All Mental Health Resources

Counselling and therapy can be helpful for dealing with a wide variety of issues (e.g. stress and coping, relationship problems) and mental health conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety, etc.)

ACT is a type of therapy that helps people by using  acceptance and mindfulness, along with commitment and behaviour-change strategies.

Animal-assisted and pet therapy are types of therapy that use animals trained to provide affection and comfort to people in a variety of places including hospitals, retirement or nursing homes, mental health facilities and schools.

Art therapy is a way of helping people through art, and is provided by accredited art therapists. Painting, drawing and sculpting are common ways that help people to express themselves and heal. Unlike traditional art, the focus is on the process of creating the artwork rather than the final product.

Attachment therapies focus on strengthening the attachment or relationships between a child and parent, or child and adult caregivers.

DDP is a therapy and parenting approach that uses what we know about attachment and trauma to help children and families with their relationships. When a child has experienced stresses such as trauma, this can lead the child to become disconnected from the important people in the child's life, and experience problems such as depression, anxiety and behaviour problems. DDP offers a powerful way to reconnect children to the people that are important, thus improving their relationships as well as problems with depression, anxiety and behaviours. 

Behavioural therapies uses different strategies to help a person learn life skills and more positive behaviours such as communication and social skills. Examples include therapies used in autism such as Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI).

Coaching is the process whereby a coach teaches and directs another person via encouragement and advice. The coach provides an individual with feedback, insight and guidance on achieving their full potential in their business or personal life. Coaches usually first help by defining goals, and then supports the client in working out a strategy to reach those goals, and helps the client stay on track.

Compared to counselling, coaching generally has a narrower focus; focuses on performance rather than underlying root causes; tends to be shorter-term; does not seek to improve underlying psychological problems; focuses on improvement on function in already well-functioning individuals.

Coaching is generally more suitable for individuals who are well-functioning to begin with, whereas counselling/therapy would be recommended for individuals who are more distressed.

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy for numerous conditions such as depression and anxiety. CBT helps individuals by looking at negative thoughts and behaviour patterns, and changing those into more helpful coping thoughts and behaviours. CBT can be delivered by any health professional who has had adequate training in CBT, such as psychologists, registered psychotherapists, social workers and physicians including psychiatrists. 

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment for complex, difficult-to-treat mental conditions, such as borderline personality disorder (BPD). DBT combines elements of cognitive behaviour therapy along with Eastern mindfulness practices.

Drama therapy (or the related term psychodrama) is a way of helping others by using drama or theater processes, and is given by an accredited drama therapist.

Drama gives participants an opportunity to tell their stories, set goals, solve problems, express feelings, resulting in behaviour change, skill-building and emotional growth.

EFT is a short term (8-20 sessions), structured approach to therapy formulated in the early 80's by Drs. Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg, shown effective for couples and families. EFT helps couples overcome negative patterns in communication by teaching them how to communicate underlying feelings and emotional needs.

Websites that provide online therapy, and which are automated and NOT delivered by an actual human being.

Examples include online CBT websites that teach CBT online. 

Because there are so many websites that provide internet delivered therapy, we are not able to list all the websites out there, but rather focus on websites which are publicly funded, freely available and supported by evidence.

Online therapy (aka e-counseling, distance therapy) is  therapy delivered by a real person over the internet. 

Traditionally therapy has been face-to-face, but especially since the pandemic of 2020, most providers offer remote and virtual services such as video chat (through Facetime, Skype, Zoom, MS Teams, etc.).

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment reported as being helpful in various conditions such as anxiety, and trauma (such as post-traumatic stress disorder).

A marriage, couple and family therapist specializes in helping concerns and problems in couple or family relationships. Marriage, couple and family therapy can be given by any professional that has sufficient training, which usually tends to be social workers, psychologists or psychiatrists.

Unlike traditional therapy where the therapist just meets with the individual, family counselling and therapy is where the therapist meets with the individual and one or more family members. The idea is that no matter what the difficulty is, others in the family are part of the solution and thus need to be involved in the therapy or treatment.

