However you're doing today, support is in your pocket. sparrow gives you and your family free, confidential access to counselling, doctors and coaching, plus pharmacy delivery, all included with your GroupSource benefits plan.
sparrow
Look for this icon in Google Play or the App Store
Check your booklet for what's included
sparrow is offered in parts, including the EFAP and mental health support, virtual healthcare, pharmacy, medical second opinion and hormonal health. Not every employer includes every part, so check your benefits booklet (or the Care Services list in the sparrow app) to confirm which services are in your plan.
Need to talk to someone right now?
sparrow's 24/7 crisis support line is always there for you. Call 1-866-644-6881 any time, day or night, with no appointment needed. You can also call or text 9-8-8 for the Suicide Crisis Helpline. If anyone's safety is at risk, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
What is sparrow?
sparrow is GroupSource's health and wellness app. It brings mental health care, virtual doctor visits, coaching and pharmacy services together in one place, included with your benefits plan. Your history is shared across sparrow's care providers, so you don't have to repeat your story.
Who's covered
You, your spouse and your dependents
Where
One app and login on your phone or computer, in English or French
Privacy
Confidential. Your employer never sees who uses it
The services available to you depend on your plan design. Check Care Services in the app for the full list your plan includes.
Get set up in two minutes
Have your welcome email from GroupSource and your GroupSource benefits card handy. You'll need the organization code from the email and the certificate number from your card.
1
Download the app
Get the sparrow app from Google Play or the Apple App Store. Prefer a web browser? Go to mysparrow.ca and bookmark it for next time.
2
Register through your employer
Follow the prompts and select Through an employer or organization. When asked, enter:
Organization codeIn your welcome email from GroupSource
Certificate numberOn your GroupSource digital benefits card
3
Verify your email
Once your email address is confirmed, you're in.
4
Add your family
Add your spouse and dependents so they can use sparrow too. Dependents can also create their own account.
Need a hand registering? Call the sparrow team at 1-866-644-6881. Your GroupSource digital benefits card is in the myGroupSource app under My Benefits → Benefit Card.
sparrow matches you with a qualified therapist within 24–72 hours, for video, phone or in-person sessions, including evenings and weekends.
Your yearly counselling hours
5hours of individual counselling
5hours of couples counselling
You, your spouse and each dependent get your own hours. They renew every January 1.
A good fit: a short matching survey looks at your needs, language and preferences, including therapists who share your culture and values.
Qualified professionals: a network of over 5,000 licensed counsellors, social workers, psychotherapists and psychologists, offering care in more than 30 languages.
Support for kids and teens: dedicated mental health support for children and teens.
Self-guided digital therapy: an online CBT program for adults 18+ to help ease mild to moderate anxiety and depression. Work at your own pace through 9 to 12 weekly modules of 30 to 45 minutes each, with interactive exercises.
Noojimo: access to Canada's only Indigenous owned, run and staffed virtual mental wellness clinic.
See a doctor in minutes
Connect with a Canadian licensed physician in under 10 minutes by chat, video or phone, 24/7, even when you're travelling outside the country. No appointment and no waiting room.
Everyday illness
Common infections, skin issues, cold and flu symptoms and more.
Ongoing care
Regular check-ins for chronic conditions, plus prescriptions, refills, lab and imaging requisitions, and specialist referrals.
Mental health
Medical support for mental health, working alongside your other care.
One connected record. Your doctor visit, pharmacist advice and prescription delivery can all happen in one session, without taking a sick day.
Support for everyday life
Your Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) covers much more than counselling. Each family member has access every year to:
Coaching
5 hours each of health coaching, career coaching and life coaching.
Legal and financial
Unlimited legal and financial consultations.
Crisis and peer support
24/7 crisis support, critical incident support after a traumatic event, and peer support.
Life transitions
Resources for eldercare, childcare, pregnancy and more, plus care coordination.
Health and well-being
Personalized nutrition and substance use management, plus your sparrow Health Score, daily activities, mini courses, on-demand fitness classes and challenges with chances to win.
Pharmacy to your door
sparrow's digital pharmacy, powered by GreenShield Pharmacy, delivers your medications free, anywhere in Canada.
Free delivery with a $7.99 dispensing fee (fees may vary by medication).
Easier medication management with auto-refills and daily dose packaging. The pharmacy team can also contact your doctor when you run out of refills.
