Funding and Partnerships
Our partners in growing hope.
Lynwood Charlton Centre is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health (MoH), the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS), and The Hamilton City Enrichment Fund.
The Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services work to:
Make it easier for families to find services that give kids the best start in life.
Make it easier for families to access the services they need at all stages of a child’s development.
Help youth become productive adults.
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The Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, envision an Ontario where all children and youth have the best opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential.
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“To help improve outcomes for children, youth, families and individuals who need support across Ontario.”
These Ministries work with government and community partners (like Lynwood Charlton Centre) to develop and implement policies, programs and a service system that helps give children the best possible start in life, prepare youth to become productive adults and make it easier for families to access the services they need at all stages of a child’s development.
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The Ontario Ministry of of Children, Community and Social Services’ policy directive, Moving on Mental Health, has been years in the making.
The following policies have contributed to the current policy implementation:
A Shared Responsibility, Ontario’s Framework for Child and Youth Mental Health, 2006
Open Minds, Healthy Minds, Ontario’s Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy
Moving on Mental Health, A System that Makes Sense for Children and Youth
Core Service Providers
We also work in collaboration with Hamilton’s 7 Core Service Providers to strengthen relationships with educators, healthcare professionals, child welfare organizations, and other community partners to improve the mental health of our community.
One Stop Talk
We are proud partners of One Stop Talk, a free virtual “walk-in” counselling program to connect children, youth and their families with more convenient and timely ways to access mental health counselling no matter where they live.
Children, youth and their families can talk to a clinician by phone, video conference, text and chat without an appointment from anywhere in the province.
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In 2020, with an ongoing mental health crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, waitlists for mental health counselling and clinical support for children, youth, and their families in Ontario continued to grow.
During this challenging time, the provincial Lead Agency Consortium (LAC), a group of 31 collaborating organizations, came together to develop One Stop Talk/Parlons maintenant (OST/PM).
This group had a big, bold idea: to create a virtual counselling service for young people, so they could receive mental health support no matter where they are.
Now, One Stop Talk offers quick access to high-quality support anywhere in Ontario. If more help is needed, they can guide children and youth to the right local agency for additional support. The service aims to provide a consistent and reliable way to access mental health care for kids and teens across the province.
This service, funded by the Ministry of Health, is part of Ontario’s plan (the Roadmap to Wellness) to make mental health care easier to access. It’s all about making sure young people get the right kind of support when and where they need it.
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Any child or young person under 18 years of age in Ontario can use One Stop Talk to talk to a therapist for about an hour and get connected to ongoing supports, if needed.
Parents/caregivers are welcome to connect to the service with their child to ensure access.
The One Stop Talk chat and service are available in English and French. If neither of these is a preferred language, an interpreter can be requested.
No matter race, orientation, origin or identity, if a child or youth is struggling, there is no issue is too big or small.
Please note: One Stop Talk is not a crisis line.
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One Stop Talk connects child, youth and families with a team of therapists who are registered health professionals that can provide psychotherapy services.
One Stop Talk therapists are experts in giving focused help in a single session, and they regularly undergo reviews and meet with supervisors to make sure they’re offering the best care.
One Stop Talk also has a working group of mental health professionals dedicated to continuous improvement and skill development of the team.
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To connect a with a therapist, call 1-855-416-TALK (8255) or go to: https://onestoptalk.ca/
Monday to Friday
12pm – 8pm ESTSaturday
12pm – 4pm ESTTo make sure you get a session, please connect at least one hour before closing. Statutory holidays may affect these hours.
Step 1: Welcome Chat
When you contact One Stop Talk through the website or by calling in, an automated greeter will welcome you and ask a couple of questions to ensure you receive the best support.
Step 2: You’ll get paired with a therapist
You will be connected to a registered therapist in under 5-minutes for a session. Sessions are always free and usually last up to one-hour.
Step 3: Talk and Plan
During your time with the therapist, you (as a young person/family member) will talk about what is going on and how you are feeling. Together you’ll create a plan that will support you to continue to work through your issues/feelings after the session.
Step 4: Connect for Ongoing Support
If additional or ongoing services are needed, your therapist will offer to connect you to a One Stop Talk navigator. If you agree, the navigator will directly connect you to appropriate services. Before the session ends, a referral will be sent to another organization to connect you and/or your child with the services they need.
Even after this, you can all as many times as you need to talk to a therapist.
Have questions? Email: communications@onestoptalk.ca