Group therapy is a form of counselling/therapy, in which one or more therapists work with a small group of patients or clients in a group. Therapeutic benefits of group therapy include the interactions amongst group members, and having shared experiences with similar individuals.

Hypnotherapy, which uses hypnosis to create a state of relaxation, which can thus be helpful in a variety of conditions, such as anxiety conditions (e.g. phobias).

Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is a type of therapy that focuses on a person's relationships and connections with other people. Regardless of how a problem such as depression started, the problem is often maintained by ongoing stresses in a person's relationships. Improving and strengthening a person's relationships can thus be helpful, no matter what the difficulty.

Medications can sometimes be useful for mental health issues, generally when other non-medication treatments have not been ineffective. 

Therapies that include mindfulness, mindfulness meditation and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MCBT) and mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR).

Multisystemic therapy (MST) is an intensive family- and community-based treatment program designed for children/youth who have serious behaviour problems, such as conduct disordered and antisocial behaviours.

Unlike many therapies which focus primarily on the child/youth (such as individual therapy), MST is 'multi-systemic' and focuses on various aspects of the person's life (such as home, school, community, and peer relations) to help the behaviour problems.

Music therapy is the use of music by an accredited music therapist to promote, maintain, and restore mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Neurofeedback is a way of dealing with various brain conditions (such as ADHD, depression, anxiety) by teaching the person to control and self-regulate their brain.

Play therapy uses play to communicate with and help children. Play therapy is useful for children because they naturally express themselves for play, and because they may not be able to express themselves verbally (using their words) as would be required for other types of therapy such as "talk therapies." Play therapy can be delivered by any mental health professional that has received sufficient training in it.

In Canada, it is preferable (though not always possible) to have a professional who has official training approved by the Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy.

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is using a psychedelic drug (such as psilocybin aka magic mushrooms, LSD, or others) in a controlled, supervised environment, as part of therapy for conditions such as addictions, anxiety and PTSD.

When an individual has learning problems, it can be very helpful to have a psychoeducational assessment performed by a psychologist. 

Ways to find a psychologist include:

• Talk with the child's school regarding the possibility of seeing a psychologist that works with the schoolboard. This is paid for by the schoolboard, however there are often long waitlists. 
• Agencies (such as psychology training programs with a university) that can offer free, or low-cost testing. 
• Seeing a psychologist working in private practice, which is usually the quickest option.  In many cases, a family member's employee health plan may pay some of this expense.  

If you are having problems finding psychologists in this category, consider just looking directly under psychologists. 

Psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis helps the individual develop insight and understanding into their past, which hopefully may then translate into positive changes in the present. Most psychiatrists (and many psychologists) have psychodynamic training. Psychoanalysis is a more involved treatment, classically involving up to a few visits per week, for many years, and is delivered by trained 'psychoanalysts', who tend to be psychiatrists.

Solution-focused therapy (SFT) focuses on empowering individuals to find solutions in their life by figuring out what a person's goals are, and supporting them to find ways to achieve those goals. Various types of professionals may have training in SFT, and may work in counselling agencies, or in private practice.

Supportive counselling/therapy uses a person's strengths and social supports to help them focus on coping with current, issues. The focus is on the present, as opposed to the past.

Most mental health professionals are trained in this approach.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a treatment for brain conditions (such as depression) that uses magnetic fields to improve symptoms. It involves placing an electromagnetic coil against your scalp near the forehead. It is painless, non-invasive, and can be useful when other treatments have not helped or as an alternative to medication.

Neuropsychological assessments (aka neuropsychological testing) is a type of testing done by a psychologist, in order to learn how a problem with your brain is affecting your ability to concentrate, remember things, reason and solve problems. 

Neuropsychological testing is may be recommended for individuals that may have a brain condition such as stroke, dementia, brain tumor, epilepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or other conditions that may have affected the brain. 

Alphabetical list of mental health topics and conditions.

