This site is not intended for immediate crisis support. If you are in crisis, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department for assistance. If you are experiencing a social-emotional crisis while at school, please come to Guidance.
The package linked above has been created by current and graduate MSS students. It hosts a wide variety of resources and community connections to support students and families navigating Mental Health concerns, as well as video instructions on how to read this document using Google Translate. ~Thank you to Meilun, Dione & Efan:)~
If you are requiring this document, please do not hesitiate to connect with Guidance so that we may support you in this process.
If you are in immediate crisis, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital.
Kids Help Phone is Canada’s only 24/7, national support service. They offer professional counselling, information and referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people in both English and French. Text, Phone, Chat and Resources!
By calling the Community Crisis Response Service toll free number 1-855-310-COPE (2673) or (TTY) 1-866-323-7785, you can speak with a crisis worker anytime you need to. The crisis worker will provide an immediate telephone/text response in a variety of situations, such as if you are feeling depressed, distressed, lonely, anxious, scared, angry or are worried that you have no where to go.
The Community Crisis Response Telephone Service is available 24-hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week
You can also text at 1-855-310-2673 or chat with a crisis worker online via the Live Chat.
Text and Chat services are available everyday from 7:00 a.m. to midnight.
Service for all Ages. Under the heading “web chat”, there is a link, leading to the chat platform: https://www.dcontario.org/# Once you click “Click to Chat with Us” (Blue bar) – it will open up a live chat with a crisis worker
This platform is available from 2:00PM to 2:00AM Monday to Sunday
Made for all Ages - those in need can also call.
Free online crisis and emotional support chat service for youth under 30 across Canada.
Open from 6pm-11pm (PST), 365 days a year within Canada
Text: 778-783-0177
Start online IM chat
If you are in immediate crisis, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital.
Hope by CAMH is a free smartphone app that provides suicide prevention information, tools and crisis resources to support and guide individuals when they are experiencing thoughts of suicide. One of the key features of this app is the ability for individuals to create a personalized suicide safety plan, which can be done in consultation with their healthcare professional, loved one, or someone who they have a trusting relationship with.
An incredible array of Workshops for students and/or family members
211 is an award winning helpline and website that provides information on and referrals to Ontario’s community, social, health-related and government services. The vision for 211 Ontario is to be the primary source of information and gateway to human services for individuals and planners.
Across Ontario, there are 27 YWHO Hub Networks (with 5 more coming soon) that provide high-quality integrated youth services to support the well-being of young people aged 12 to 25, including mental health and substance use supports, primary health care, community and social supports, and more.
FSYR is committed to excellence in community outreach support and counselling for children, youth, adults and their families. All services seek to promote the fullest development of the individual. Counselling services are available at four office locations across York Region as well as online, by phone and through video counselling. Fees are assessed on a sliding scale according to the individual’s income and ability to pay. FSYR provides community based cultural support services.
BEACON - Highly personalized, guided digital therapy. Work 1-1 with a registered therapist, who will tailor your support. Complete at your own pace. Personalized course typically is completed in 6-10 weeks. CBT approach.
STARLING MINDS - Digital therapy that is personalized to meet the unique needs of each individual to help manage stress, anxiety, burnout and depression. Support is accessible 24/7. CBT approach.
Immediate mental health counselling for children, youth, young adults and their families, and families with infants is available at the What’s Up Walk-In® Clinic.
Be connected to a counsellor for a
telephone or video session
Monday to Friday 9AM-7PM
No issue is too small or too big.
Anxiety Canada™ is a leader in developing free online, self-help, and evidence-based resources on anxiety and anxiety disorders and promotes understanding about anxiety and anxiety disorders through general information sessions, professional seminars and workshops, offered throughout the year. They are the developers of the free MindShift app (above) which helps youth and young adults manage anxiety, using step-by-step strategies based on psychological treatment.
John Howard Society of York Region offers a variety of prevention, intervention, educational and service programs to individuals who are between the ages of 12 and 29, including a Youth Counselling Program that is designed to build strengths, resilience and coping skills among youth.
Through individualized one-on-one support, the Youth Counselling service provides free weekly sessions for youth to discuss issues affecting their lives. The counsellor will work collaboratively with the youth to enhance their understanding, overcome their challenges and meet their goals.
BounceBack® is a free skill-building program managed by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). It is designed to help adults and youth 15+ manage low mood, mild to moderate depression and anxiety, stress or worry. Delivered over the phone with a coach and through online videos, you will get access to tools that will support you on your path to mental wellness. A simple Family Doctor referral is required to sign up.
o NEW provincial Brief counseling service
o Accessed through web chat or by calling 1-855-416-8255
o Monday to Friday from 12PM to 8PM, and Saturday from 12PM to 4PM EST.
o Children and youth 18 years old and younger.
