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Ontario’s Mental Health and Addictions Strategy - New Services and Supports

Mental Health Workers

Through the Strategy, an additional 770 mental health and addictions workers are in communities, schools and courts. These workers are providing timely, high quality access to services and supports to over 50,000 children and youth and their families. Services include:

  • early identification
  • counselling
  • therapy
  • intervention
  • group therapy

Indigenous Mental Health and Addictions Workers

More than 80 new mental health and addictions workers are helping almost 4,000 Aboriginal children and youth get better access to culturally appropriate services.

Training supports are also being developed and implemented for new and existing Indigenous mental health and addictions workers.


Tele-Mental Health Service

Ontario’s Tele-Mental Health Service provides children and youth in rural, remote and underserved communities with access to specialized mental health consultations through videoconferencing. It connects children and youth, who are already receiving mental health services, to a specialist who can help them.

The Tele-Mental Health Service is provided in 35 rural, remote and underserved communities identified as having the greatest need. This helps provide culturally-appropriate services to First Nations, Métis, Inuit, urban Indigenous, and francophone children, youth and their families. It also provides children and youth access to the specialized service they need, as close to home as possible.

Six Tele-Mental Health Service coordination agencies coordinate access to the service for community service providers. These agencies are:


All publically-funded mental health professionals can refer young people to the service by contacting one of the six coordination agencies.


Mental Health and Addictions Nurses

There are 144 nurses working in schools to identify and help students with potential mental health or addiction problems. They assess students and develop plans of care. Nurses also provide service for mild cases, and offer support and referral for more complex problems. They help students find mental health and addiction services or health care providers they need within the community.


Eating Disorders Services

Eating disorders are complex, complicated and serious mental health illnesses that often require care at many stages. The eating disorders program provides services, by referral, for the most acutely ill children and youth, including:

  • inpatient and outpatient medical care
  • full-time and part-time day and residential treatment
  • a team of health care professionals – including psychiatrists, nurses and dieticians – to provide integrated care through all phases of their illnesses.

School Mental Health ASSIST program

The School Mental Health ASSIST program provides school boards with mental health awareness resources and supports to help schools support student mental health and well-being.