Pandemics, disasters (e.g. hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes) and related emergencies cause incredible mental health stress.

This section lists MENTAL HEALTH organizations and services which have special services for times of pandemics, disasters and related emergencies. 

This is NOT a comprehensive listing of all the other types of organizations and services that might be found elsewhere during a disaster, e.g. Red Cross, WHO, etc., but is more focused on mental health services.

"Addictions" refers to problems using drugs or alcohol or other problem behaviours. Gambling can also be addictive and can cause severe financial, emotional, and relationship problems.

Alcohol problems result when a person drinks too much, to the point that it causes problems, such as problems with health, relationships and work. 

We all get angry from time to time. If we deal with anger in a healthy way, it helps us realize that something may be wrong and that perhaps something needs to change. But if our anger gets too severe, and we deal with it in an unhealthy way that causes problems at home, work or school, then it may be time to get some help in dealing with it.

Developmental delay is where a child has slowed or impaired development. Developmental disability where the developmental delay results in problems with intellectual or adaptive function. Many different conditions can cause developmental delay or disability. The term Intellectual Delay/Disability is often used with the same meaning.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention-deficit disorder (ADD) are conditions where individuals have extreme problems with inattention and distractibility, to the point that it causes problems with school, home or relationships. Individuals with ADHD also have hyperactivity (troubles sitting still, fidgeting) and impulsivity (acting without thinking first).

Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling of worry, unease or apprehension. The physical symptoms that accompany these feelings include heart palpitations, trembling, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea and diarrhea. Anxiety may be associated with specific situations, events or objects. In some cases, medical problems can lead to symptoms of anxiety.

Selective mutism is a severe childhood anxiety disorder where a child is ‘mute' (unable to speak) in certain situations such as school. It is ‘selective', because the mutism usually doesn't occur in all situations. In situations where the child feels relaxed, like at home or with close friends and family, the child may be able to speak normally.

Separation anxiety is a type of anxiety where people feel unsafe when separated from person(s) (typically parents or caregivers) or place(s) (typically their home) that help them feel safe. They feel unsafe or not capable of managing when separated from their safe person(s) or place(s). 

Social anxiety disorder (aka social phobia) is a condition where individuals have extreme shyness, to the point where it causes problems in a person's life. While some degree of shyness is normal, individuals with social anxiety have such extreme shyness that it actually causes problems in a person's social life, relationships, school or work. The good news is that there are many specific strategies as well as therapy that can help a person improve their social anxiety. 

Trichotillomania is a condition where individuals feel an irresistible urge to pull their hair. Fortunately, effective treatment exists. These may involve cognitive behaviour therapy and/or medications. Individuals should seek out a family physician or psychologist for help with this condition.

Many terms – including autism spectrum and pervasive developmental disorders – are used to describe a group of disorders that inhibit the development of communication and socialization skills. In some children the disorder may also affect the development of fine and gross motor ability. It may range from being severe on one end, with the severely autistic child who is developmentally delayed and who is unable to function independently, to an individual with Asperger Syndrome who has difficulties with social function but who otherwise functions well intellectually and at work.

Depression is a common yet serious condition. Symptoms include a sad or irritable mood; loss of interest or pleasure; feelings of guilt or low self-esteem; and problems with sleep, appetite, energy and concentration. Depression impairs a person's ability to function at school, work or home. At its worst, depression can lead to thoughts about ending one's life.

Being a new mother can be an overwhelming experience, thanks to sleep deprivation, hormonal changes, and other stresses such as lack of spouse and family support. Fortunately, there are many supports and treatments for overcoming post-partum depression.

Eating disorders are unfortunately all too common in a society that creates unrealistic expectations for body image. Anorexia (anorexia nervosa) is a condition where individuals eat so little that they become malnourished. Symptoms may include loss of menstrual periods, feeling cold, or troubles with mood or thinking. Bulimia is a condition where individuals maintain a somewhat normal weight, but have problems with binging (eating large quantities of food at once) and/or purging (making themselves throw up or vomit).