Virtual pharmacist consultations to review your medications.
Over-the-counter products are available too, through the Health Store.
Transfer a prescription from your current pharmacy
1
In the sparrow app, open the pharmacy section and select Add or transfer prescriptions.
2
Enter your current pharmacy's details, including its address and phone number.
3
Choose to transfer all your prescriptions or only some.
4
sparrow contacts your pharmacy for you, then the pharmacy team gets in touch to talk through your medications.
Where it's available: GreenShield Pharmacy serves members in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
Medical second opinion
Facing a serious diagnosis, like cancer? sparrow can connect you with leading medical specialists to review your diagnosis and treatment options.
The service works with your treating physician and provides a full report on your diagnosis, treatment options and their impacts, so you can make confident decisions with fewer unnecessary treatments and less travel.
Conditions covered include
CancerNeurological and mental healthCardiovascularGastrointestinalRespiratoryMusculoskeletalHematologyEar, nose, throat and eyesSkin and dermatology
Hormonal health
Hormonal changes can happen at any stage of life, and they're too often misunderstood or overlooked. sparrow's Hormonal Health program gives you answers, expert support and a plan designed for you.
About 50%
of Canadian women feel unprepared for perimenopause and menopause. Source: Menopause Foundation of Canada
Start with a free nurse consultation and biomarker testing to get a clear picture of your health.
2
Get your personalized plan
Meet virtually with hormone health specialists for guidance tailored to you.
3
Stay supported
Message your care team any time for ongoing support.
What it costs: your first nurse consultation is free. Personalized plans, prescriptions and treatments are available on a fee-for-service basis.
Common questions
Counselling
Every January 1, in line with the calendar year. You, your spouse and each dependent have your own hours.
You can keep seeing the same counsellor at a discounted fee-for-service rate. You can pay privately or claim the cost under your plan's paramedical coverage.
SessionVirtual or phoneIn person
30 minutes$45Not available
60 minutes$90$110
90 minutes$135$165
Rates are subject to change.
You'll answer a few quick questions in a matching survey. sparrow uses your answers to find your best fit based on things like your symptoms, stressors and language, and can match you with a therapist who shares your culture and values. You can also review each therapist's clinical specialties and therapeutic approach.
sparrow's therapists go through a thorough vetting process before joining the network. They include licensed master's-level counsellors, social workers, psychotherapists and psychologists in good standing with their provincial regulatory boards, with experience in a range of clinical settings.
Please give at least 24 hours' notice. Cancelling or rescheduling with less notice means a late fee equal to the cost of the session. Missing a free 15-minute consultation without 24 hours' notice means losing that consultation, though you can still book a regular appointment. No fee applies if your counsellor agrees to the change, and you can message your counsellor to ask about waiving a fee.
Self-guided digital therapy
It's an online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) program for adults 18+, co-developed by clinical psychologists and people with lived experience of mental health challenges. It teaches how your thoughts and behaviours affect your mood, along with strategies to ease symptoms and cope in healthy ways, through:
Short educational modules
Interactive tools to practise what you've learned
Regular in-app reminders to keep you on track
Yes. Many studies show that guided online CBT is effective for anxiety and depression. A Health Quality Ontario review found it to be a highly beneficial short-term treatment for adults with mild to moderate depression or anxiety.
Pharmacy
Your medications are delivered to you, so there's no travelling or waiting in line. You choose how you'd like them packaged, and they're shipped to you for free.
There's a dispensing fee of $7.99 per prescription, which may vary depending on the medication. Delivery is free.
The pharmacy stocks most common and rare medications. If something isn't available, the team will source it, suggest a suitable alternative, or connect you with another pharmacy in their network.
Unopened, unused eligible products can be returned within 60 days of purchase; return shipping isn't free. Orders can't be cancelled once they've shipped, so contact the pharmacy as soon as possible if you need to cancel.
Privacy
Yes. Your employer never sees who uses sparrow. sparrow follows strict Canadian regulations for online health services: all information is encrypted on regularly audited servers in Canada, each session runs over an encrypted link directly between you and your care provider, and video and voice sessions are never recorded or stored.
Please note: This page is a summary provided for information purposes only. Your benefits booklet is the governing document, and if there are any differences between this page and your booklet, your booklet prevails. Services, fees and rates are set by sparrow and may change. E&OE (errors and omissions excepted).
