Find mental health and addiction services in your community

Finding help

More than 35% of Ontarians will experience a mental health or addiction problem at some point in their lives.

If you or someone you know needs support, Ontario offers several options for free, confidential help with mental health and addiction concerns.

Book an appointment with your family doctor or nurse practitioner

Your family doctor or nurse practitioner can:

• evaluate your situation
• talk to you about treatment options
• refer you to a community mental health and addictions service provider

If you don't already have one, here’s help for finding a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

Talk to a registered nurse right now

Visit Health811 online or call 811 to speak to a registered nurse. The nurse can help you with any health matters, including depression, anxiety or other mental health or addiction concerns.

Health811 is a free, secure and confidential service you can call or access online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Get advice from a helpline

ConnexOntario is a directory of community mental health and addictions services in Ontario. You can connect with someone for information and referral to services in your community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by:

• phone: toll-free at 1-866-531-2600
• live online chat
• email

On the ConnexOntario website you can find locations and hours for services and information on Rapid Access Addiction Medicine clinics.

No appointment or referral is needed to get help, including prescriptions for opioid agonist therapies (such as suboxone or methadone) and counselling referrals if you don’t have a primary care provider.

Anyone can call

Helpline staff members welcome calls from anyone — whether your concern is about yourself or someone you care about. More than 25% of helpline calls come from family members or concerned friends.

Types of help offered

The helpline is not for crisis situations — if you are in crisis, call or ask a helpline staff member for your local crisis number.

Helpline staff are available for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to:

• listen, offer support and strategies to help you begin your recovery
• help you find treatment services and supports in your community such as crisis lines, self-help groups and family services
• offer basic education about mental health, drug and alcohol addiction and problem gambling

All calls are free and confidential.

Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program

Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health conditions Ontarians face.

Individuals aged 18 years and older can access the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program to get confidential cognitive behavioural therapy and other services free of charge.

Each potential client is assessed by a trained mental health professional. Depending on the level of need, a person may be matched with:

• self-led resources guided by a coach
• group therapy with a clinician
• individual therapy with a clinician

The sessions can be in-person or virtual.

Get referred to the program

Clients may be referred to the program by a:

• physician
• nurse practitioner
• other health care professional

In some areas, clients may self-refer.

Contact a regional lead organization

For more information, including to learn if clients may self-refer, contact a regional lead organization that coordinates the delivery of the program. Each organization works with health care provider groups in their area to offer services.

Central

• Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care
• CarePoint Health
• Canadian Mental Health Association – York and South Simcoe

Toronto

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

West

• OSP West (St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and St. Joseph’s Health Care London)

East

• The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
• Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Services

North East

• Health Sciences North

North West

• St. Joseph’s Care Group

Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs (HART Hubs)

Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs are community-based centres that connect people with complex needs to a wide range of comprehensive treatment and preventative services in the same physical space or through integrated referral pathways to other local and regional supports.

Services offered at HART Hubs can include:

• primary care
• mental health services
• addiction care and support
• social services and employment support
• shelter and transition beds
• supportive housing
• other supplies and services, including naloxone, onsite showers and food

As a model focused on providing treatment and recovery, HART Hubs do not offer:

• drug consumption services
• needle exchange programs
• drug checking

Learn more about the client journey for those accessing services.

Find a HART Hub near you

HART Hubs coming soon:

• Toronto Public Health (Toronto)
• Fourcast – Four Counties Addictions Services Team (Peterborough)
• CMHA Peel Dufferin (Brampton)
• Health Sciences North/ Horizon Santé Nord (Greater Sudbury)
• The HART of Simcoe (Barrie)
• Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (Windsor)
• CMHA Hastings and Prince Edward County (Belleville)
• Durham Community Health Centre (Whitby)
• CMHA Thames Valley (London)
• CMHA Algoma (Sault Ste. Marie)
• Services and Housing in Province (Dufferin County)
• Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health (Lanark, Leeds and Grenville)
• Oxford Ontario Health Team (Oxford County)
• County of Renfrew (Renfrew County)
• Gateway of Niagara (Niagara)
• CMHA Lambton Kent Sarnia (Sarnia)
• Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre (Ottawa)
• CMHA Durham (Oshawa)
• Kenora Chiefs Advisory (Kenora)
• Maamwesying (Sault Ste. Marie)

Consumption and treatment services

Consumption and treatment services offer supervised drug consumption and overdose prevention services.

They can also connect you to:

• addictions treatment
• rehabilitation
• primary care
• mental health services
• other health and social services
• referrals to other services including primary care and social services

Locations of consumption and treatment services