Trauma refers to events (typically abuse or violence) causing extreme distress and anxiety, whose after-effects can impair individuals. Types of trauma include natural disasters, as well as a range of man-made trauma: physical trauma (being hit or hurt by someone else); emotional trauma (being hurt by someone emotionally, through being bullied, put down, insulted or controlled); sexual trauma (being hurt by someone through sexual abuse or rape); war trauma (experiencing war situations).

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neurologic condition where individuals have problems with obsessions (distressing, repetitive thoughts or images), and/or compulsions (habits that someone is compelled to do over and over again in order to relieve distress).  

An operational stress injury (OSI) is any persistent psychological difficulty resulting from operational duties performed while serving in the Armed Forces or through policing and law enforcement duties.

OSI is used to describe a broad range of issues that include diagnosed medical conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, depression, and other conditions that may interfere with daily functioning.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness where individuals have troubles with perceiving reality, causing severe problems functioning. Schizophrenia is characterized by symptoms of psychosis, which include delusions (strong beliefs that persist despite lack of evidence or evidence to the contrary) and hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that others do not). Note that symptoms of psychosis may be seen in other conditions other than schizophrenia, such as severe depression, bipolar disorder, and various medical conditions.

Suicide is when someone tries to end his or her life on purpose. People think about suicide in an attempt to deal with some problem or stress. Most people who attempt or complete suicide don’t necessarily want to die; rather, they want to escape their overwhelming emotional pain.Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. The good news is that there are always other options.

If you are thinking about suicide, and things have reached a crisis point where you don't think you can keep yourself safe:  

• Call a crisis line
• If you have a doctor, then make an appointment to see him/her.
• Call your local mental health agency in order to see a counselor/therapist 
• Reach out to a family member or friend. Call them and let them know that you have been feeling overwhelmed, and that you could use their support, whether it is just listening or spending some time together. 
• Go to the nearest hospital emergency department.

Remember: Although your situation may have tricked you into feeling that you are alone, you are NOT alone. Help is a phone call away... 

If you know know someone who is feeling suicidal, there are many ways to support and get them help

• Help your friend make that telephone call to a crisis line
• Help your friend book an appointment with their doctor, or counselor/therapist 
• Go with your friend to the nearest hospital emergency department 
• Let other trusted friends and family know so that they can be supportive.

Stress is the physical and emotional "wear and tear" that people experience as they cope with their environment, whether at home, work or school. When people's coping abilities are able to meet the expectations or demands placed on them, stress is minimized. When the expectations or demands are too heavy, individuals may become  “stressed out.” The key is to either reduce those expectations or to improve one's coping abilities.

Medications can sometimes be useful for mental health issues, generally when other non-medication treatments have not been ineffective. 

Abuse is when one person is harmed physically, emotionally or sexually by another person.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a serious medical condition defined as having an infection from the HIV virus as well as problems with one's immune system as a result. Living with AIDS can mean living with a wide range of emotions and psychological stresses that can have an impact on mental health and well-being.

See Eating Disorders including Anorexia and Bulimia

Conduct disorder is a disorder of childhood and adolescence that involves chronic behaviour problems such as defiant, impulsive or antisocial behaviour; drug use; or criminal activity.

Antisocial personality disorder (ASD) is when severe problems with antisocial behaviours are seen in adults.

Psychopathy is used to described those with impaired sense of empathy and remorse, often associated with antisocial behaviours. 

Asperger Syndrome, sometimes referred to as Asperger's disorder, is a neurological condition that affects social and communication skills, and is one of the autism spectrum conditions.

Attachment is the special, close and unique relationship that a child has with parent(s) or caregiver(s), and is the foundation for trust and mental health. Attachment problems can occur for many reasons, and can lead to numerous behavioural and emotional problems. Fortunately, it is never too late to help a child (or adult) with attachment problems, and there are many ways to improve and strengthen a person's attachments.

