'd rather tell you this on day one than have you fill out an intake that goes nowhere. If you're not sure which side of the line you're on, send it anyway. Checking costs you nothing.
Need support right now?
Don't wait for an intake form. These lines are free, confidential and open 24/7.
Registered professionals enrolled as NIHB mental health providers: social workers (RSW), registered psychologists, certified counsellors (CCC) and registered psychiatric nurses. Every listing comes from the official NIHB provider list. When a counsellor claims their profile, we verify them personally before they can edit anything.
Yes, if you're a status First Nations person or Inuit enrolled with a land claim organization. NIHB pays your counsellor directly, so a covered session costs you $0, for up to 22 hours of counselling a year. If you need more, your counsellor can request an extension.
Status First Nations people and Inuit enrolled with a land claim organization. Métis and non-status people aren't covered by NIHB. See the options above.
You'll hear from us within 2 business days of sending your intake.
In person, at the counsellor's office, in or near your community. Find NIHB counselling by city.
Yes. Tell us what matters to you in your intake and we'll only suggest counsellors who fit. You can always say no. You can also browse the directory yourself.
No. Matching takes a couple of days. If you need help now, call Hope for Wellness at 1-855-242-3310, or call or text 988.
Whenever you're ready, we're here.
Ten unhurried minutes. Save and come back anytime. A real person reads every word.
Start your intake