Mental Health and Substance Use Services and Resources

Counselling Connect

Counselling Connect provides free access to a same-day or next-day phone or video counselling session. This service is for children, youth, adults and families in Ottawa and the surrounding area.
14 counselling services have joined forces to give you same-day or next-day access to a free counselling session. www.counsellingconnect.org

Information Line for Child and Youth Mental Health and Youth Addictions Services YSB has expanded the role of the crisis line and online chat to provide information about child and youth mental health and youth addiction services in Eastern Ontario.  The information and crisis line can be reached by calling 613-260-2360 or 1-877-377-7775 and the online chat at chat.ysb.ca

The Royal’s C-PROMPT clinic provides quick access to essential mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.  C-PROMPT is a referral-based service for adults (age 18 and older) who are at risk of worsening mental health or hospitalization due to mental illness of any kind during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Wellness together Canada – Mental Health and Substance Use Support
• Resource Hub: Mental health and wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic (Mental Health Commission of Canada [MHCC])
• COVID-19 and Your Mental Health (The Royal)
• The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
• Bell Let's Talk - Let's get through this together
• BounceBack - Mental Health phone line support with a coach and online videos
  • 10 things you can do right now to reduce anxiety, stress, worry related to COVID-19
• Togetherall – 24/7 Peer to Peer online mental health support network
• CAMH COVID-19 Peer Support Discussion Forum
• Walk-in Counselling Clinics - 613-755-2277 - No referral is required for the Walk-In Counselling Clinic. You will be assisted, with no appointment, on a first-come, first-serve basis during our Walk-In Counselling Clinic hours.  The Walk-in Counselling Clinic offers counselling services in English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Somali, Cantonese and Mandarin at a variety of different locations. 
• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) – COVID-19 and Mental Health A pandemic is a very stressful event for individuals and communities. It’s normal to feel some stress and anxiety. It’s also very common for people to display great resiliency during times of crisis.

  CMHA has put together some resources and suggestions to help support your mental health at this time of uncertainty.

• Psychiatric survivors of Ottawa - We remain closed until May 1 due to public health recommendations and will be following the guidelines closely in the coming weeks. We respect the health of our community and look forward to re-opening when it is safe to do so. While our physical location is currently closed, we are running peer support groups online and we have a phone line dedicated to connecting with peers. please check our website for further information www.pso-ottawa.ca or call our main line 613 567-4379 and press 118 to leave a message and we will return you call within one business day
• Managing Your Stress and Anxiety During COVID-19 mobile App (CAMH)

• COVID-19 & Mental Health/Suicide: Information and resources (Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention [CASP])
  
  

• Rideauwood - Wondering about substance use, behavioural addictions or mental health issues? You're not alone. We're right here.
• Breaking Free Online (BFO) is a confidential online platform to help support wellness around substance use. Present physical (social) distancing measures are affecting the delivery of addiction services and the ability of clients to access treatment and recovery support. Breaking Free Online is offering their services to anyone with a substance use disorder who is not able to access their regular support. BFO will give them continuous access to personalized behavioural support online. To access this service, use the code CAPSA2020 to sign in. 
• LESA (Centretown Community Health Centre) Addictions Treatment for Older Adults: Substance Use and Problem Gambling counselling sessions have been moved to telephone sessions. To book an appointment or learn more about this program please call 613-233-4443 x 2109.
• Impacts of COVID-19 on Substance Use (Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addictions [CCSA])
• COVID-19, Alcohol and Cannabis Use [Infographic] (CCSA)

• COVID-19 and Cannabis Smoking [Infographic] (CCSA)

• Substance Use and Concurrent Disorders (The Royal)
• counsellingconnect.org - Adult, older adult, youth young adult and family substance use, gambling and gaming

• Montfort Renaissance’s Service Access to Recovery (SAR) is Ottawa’s bilingual centralized access to all Ontario Health funded agencies providing addiction / concurrent disorder treatment. It is a starting point for people 16 years and older who are concerned about their substance use and want to understand, discuss and access treatment options.  

  To be evaluated and referred directly to treatment, call (613) 241-5202. Due to COVID-19 assessments are temporarily done over the phone and treatment options are more limited than usual, but new virtual support options are available.