Auditory processing disorder (APD), also known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), is a condition where a person has normal hearing but the person's brain becomes easily overwhelmed when trying to process sounds, particularly if there is background noise. This can lead to problems with mood, frustration and anxiety.

Misophonia is a condition where people are exquisitely sensitive to certain sounds, reacting with extreme distress, anger and even rage. Misophonia is also known as Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome (“4S”).

Behaviour and conduct problems refer to individuals having troubles with their behaviour, to the point where normal rules or norms are breached and their behaviour causes distress to others. These problems may occur for a variety of reasons, ranging from medical conditions to learning conditions to mood disorders such as depression.

In the classic bipolar disorder, individuals have severe swings in mood, alternating from intense high-energy periods to extreme low periods. Mood swings, particularly in children and youth, may be seen along with many conditions, including mood disorders, attention-deficit disorders, learning disorders, autistic spectrum disorders, and sensory processing and self-regulatory conditions.

Borderline personality disorder describes individuals who have severe difficulties with relationships and severe problems in regulating their moods, which results in dramatic mood swings. This particular diagnosis is not without controversy, but there is no question that individuals with this label endure great distress.

See Eating Disorders including Anorexia and Bulimia

Bullying is a form of aggression where a person is deliberately hurtful to another person. There are many forms, including physical (shoving, hitting, kicking); verbal (put-downs, spreading rumors or gossip); emotional (excluding, tormenting, ridiculing); and social (excluding someone from activities or telling rumors behind someone’s back). Bullying can occur to people of all ages but is particularly harmful to children.

Living with cancer can mean living with a wide range of emotions and psychological stresses that can have an impact on mental health and well-being.

Delirium is a sudden disturbance in a person's thinking that can result in confusion, lack of awareness of one's environment, and disorganized thinking. Delirium is caused by medical issues, and requires prompt treatment by a doctor. 

Dementia is a group of conditions, all of which involve progressive impairment of brain function, with symptoms that include loss of memory and loss of judgment. Alzheimer's dementia is the most common form of dementia.

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) (formerly called dyspraxia) is a condition where individuals have problems with coordination (appearing clumsy and awkward) to the point where it causes them problems at home, at school and everywhere else.  It is important to identify this disorder because there are interventions (i.e. seeing a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, making adjustments at school) that can help.  Children and young people who have this disorder but are not properly identified are at risk of future problems at school, in relationships, and of developing depression and emotional difficulties.

Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse or intimate partner violence (IPV)) is a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, or between friends or family members.

Down syndrome is a developmental condition with varying degrees of learning and physical disabilities. Children with Down syndrome generally have a very happy, amiable temperament. They are usually able to learn everyday life skills and can be raised at home. Special education and training allow many individuals with Down syndrome to lead happy, useful, and love-filled lives.

Elimination disorders are problems with urine or bowel control, such as encopresis and enuresis.

Encopresis (fecal incontinence) is a problem with having involuntary bowel movements, in a person who should be old enough to have voluntary bowel control. 

Enuresis (urinary incontinence or bedwetting) is a problem with urinating into inappropriate places, either during the day or at night. It can happen voluntarily or involuntarily.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) refers to the whole range of disabilities caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol (when a mother drinks alcohol while pregnant). Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) refers to a specific group of defects to the fetus that result from prenatal alcohol exposure. The usual first step if one suspects fetal alcohol problems is to speak to one's family physician or to the child's pediatrician.

Fire-setting is the deliberate setting of fires. In children and youth who set fires, fire-setting usually occurs due to 1) curiosity and the desire to experiment with fire; or 2) other reasons, such as a cry for help, with the fire-setting as a symptom of an underlying problem such as depression or interpersonal troubles Pathological fire-setting in adults may be due to pyromania, defined as the deliberate setting of fires for pleasure or satisfaction from the relief of tension experienced before the fire-setting.

