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FREE & LOW-COST RESOURCES

LOCAL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS​​

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  • Access Alliance - provides services and addresses system inequities to improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable immigrants, refugees, and their communities

 

  • Access Point - a centralized point where you can apply for individual mental health and addictions support services and supportive housing

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  • Across Boundaries - offer a range of dignified, inclusive and compassionate mental health and addiction services for racialized communities anchored in an anti-racist, anti-Black racism and anti-oppression framework​​​​

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  • COSTI Family and Mental Health Services - individual, couples and family counselling; groups for women who are victims of violence, and men who abuse their partners; psychiatric assessment, and followup. There is a service fee for some services. Problem Gambling Service also available

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  • David Kelley Services - offering OHIP-covered LGBTQ+ Counselling Program and HIV/AIDS Counselling Program​

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  • Drop-in Centres for Adults (Toronto central) - centres that provide immediate services to adults who face barriers to accessing care and support, such as food, clothing, showers, laundry and bus tokens, as well as peer support, support groups, social activities, and sometimes longer-term services such as case management

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  • Drop-in Centres for Youth (Toronto central) - provide immediate services to youth who face barriers to accessing care and support, such as food, clothing, showers, laundry and bus tokens, as well as peer support, support groups, social activities, and sometimes longer-term services such as case management

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  • Emergency Shelters for Adults (Toronto central) - crisis services providing temporary residence and supports for adults experiencing homelessness

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  • Friends of Ruby: Free counselling, housing and social services to two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and all gender non-conforming youth aged 16-29

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  • Hassle Free Clinic (sexual health) - community-based clinic providing medical and counselling services in all areas of sexual health in a non-judgmental, supportive attitude to the treatment of sexual health concerns​​​​​​​

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  • Madison Community Services - promoting the independence, health, recovery and community integration of persons with mental health challenges through the provision of mental health case management, supportive housing and a broad range of other programs and services​

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  • Redwood - provides programs and services to support women and children to live and thrive without abuse, homelessness, and poverty. We work for social change through learning, collaboration, and advocacy​​​​

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  • Schlifer Clinic - offers legal, counselling and interpretation services to marginalized and racialized populations of women who have survived violence

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  • Sex & U - accurate, credible, and up-to-date information and education on topics related to sex, sexuality and reproductive health

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  • Shelter Safe - resource for women and their children seeking safety from violence and abuse, allowing folks to quickly identify a shelter in a specific geographic area along with its 24-hour emergency phone number​​

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  • Sherbourne Health - downtown Toronto community health centre offering OHIP-covered medical and mental health care for folks most under-served by conventional health care

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  • Sistering - Multi-service agency for at-risk, socially isolated women and trans people in Toronto who are unsheltered or precariously housed

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  • Stella's Place - peer supports, clinical, online, employment, wellness, and recovery services as well as opportunities to explore your creative self through studio programs

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  • Supporting Our Youth (SOY) - OHIP-covered program offered by Sherbourne Health for LGBT2SQ+ youth 29 and under; SOY runs groups, programs and events that support the health and wellbeing of all queer,  trans and questioning youth​​​​

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  • Transitional Housing (downtown Toronto) - second-stage housing programs that provide an intermediate step between shelters and more stable housing. Services focus on rebuilding support networks and addressing long-term issues

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  • The Trevor Project - crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25​​

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  • Victim Services Toronto - provide immediate crisis response, intervention and prevention services which are responsive to the needs of individuals, families and communities affected by crime and sudden tragedies

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  • Women's Health in Women's Hands - counselling, information, education, advocacy and referrals from a feminist, woman-centred approach to provide short-term counselling, group sessions and workshops to women from priority populations

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  • Women's Trauma Therapy Programs - (via Toronto Women's College Hospital); OHIP-covered programs and services offering specialized trauma-focused therapy for adult females with childhood histories of trauma from the ages of 0-18​​

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HELP LINES​

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A note about help lines: I know that distress lines aren't always helpful and can be quite disappointing and sometimes upsetting and triggering. The other side of that is that there are sometimes wonderful people on the other end of the line who are very kind, compassionate and supportive.
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  • 7Cups - FREE online support from volunteer Listeners

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  • Access Line/Action Canada - 1‑888‑642‑2725 - 7-day a week toll-free, confidential phone and text line. It is available for questions about sexual health, pregnancy options, abortion, and safer sex. We provide information and make referrals to sexual health providers

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  • ​Assaulted Women's Helpline (AWH) - 24-hour telephone and TTY crisis line to all woman who have experienced abuse. Provide counselling, emotional support, information and referrals

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  • CONNEX Ontario - free and confidential health services information for people experiencing problems with alcohol and drugs, mental illness and/or gambling

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  • Disordered Eating Support (National Eating Disorder Info Centre (NEDIC)) - Canada's only national toll-free helpline and live chat providing resources, referrals and support to folks either directly or indirectly affected by disordered eating and related concerns

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  • Distress Centres of Greater Toronto - (416) 408-HELP (4357) - 24-hour telephone emotional support and crisis intervention for folks who are socially isolated, marginalized, struggling with chronic mental health problems, in distress, attempting to navigate family violence or in need of emergency response or suicide prevention + intervention + postvention

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  • Good2Talk - confidential support services for post-secondary students in Ontario and Nova Scotia​​

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  • Indigenous Crisis Support - 1-855-242-3310 - support for Indigenous people across Canada. Experienced and culturally competent counsellors reachable by phone and online ‘chat’ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Telephone support is also available upon request in Cree, Ojibway (Anishinaabemowin) and Inuktitut​​​

