Hard Feelings

What Hard Feelings does

Hard Feelings is a Toronto-based registered charity (Charitable Registration Number 715507323 RR 0001), founded in September 2017 by Registered Social Worker Kate Scowen, that delivers low-cost psychotherapy and mental health resources to individuals facing financial barriers. Its core service is sliding-scale psychotherapy, offering up to 20 sessions at a price the client can afford, delivered in-person at its Toronto storefronts (353 Church Street downtown and, since January 2025, 248 Ossington Ave in the west-end) and online across Ontario. The organization operates through a Community of Practice model connecting over 40 Registered Social Workers and Registered Psychotherapists who provide clinical services and gain professional development, supervision, and peer community in return.

The company supplements its therapy offering with mental health service navigation (in-person, phone, email), a free lending library, community events and drop-in programming (149 events in FY2024/2025 with 1,130 attendances), and an annual Pop-Up Market (~400 attendees). A retail channel — both a bricks-and-mortar storefront and a Shopify-powered online shop (hard-feelings.myshopify.com) — sells curated books, self-care items, and mental health resources. Marketing is community-led, leveraging earned media (CBC, Toronto Star, Readers Digest, Broadview Magazine), organic social (Facebook, Instagram), a podcast on Podbean, email newsletter, and the storefront itself as a community hub. Technology footprint is intentionally minimal: standard website, Shopify e-commerce, and Podbean for podcasting, with no proprietary platform or technology products.

The business model combines three revenue streams: sliding-scale therapy fees (individually negotiated, no published price points), retail sales of curated mental health resources, and donations from individuals, monthly donors, corporate partners, and foundation grants (including the Ontario Trillium Foundation, RBC Foundation, Canadian Red Cross Community Services Recovery Fund, J.P. Bickell Foundation, Jackman Foundation, and several family foundations). The organization runs lean on 1-10 paid staff, supplemented by 18 volunteers who contributed 1,152 hours in FY2024/2025, and is governed by a Board of Directors. Cumulative reach includes 2,500+ individuals served through low-cost psychotherapy and groups, and 20,000+ individuals who have engaged with the storefront or online resources.

Name

Hard Feelings

Legal name

Hard Feelings

Website

https://hardfeelings.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hard Feelings is a Toronto-based registered charity that delivers sliding-scale low-cost psychotherapy (up to 20 sessions) to individuals facing financial barriers, through a Community of Practice of 40+ Registered Social Workers and Psychotherapists, complemented by a retail storefront, lending library, and community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Low-cost psychotherapy
• Community mental health
• Mental health resources
• Registered charity health
• Community of practice

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Low-cost psychotherapy fees: Sliding-scale psychotherapy fees where clients facing financial barriers pay what they can afford, up to 20 sessions of therapy.
2. Retail sales: Bricks-and-mortar and online retail store selling books, self-care items, and mental health resources.
3. Donations: Tax-receipted donations from individuals, monthly donors, corporate donors, and foundation grants. Registered charity #715507323 RR 0001.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hard Feelings is a registered Toronto charity that connects people facing financial barriers to low-cost psychotherapy (up to 20 sessions per client on a sliding scale) delivered by a Community of Practice of Registered Social Workers and Registered Psychotherapists, both in-person in Toronto and online across Ontario. It complements this core therapy offering with mental health service navigation, a free lending library, a curated retail storefront and online shop selling books and self-care resources, and community events and workshops designed to reduce stigma and build community around mental health.