Free counseling by registered and culturally diverse therapists who also connect to longer term local support.
Supports after you Graduate? Good2Talk provides confidential support services FOR POST-SECONDARY STUDENTS in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
In partnership with Kids Help Phone, ConnexOntario, 211 Ontario and the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health.
Non-Profit Credit Counselling Agency to aid with Dept solutions that are right for you.
As well as School Mental Health Ontario & YRDSB Mental Health
Housing support, Employment support, Counselling
Students can reach out directly to Jenna Woodley, the Youth Outreach Worker for Markham-Stouffville.
📞 647-459-8792
📧 jenna.woodley@360kids.ca
Guidance can also assist you with the process of connecting with the 360 staff to support your personal needs.
Calm Harm is an award-winning app developed for teenage mental health using the basic principles of an evidence-based therapy called Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT).
Calm Harm provides tasks to help you resist or manage the urge to self-harm. You can make it private by setting a password, and personalize the app if you so wish. You will be able to track your progress and notice change.
Is anxiety getting in the way of your life? MindShift™ CBT uses scientifically proven strategies based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help you learn to relax and be mindful, develop more effective ways of thinking, and use active steps to take charge of your anxiety.
Get the tools to tackle:
Worry
Panic
Perfectionism
Social Anxiety
Phobias
Access Alliance provides services and addresses system inequities to improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable immigrants, refugees, and their communities. They provide accessible, community-governed, inter-professional primary health care services, including health promotion, illness prevention and treatment, chronic disease management, and individual and community capacity building.
Hong Fook, meaning “Health” and “Felicity” in Chinese, has been serving the Asian communities in the Greater Toronto Area since 1982. They strive to address the mental health concerns of the Cambodian, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Korean and Vietnamese communities.
Hong Fook provides a continuum of integrated primary care and mental health services covering the spectrum from “promoting wellness” to “managing illness” in Asian communities.
Community Family Services of Ontario helps build a safe and harmonious community by providing professional counselling, settlement, disabilities, and special needs services to individuals and families in need. They support permanent residents, convention refugees, student VISA and Work Permit holders with EI applications, and is recognized as a premier provider of family services.
Naseeha provides the Muslim community with the tools needed to address mental health. With their confidential helpline, youth receive immediate, anonymous, non-judgmental and confidential support over the phone from 12 – 9 pm, 7 days a week. Their hope is that every young person can thrive by navigating any personal challenges to contribute positively in their community. Some of the topics they tackle include bullying, mental health and Islamophobia.
MACCA's mission is to demonstrate leadership and advocacy, to deliver relevant and culturally specific education, training and resources to empower, strengthen and celebrate our community.
MACCA works to ensure no student is left behind. We offer a variety of educational, health & wellness, youth, and social cultural programs and events.
More than a “Helpline” and serving all youth, their “Helpline” serves as the point of contact for calls to their professional services from youth, families, school districts and a variety of youth-serving stakeholders. Initial intake, followed by professional assessment, helps identify root causes of issues and challenges. Development of a support plan follows.
This is a branch of Kids Help Phone that specifically supports African, Caribbean and Black youth across Canada who need wellness support 24/7. You can text, call or live chat.
Text: 686868
Call: 1-800-668-6868
First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples across Canada, 24-7.
National Indian Residential School Crisis Line:
1-866-925-4419
Chai Lifeline Canada is an international organization aimed at supporting Jewish families experiencing the challenges of pediatric and family illness, trauma and loss. They offer a range of programs, including emotional and social support, educational assistance, and recreational activities for children and families dealing with medical challenges.
They also offer a crisis intervention line at: 1 (800) 556-6238 or by email at cit@chailifeline.ca
The Ontario Ministry of Health Refugee Healthline is a service where "refugees can connect with health care providers who deliver transitional health care and services, including primary care, specialist care and mental health supports. Transitional care includes initial assessments, care and referrals to other health services."
Phone: Dial 811 or 1-866-286-4770
Canada’s only national organization that offers peer-to-peer support to help all Canadians with issues of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
Support, education and resources for clients and family.
Information and resources for the community with a focus on youth empowerment.
See also the Student Success Page
Mindfulness is about being more focused, calm and present in your daily life. It is not just about meditation! This slide deck includes a variety of strategies to help you cope with stress and anxiety, including breathing exercises, gratitude practices and a list of mindfulness apps and websites.
If you'd like more ideas, book an appointment with Guidance!
Understand the why, and then make a plan - what are you going to do about it?
Stress Management and Coping Strategies for Students - Virual Field Trips