• Crossroads Children Mental Health Centre - COVID-19 Crossroads is here to help
• How to cope with social distancing during COVID-19 (Kids Help Phone)
• Students – How to take care of your mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic (School Mental Health Ontario [SMHO])
• We’re here for you during COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) (Kids Help Phone)
• counsellingconnect.org - Child and family mental health

• How to take care of your mental health during COVID-19 and the return to school (SMHO)
  • Self-Care 101 (SMHO)
  • Reaching Out (SMHO)
• Stressed Out About School?  We can help. (Bounce Back)
• 10 things you can do right now to reduce anxiety, stress and worry related to COVID-19. (Bounce Back)
• The Inquiring Mind COVID-19 Self-care & Resilience Guide for The Inquiring Mind Post Secondary (MHCC)
• counsellingconnect.org - Youth and young adult mental health
• Youth Services Bureau - Youth and Family Counselling Our mental health counselors have adapted their services, and are now providing individual and family counselling sessions via phone or videoconference to youth over the age of 12 and their families. Please call us at 613-562-3004 to discuss your needs. Please leave a message letting us know that you are interested in youth and family counselling and we will call you back as quickly as possible.
  • Virtual Walk-In Clinic Our hours are the same, but our
    sessions are now being done by phone or videoconference. To access the clinic, call us at 613-562-3004 on Tuesdays
    and Thursdays, 12 noon to 8 p.m. (last session at 6 p.m.). Leave us a message and we will call you back, usually within 30 mins depending on how busy the walk-in is, to connect you with a counselor.
• COVID-19 Youth Mental Health Resource Hub (Jack.org)
• Student Wellness and COVID-19 (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA])
• Campus Mental Health - COVID-19 Resources (Centre for Innovation Campus Mental Health [CICMH])

  • Loss and Grief During the COVID-19 Pandemic
    A Resource for Post-Secondary Institutions 

  • Well-being and the Online Environment 

• School Mental Health Ontario - COVID-19 -Parents and Families

  • Supporting Mental Health and Wellness During the Return to School

  • Noticing Mental Health Concerns for Your Child

  • Do you have elementary school children at home? Try these easy and fun mental health activities

  • Suicide Prevention Guide for Parents and Families During COVID-19 and Return to School
• Talking to children about COVID-19 (CAMH)
• Helping Children and Teens Cope with Stressful Public Events (Canadian Paediatric Society [CPS])
• Parents and Families – How to support your child’s mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic (SMHO)
• PLEO - We are here to help, in communities across Eastern Ontario.
• Reaching IN... Reaching OUT – Coping with COVID-19
• Reaching IN... Reaching OUT

  This is a series of resources for parents to teach their children resilience and is available in multiple languages

• Caring for Children in the COVID-19 Crisis (CMHA)
• CHEO Project Echo Child and Youth Mental Health

• COVID-19 Q&A: Ten tips to help postpartum depression during COVID-19 (The Royal)

• Parenting during COVID-19: A new frontier (CPS)
• Helping Your Children and Teens During a Pandemic: Pandemic Parenting Playbook  

  Presented by ECHO Ontario Child and Youth Mental Health in Partnership with PLEO.

  Learn practical strategies to support your child and youth’s mental health needs through the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Seniors Centres Without Walls (The Good Companions)
• A Friendly Voice (Rural Ottawa South Support Services)
• COVID-19 Support Services (Champlain Community Support Network)
• LESA (CCHC) Addictions Treatment for Older Adults: Substance Use and Problem Gambling counselling sessions have been moved to telephone sessions. To book an appointment or learn more about this program please call 613-233-4443 x 2109.
• counsellingconnect.org
• Montfort Renaissance provides individual support and contacts by phone for Francophone Seniors and Caregivers and social and recreational online activities through Mon Centre à distance.  Phone: 613-241-1266

• Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization Counselling Services (OCISO)
  • OCISO Clinical Counselling
• Reaching IN... Reaching OUT

  This is a series of resources for parents to teach their children resilience and is available in multiple languages.

• Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre
• counsellingconnect.org
• Bounce Back - Coaching + workbooks are available in English, French, Arabic, Farsi, Traditional Chinese and Spanish. Smaller format booklets are available in English, French, Punjabi, Traditional and Simplified Chinese. Coaching is also available in many other languages, but you will need to have a basic English reading level to work through the workbooks.
  • Videos are available in English, French, Arabic, Farsi, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Punjabi.
• Walk-in Counselling Clinics -  613-755-2277 - No referral is required for the Walk-In Counselling Clinic. You will be assisted, with no appointment, on a first-come, first-serve basis during our Walk-In Counselling Clinic hours.  
  • The Walk-in Counselling Clinic offers counselling services in English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Somali, Cantonese and Mandarin at a variety of different locations. 