Product overview

Hard Feelings is an innovative registered charity in Toronto that operates as a unified mental health services organization offering a portfolio of interconnected services. The core offering is low-cost psychotherapy, delivered both in-person at their storefront locations and online across Ontario through a Community of Practice of professional psychotherapists. This is complemented by mental health service navigation, a free lending library, a retail storefront selling curated mental health resources, and community events including their annual Pop-Up Market. Together, these services work to reduce barriers and increase access to mental health support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Low-Cost Psychotherapy Low-cost psychotherapy delivered in-person at Hard Feelings' Toronto offices and online across Ontario through a Community of Practice of Registered Social Workers and Registered Psychotherapists, offering up to 20 sessions per client at a price they can afford.
• Mental Health Service Navigation Mental health service navigation support provided in-person at the storefront, by phone and email, and through psychotherapists, helping individuals connect with appropriate mental health resources.
• Mental Health Library Free lending library offering mental health books and self-care items available for borrowing by community members, accessible in-person at the storefront and online via a library catalogue.
• Retail Storefront Bricks-and-mortar and online retail store featuring curated books and resources focused on supporting stronger mental health and wellbeing, located at 353 Church Street, Toronto, with an online Shopify complement.
• Community Events and Programs Variety of community events including free weekly and monthly drop-ins, free and low-cost groups, limited-run event series, and workshops supporting community connection and stronger mental health.
• Pop-Up Market Annual market bringing together local vendors whose work intersects with mental health, fostering conversations that fight stigma, with approximately 400 annual attendees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,500+ individuals have accessed mental health support through low-cost psychotherapy and groups
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TMU Student AffairsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University Student Affairs supporting student mental health.
• Mental health professionals and psychotherapistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity of Practice connecting Registered Social Workers and Registered Psychotherapists who offer low-cost psychotherapy services through the Hard Feelings model.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• The 519: Toronto community center providing programs, services, and resources for the LGBTQ2S+ community, including mental health and wellness programming. Comparable as a Toronto-based community organization offering stigma-reducing in-person programs and supports in an underserved population.
• Gerstein Crisis Centre: Toronto-based crisis mental health service offering a 24-hour crisis line and community crisis response. Comparable as a Toronto mental health service provider referenced by Hard Feelings in its crisis guidance, addressing adjacent but non-overlapping service needs.
• 211 Ontario: Free, confidential helpline and online service providing information and referral to community, social, health, and government services across Ontario, including mental health resources. Comparable as a complementary Ontario service-navigation resource that overlaps with Hard Feelings' navigation function but does not provide therapy directly.

Direct peers

• Togetherall (formerly Big White Wall): Anonymously moderated online peer-support mental health community with embedded professional support, available via partnerships with employers, schools, and health plans including in Canada. Comparable as a clinically-moderated online mental health service combining peer community with professional backing.
• Kids Help Phone: Canadian registered charity providing free, confidential e-mental health service to youth through phone, text, and online chat, also running a mental health resource library. Comparable as a nationally recognized charitable mental health service provider combining direct support, navigation, and public education.
• BounceBack: A Canadian Mental Health Association (Ontario) and Anxiety Canada program that offers free/low-cost guided mental health support, including coaching and CBT-based workbooks, by phone and online. Comparable as a publicly-funded, lower-cost therapy-adjacent service for Ontarians with financial barriers.

Broad incumbents

• MindBeacon: Canadian virtual mental health provider offering internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) and therapist-moderated programs, primarily via employer and insurer contracts. Comparable as a Canadian teletherapy/mind health platform with measurable scale, but serves primarily insured/employer populations rather than financially-barriered clients.
• Wellness Together Canada: Government of Canada-funded portal offering free online mental health and substance use support, including self-assessment, peer support, and counseling. Comparable as a federally-funded near-free mental health service that competes for the same low-cost-seeking client base in Canada.
• Canadian Mental Health Association (Ontario): Ontario division of Canada's largest community-based mental health charity, operating across the province with services ranging from counseling to housing and peer support. Comparable as a larger incumbent offering community mental health services in Ontario, though it operates across a much broader portfolio than Hard Feelings.
• Maple (AbilitiCBT): Major Canadian virtual care platform offering access to doctors, specialists, and mental health therapy, including the AbilitiCBT program for depression and anxiety. Comparable as a Canadian virtual care provider that delivers online psychotherapy across the country, but typically requires employer sponsorship or out-of-pocket payment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HardFeelingsTO
• Instagraminstagram.com/hardfeelingsto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hard Feelings