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  • Kids Help Phone - 24-hour, bilingual, anonymous and confidential phone counselling, online counselling and referral service for youth & young adults in Canada​​​​

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  • LGBT Youth Line - peer support through phone, text and chat services available Sunday to Friday, 4:00PM to 9:30 PM​​​​

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  • Ontario Mental Health Help Line - 1-866-531-2600

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  • Talk 4 Healing - 1-855-554-4325 - help, support and resources for Indigenous women seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with services in 14 languages

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  • The Lifeline - guides, tools and resources for mental health and suicide prevention (not a crisis hotline)​​​

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  • Toronto Seniors Help Line - a single point of access for seniors and caregivers to receive information and access to community, home, and crisis services

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  • Togetherall - an online chat-based mental health and well-being service offering self-help programs, creative outlets and a community that cares

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LOW-COST THERAPY (CANADA & USA)​

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  • The Create Clinic - accessible and affordable expressive arts therapy provided by senior level student therapists to children, youth, adults, couples and families from diverse backgrounds.  Serving people with a wide range of needs in the wider Toronto area. The fee is $40/hour for individual work and $50/hour for more than one person (couple or families)

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  • CTP Referral Service - referral service for members of the public who require psychotherapy at a reduced fee. Therapists in Training, who are near completion of their CTP training, are able to offer psychotherapy at a reduced fee. Case work is supervised on a regular basis by CTP faculty members.

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  • East Toronto Therapy - low fee, high value therapy provided by a seasoned psychotherapist with 18+ years experience

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  • Gestalt Institute of Toronto (GIT) - $40 sessions provided by senior students and graduates of the institute's training program. For Ontario residents only​​​​

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  • Inclusive Therapists - centering the needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and 2SLGBTQIA+ intersections (QTBIPOC) and amplifying the voices and expressions of Neurodivergent and Disabled Communities of Color

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  • Low Cost Counselling - a Facebook group for the sole purpose of connecting clients seeking low-cost counselling with counselling interns (supervised by counselling supervisors). Free to minimal cost counselling $0-50. Canada-wide.

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  • Open Path Collective -  in-office and online psychotherapy sessions between $40 and $70 ($30 for student intern sessions) in USA and Canada

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  • Tend Psychotherapy - Affordable therapy options range from $65 - $100, depending on client need + circumstance. Check out the therapist bios to see each of their specific rates. For Ontario residents only.​

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CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE RESOURCES ​

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  • CAFCAN - services for African Canadian children, youth and families through culturally safe individual and group counselling supports, case management services, employment services, youth mentorship, and youth outreach programs​

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  • Hong Fook Mental Health Association - provide a continuum of mental health services covering the spectrum from “promoting wellness” to “managing illness” in Cambodian, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Korean, Vietnamese and English for folks in the GTA

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  • Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT), a safe and welcoming environment for all Aboriginal women and their children in the Greater Toronto Area. Programs fall under six broad categories: Housing, Families, Advocacy, Employment, Education, and Youth

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  • Native Youth Sexual Health Network (NYHSN) provides youth leadership, empowerment, and intergenerational organizing for future generations. #OurBodiesOurStories #IndigenousYouthJustice #TransformativeResurgence​

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  • Salaam Canada - volunteer-run national organization dedicated to creating space for people who identify as both Muslim* and LGBTQ+ -- discussion, support, and social spaces for LGBTQ+ Muslims across Turtle Island with regional groups in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Vancouver​

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  • Therapy for Black Girls - an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls, including a therapist directory, podcast, Sister Circle and blog​​​​​​​

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PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (SEE MY LINKTREE FOR MORE)

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ARTICLES & WEBSITES

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  • Gail Dines' website for information about the harm of porn/porn culture and the inequality and violence against women that mainstream/colonial porn creates and normalizes

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  • Helping Survivors - A compilation of information around different instances of sexual violence and resources to assist survivors and their families with the goal of working to ensure the right of every person to build a life free from the devastating consequences of sexual assault and abuse.

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  • Hygiene Hacks & Mental Health - an informative, inclusive, empowering, shame-free video for anyone struggling with hygiene self-care​​​​​​​​​

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  • Struggle Care with therapist KC Davis - tips, books, products & other resources for all things related to the struggle that self-care and home care can be when we're running on empty

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  • Victim Focus: An international training, research and consultancy organisation working to tackle prejudice and stereotyping of adults and children subjected to violence, abuse and trauma. ​​

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  • For parents of teens, this article to better understand & get through the rough times

 

VIDEOS​

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  • This TED Talk by Jackson Katz discussing sexual abuse, rape and domestic violence from the perspective of What is going on with men?​​

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OTHER​

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  • Mind Your Inner Monkey (MYIM) workshop series - OHIP covered 10-week evidence-based workshop series founded on the principles of mindfulness and self-compassion and designed to support you in breaking through the challenges of habitual stress

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  • Self-Love workshop series - 12-week workshop designed for those who have a stubbornly strong inner critic and find themselves falling into repeated patterns of depression and anxiety due to low self-esteem and self-worth. Completion of MYIM workshop series required

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  • Sex education workshops and events - Good For Her is where folks of all genders, sexes, orientations and desires can find a variety of high quality sex toys, books, DVDs, workshops, great advice and much more

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If you have helpful resources that you think should be added to any of the above categories, please email me at NatashaSandyRP@gmail.com.

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