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.

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.

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.

To connect a with a therapist, call 1-855-416-TALK (8255) or go to: https://onestoptalk.ca/

Monday to Friday
12pm – 8pm EST

Saturday
12pm – 4pm EST

To 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