Mental Health Supports

• Akausivik Inuit Family Health Team

  • For more information, please call: 613-740-999 or generalinfo@aifht.ca
  • Mental health support available in Inuktitut and English for Inuit of all ages.
• Counselling Connect 
  • includes Indigenous in-person,video or phone counselling using Indigenous and Western approaches to healing. This service is for children, youth, adults and families in Ottawa and the surrounding area.
  • www.counsellingconnect.org
• Distress Centre Ottawa and Region 24/7 (English)
  • Call: 613-238-3311
• First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line 24/7 (Services & resources available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut)
  • Call: 1-855-242-3310, Live Chat,Posters
• Mental Health Crisis Line (24 hours a day/7 days a week)
  • Call: 613-722-6914 or if outside Ottawa toll-free at 1-866-996-0991

• Native Women's Association of Canada
  • COVID-19 Information
  • COVID-19 Elder Support - For First Nations, Inuit and Métis women, girls, and gender-diverse peoples
• Talk4Healing - For Indigenous women
  • Call or text: 1-855-554-HEAL / Live Chat
  • Services offered in English, Oji-Cree, Cree, Algonquin, Inuktitut, Mohawk, Oneida, Odawa, Potawatomi, Micmac, Black Foot, Anishinaabe, Moose Cree, Swampy Cree

• Wabano 
  • Wabano Mental Wellness Team provides holistic and culturally relevant services to Indigenous individuals and families. 

Mental Health Resources

• AFN Mental Wellness Resources - Assembly of First Nations (English only)
  • Mental Wellness and COVID-19: Tips and Considerations
• First Nations Health Authority
  • The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health (Dr. Nel Wieman, video, English)
First Peoples Wellness Circle Resources
• For Community
• For Parents and Children
• For Elders and Seniors
• For Health Professionals

• National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health
  • Voices from the Field - Supporting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples Mental Health & Well-Being During COVId-19 (Dr. Chris Mushquash, podcast, English only)
• Thunderbird Partnership Foundation
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Fact sheets
    • Balancing work-life expectations during COVID-19
    • Harm reduction during COVID-19
    • Homelessness during COVID-19
    • Hope during COVID-19
    • Keeping moms and babies safe during COVID-19
    • Managing safe alcohol use during COVID-19
    • Managing withdrawal during COVID-19
    • Online resources for substance use disorders during COVID-19
    • Safe cannabis use during COVID-19
    • Staying connected to the culture without the sweat lodge during COVID-19
    • Stigma during COVID-19
    • Supporting youth and preventing boredom during COVID-19

• First People's Wellness Circle - COVID-19 Resources
  • For Community
  • For Parents and Children
  • For Elders and Seniors
  • For Health Professionals

• LGBTQ+ & Trans Health Program (Centretown Community Health Centre)
• LGBTTQ+ Around the Rainbow (Family Services Ottawa)
• MAX Ottawa COVID-19
• LGBT Well-Being Check-in Program - (Good Companions Seniors Centre)
  • Eligibility: Seniors 55+, Adults (18+) with a disability, Living within the Champlain region, Identify as being a member of the LGBT Community
• Youthline.ca 
  • Text- 647-694-4275
  • Chat 4 pm to 9:30 pm
• Trans lifeline.org - 1-877-565-8860 

• Services for survivors of violence during the COVID-19 pandemic (Ottawa Centre To End Violence Against Women)
• Unsafe at Home Ottawa

• Canadian Association For Suicide Prevention (CASP) The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) is aware that the physical and economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic may impact your mental health and emotional state of well-being. Please reach out to connect with others and to keep yourself informed from reliable sources.
• Suicide Prevention Ottawa (SPO) Working together towards a community without suicide.
  • Crisis and Resources
• safeTALK follow-up Interview (OPH and CMHA) 
• Suicide Prevention Guide for Parents and Families During COVID-19 and Return to School (SMHO)

• COVID Frontline Wellness (The Royal) - 

  Health care workers are at the front lines of the COVID pandemic. Increased feelings of stress, worry and anxiety are normal under these conditions. It is important to recognize the impact of COVID-related stress on your wellbeing and build coping skills that can help you get and stay healthy. 

  We can help.

• Mental health and COVID-19 - Resources for health care workers (CAMH)
• Webinar - Best Practices for Supporting the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers During Covid-19 (MHCC)

• Psychological First Aid for Frontline Health Care Providers: 
  A QUICK GUIDE TO WELLNESS [PDF 5MB]

For the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community

• Watch our video Take Care of Your Mental Health interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes du Québec (LSQ). 
• The Canadian Hearing Society also provides a list of mental health resources.

How to Access the Distress Centre of Ottawa

Canada VRS is a telecommunication service that allows Deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired Canadians to make telephone calls using internet and cell phone-based technologies. VRS callers are connected with a sign language interpreter, over video, who provides real time interpretation for telephone calls. An individual could use VRS to place a call to the Distress Centre simply by using their VRS application and dialing the Distress Centre’s phone number.

The Distress Centre of Ottawa can be reached at the following:

Distress: 613-238-3311

Crisis: 613-722-6914 or 1-866-996-0991

How are you coping? Assessing the psychological, social, and economic impacts of an emerging pandemic.

How are you coping? COVID-19 Survey  

The purpose of this study is to better understand how the COVID-19 outbreak affects several aspects of life.