Gender identity refers to the basic sense of self as being either male or female. Gender dysphoria is when someone is unhappy about their gender. Gender identity disorder is a condition where a person has been assigned one gender (on the basis of their sex), but perceives himself or herself as belonging to another gender.

Grief and bereavement refers to the sadness and loneliness that result from the loss of a loved one.

Compulsive hoarding (aka pathological hoarding) is acquiring possessions along with the failure to discard them, even if the items are worthless, no longer useful. Hoarded items fill the person's home, and can cause severe problems with day-to-day activities and relationships, and even pose a danger to life through being a fire and safety hazard.

Infants and young children can have mental health issues just like older children, youth and adults. Infants and young children with mental health challenges grow up into older children, youth and adults with mental health challenges. For this reason, it is essential (and cost-effective) to start early on by supporting infants and young children with what they need for mental health. Perhaps one of the most important factors is to support parents and caregivers, so that they can have a healthy relationship with their infant, based on being able to consistently  and gently meet their infant's needs. 

A person with a learning difficulty is a person of normal intelligence (or above) who has a brain difference that interferes with his or her learning in one or more of the following areas: listening, speaking, reading, written expression, mathematics, and reasoning. Sources of help include speaking to teachers, seeing a psychologist for psychoeducational testing, and various support/advocacy groups.

Mood disorders are problems with mood such as anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression.

Oppositional behaviours are when a child/youth has troubles following expectations from others (i.e. being disobedient) and can be hostile at adults. While some oppositionality and independence is normal for all children, when it is severe and causes problems, it may be a sign of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).

Many sorts of health problems can occur if one is overweight. 

Overweight is typically defined as having a body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m2 for men and women. (Note that an overweight person does not necessarily have too much fat nor increased health risk if the excess weight is due to an above-average amount of muscle.)

If you are concerned that you or a loved one may be overweight, start by seeing a health professional such as:

• Your primary care provider, or 
• A dietician. 

A physical disability is any health condition, disease or disorder that prevents or inhibits a person from being able to complete daily tasks or activities. There are many causes of physical disabilities, including medical conditions, accidents, and conditions that are present from birth.

School refusal is when a child refuses to go to school. This can happen for various reasons: the child may be having problems with anxiety (such as separation anxiety from parents) or may be actively trying to avoid some stress about school (experiencing problems with peers such as bullying or conflict or having a having a learning condition that makes schoolwork stressful). The usual first steps in dealing with school refusal include speaking with the school and/or taking the child to see his/her family physician or pediatrician for additional suggestions. More specialized help may include seeing a psychologist, counselor or other mental health professional.

Deliberate self-harm refers to deliberately injuring one's own body. Means of self-harm include cutting (known as self-cutting or self-mutilation), burning, scratching and head-banging. Self-harm behaviours may occur for a variety of reasons such as autism, depression, or eating disorders. Solutions including helping the individual 1) figure out what their stresses are, and 2) find a healthier means to cope and deal with his or her stress.

Sensory processing disorders (SPDs) are problems with misinterpreting everyday sensory information such as touch, sound, taste, movement and smells. At the hypersensitivity end, this can lead to the person becoming easily overwhelmed by seemingly normal sensations of touch, sound or other senses. Behaviours like rage, tantrums, anxiety or avoidance may result. At the other extreme, hyposensitive or under-sensitive individuals may inappropriately seek out excess sensory stimuli such as movement, touch and sound.

Interactive Metronome® (IM) is a therapeutic brain training program that helps people with timing, attention, impulse control, coordination and regulation.

The Safe and Sound Protocol, developed by Dr. Porges, is a five-day intervention designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing capacity for social engagement and emotional resilience. It is an auditory intervention (distinct from auditory integration training) where the person wears headphones that play specially formulated music for up to one hour on five consecutive days. It can be done in the office of a trained clinician (e.g. occupational therapist) or in the comfort of the person's home.  

