Expanding mental health support: New “À la carte” provider services now available for plan sponsors

September 29, 2026

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Your Clients are looking for ways to stand out as employers of choice and address their employees’ complex, evolving mental health needs. To help enhance their plan, we’re expanding access to specialized mental health support through new “À la carte” provider services. These are optional additions. Plan sponsors can add one or all providers to their Extended Health Care plan.

What’s new

We’re adding five specialized practitioner options to group benefits plans:

  • Psychoeducators
  • Psychiatric Nurses
  • Behaviour Analysts
  • Vocational Guidance Counsellors
  • Sexologists

These new “À la carte” provider services are available for Sun Solutions and National Accounts only. Plan sponsors must add these options to their coverage before plan members can access them. Once added, these will seamlessly be integrated into the my Sun Life mobile app and on mysunlife.ca.

Why this matters for your Clients’ plan design

This expansion gives plan sponsors the flexibility to:

  • Tailor coverage to their workforce: Plan sponsors add only the specialized services that match their employees’ needs and health priorities.
  • Remove barriers to care: Make these services easily accessible through a mobile-first platform so employees can get support when and where they need it.
  • Address evolving needs: As their workforce’s mental health needs change, they can adjust coverage without redesigning their entire plan.
  • Support a healthier workplace experience: Expanded mental health options can help demonstrate employers’ commitment to plan members’ well-being.

Mental health continues to be a top priority for employers. With these new “À la carte” provider services, your Clients have the flexibility to build a benefits package that aligns with what their employees are looking for—benefits innovation and workplace well-being.

We’ll share this information with eligible Plan Sponsors in a Focus Update on October 1.

Questions? We’re here to help.

For information regarding potential pricing implications or if you have any questions, please contact your Sun Life Group Benefits representative.