Visual stress is a visual perceptual processing condition that affects how visual information is interpreted by the brain and interferes with reading, attention, coordination, general health and behaviour. This is different from problems involving sight or sharpness of vision and can occur despite normal vision. Classic symptoms include light sensitivity, headaches from reading, and problems reading because the white “page appears too bright” or the words appear to be "moving, flashing, or jumping on the page". As reading is such a key skill for school and life in general, problems with reading can thus lead to significant impairment. The good news is that appropriate intervention can make a significant improvement and for many individuals, one of the interventions is as simple as specific colour filters.

Separation and divorce commonly occurs. Separation is when a couple lives separately from one another. Divorce is when their legal marriage is ended. Separation and divorce typically cause emotional stress on the separating couple and on any involved children and youth. The more that a couple can resolve their differences in a calm fashion, without hostility and without the children/youth feeling blamed or neglected, the better the outcome is for everyone.

Getting good sleep is important for mental health. Unfortunately, there are many things that can interfere with sleep, like poor sleep hygiene, stress in our environment, or medical conditions such as sleep disorders. Everyone has problems sleeping from time to time. However, if problems like constant drowsiness or mood changes are common, sleep problems may be more serious and need attention.

Social skills (and life skills) refers to the skills necessary to interact in a health way with other people. This includes skills required to initiate contact with others, making friends, and keeping friends. It includes communication skills as well as conflict resolution skills. Social skills don't always come naturally, and there are many conditions that can impair social skills, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), learning conditions such as Non-Verbal Learning Disability, and even Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Somatoform disorders are conditions where patients have persistent, trouble medical complaints, which remain medically unexplained despite appropriate assessment and investigations by health care professionals.

Language is how people communicate with one another, whereas speech is what is spoken. Speech and language disorders are problems which, in some cases, can result in a negative impact on a person’s social or emotional well-being. Seeing a family physician or a speech and language pathologist can help with these difficulties.

Tourette's Syndrome is a neurological disorder involving facial and other body tics, usually beginning in childhood or adolescence. Tics are involuntary, rapid, sudden movements or vocalizations that occur repeatedly in the same way. The first step in getting help for possible Tourette's or tics is to see a physician, who may also consider a referral to a neurologist if necessary.

Basic Needs resources are resources such as food, housing (including shelters), transportation and temporary financial assistance.

The child welfare / child protection system is a group of services that promote the well-being of children by protecting children from abuse or neglect, ensuring they are safe, and strengthening families so that they can successfully care for their children.

This section has programs that provide food or low cost food to those in need.

Housing services help individuals find and keep places to stay. This is not an exhaustive list of resources and services, but highlights those which might be of interest to individuals with mental health issues.

Long-term care facilities and homes (aka. "nursing home") are for people who require the availability of 24-hour nursing care and supervision within a secure setting. They provide a higher level of care and support than retirement homes or supportive housing. Long-term care homes are owned and operated by various organizations: 1) Nursing homes are usually operated by private corporations; 2) Municipal homes for the aged are owned by municipal councils. Many municipalities are required to build a home for the aged in their area, either on their own or in partnership with a neighbouring municipality; 3) Charitable homes are usually owned by non-profit corporations, such as faith, community, ethnic or cultural groups.

A group home is usually a single-family dwelling for special populations that need a supervised living environment. Common examples include children and youth in care, individuals with developmental or physical disabilities, individuals recovering from substance abuse, teenaged mothers, or victims of domestic violence.

Refers to supports and services provided in the person's home.

Respite refers to short term, temporary care provided to parents (or caregivers) so that they (and their families) can take a break from the daily routine of caregiving, and can range from a few hours to enough time for a vacation. Despite the guilt that parents or caregivers may feel, respite care can be very helpful in relieving stress from caregivers and give them time to recharge. Respite care may include services to take care of children, or older adults, or even parents.

Having easy access to transportation is essential, whether its going to a doctor's appointment, getting to a job, or keeping up with your relationships. This section has transportation resources that may be specifically of interest to those with mental health needs.
 

Sometimes one is required to provide a medical certificate in order to drive.

Occupational therapists can provide detailed assessments of driving ability at one of the following agencies listed below.

There are various shelters that people can use when they have no place to go.

Emergency shelters are places for people to live temporarily when they don't have a place to stay. Emergency shelters (such as women's shelters) are primarily meant for those fleeing an abusive relationship, sexual abuse or domestic violence. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

Homeless shelters are temporary places to stay, usually meant for homeless people. Usually located in downtown areas, they are similar to emergency shelters. The main difference is that homeless shelters are usually open to anyone, without regard to the reason for need. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

This section has resources about finances, money, grants, subsidies and other related information. This is not an exhaustive list of resources and services, but highlights those which might be of interest to individuals with mental health issues.

Refers to all programs that provide immediate assistance for people who are currently experiencing severe emotional distress; for any situation that is life-threatening, or poses harm to someone; or unable to cope with a problem that demands immediate attention. Crisis services help deal with the immediate crisis, and restore people back to their original (higher) level of function so that they can identify and deal with their problems.

The child welfare / child protection system is a group of services that promote the well-being of children by protecting children from abuse or neglect, ensuring they are safe, and strengthening families so that they can successfully care for their children.

Are you in a crisis? Crisis lines offer free, immediate and confidential one-on-one assistance to callers in need and usually operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are generally staffed by either paid professionals, or trained volunteers. They will listen, offer support and advice, and if necessary, will try to help the caller get connected to help in his/her community. 

Looking for an appointment the same day, or within a few days? Walk-in counselling clinics provide counseling services, without a need to book a long time in advance. They can be helpful for many issues such as family conflict, stress, grief, depression, anxiety, relationship issues, separation, divroce or abuse. Most of the time, no appointment is required, though some clinics may require you to call ahead the same day to book appointments for that day. 

Is there an emergency such as medical or mental health emergency? If less intense options (e.g. calling a crisis line) are not possible or haven't helped, then it may be helpful to visit the local hospital Emergency Department. Typical mental health emergencies include:

* thoughts of suicide to the point where the person requires emergency help to keep them from ending their life; 

* manic episode or psychosis where a person is behaving in an irrational way with inability to function. 

There are various shelters that people can use when they have no place to go.

Emergency shelters are places for people to live temporarily when they don't have a place to stay. Emergency shelters (such as women's shelters) are primarily meant for those fleeing an abusive relationship, sexual abuse or domestic violence. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

Homeless shelters are temporary places to stay, usually meant for homeless people. Usually located in downtown areas, they are similar to emergency shelters. The main difference is that homeless shelters are usually open to anyone, without regard to the reason for need. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

Women's shelters are places where women (and their children) can go to stay, and are typically for women fleeing domestic violence from their partners or spouses. Women's shelters offer safe, temporary housing and usually other services to enable a return to independent living such as counselling and referrals to community resources.

This section on education resources is not exhaustive, but rather focuses on education and school resources that may be of interest to those with mental health issues.

Schools are managed by different school boards, which are organized by geographic region, language and religion.

Alternative schools are for students whose needs are not met by mainstream schools, which may occur for any variety of reasons, including students who have children, part-time jobs, or who simply have a different learning style that doesn't fit with a mainstream school. In general, alternative schools offer smaller classes, with more of an opportunity for one-on-one interaction with teachers.

In Ontario, students work on one course at a time, and can complete six or more courses in an academic year. Each classroom has 21 students who all work on individual courses, at their own pace. Contact your local school board for more information.

Day Treatment refers to an intensive type of outpatient services that is more intensive than standard outpatient services (e.g. seeing someone once every 1-2 weeks) but yet is not as intensive as an inpatient stay.

For children and youth, day treatment programs may occur at therapeutic school programs, or take place at hospitals. For adults, day treatment programs are commonly offered at hospitals.

Therapeutic Boarding Schools offer additional supports for teens that are struggling with problems with emotions, behaviour or self-esteem and motivation.

Programs that provide mentorship, in which a more experienced person helps a less experienced person.