Mental Health & Trauma Resources for Women in Ontario

Finding the right support can be difficult when you are already feeling overwhelmed. This guide brings together trusted Ontario and Canada-wide resources for mental health, trauma, violence, grief, caregiving, crisis support, and finding regulated mental health professionals.

Published: October 5, 2026

If You Need Help Right Now

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

If you are thinking about suicide, feel unable to stay safe, or are worried about someone else, the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline is available across Canada 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can call or text 9-8-8 to connect with a trained responder.

You do not have to wait until a situation feels unbearable before using a crisis service. If you are unsure whether you need immediate help, you can still reach out and talk with someone.

Not Sure Where to Look for Mental Health Support?

Ontario has several services designed to help people navigate mental health and community resources. These can be particularly useful when you know you need support but are unsure which program, professional, or type of service to contact.

ConnexOntario

ConnexOntario provides free and confidential information and referrals for mental health, addiction, problem gambling, and eating disorder services across Ontario.

You can contact ConnexOntario 24 hours a day by calling 1-866-531-2600, texting CONNEX to 247247, or using online chat. You do not need a referral, appointment, or diagnosis to ask for help finding services.

211 Ontario

211 Ontario can help you find community and social services based on where you live. Its directory includes mental health services, crisis programs, housing support, food assistance, abuse and assault services, services for newcomers, Indigenous resources, LGBTQ+ supports, disability services, and many other community programs.

You can call or text 211 anywhere in Ontario or search the online directory by location and type of support.

Health811

If you are unsure whether a mental or physical health concern needs medical attention, Health811 provides free access to a registered nurse 24 hours a day. Call 811 or use the online service for health advice and information about services available in Ontario.

Ontario Mental Health Services

The Government of Ontario maintains a mental health support directory with information about crisis services, community mental health programs, counselling resources, addiction services, and other forms of support.

You can also use the Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario website to learn about mental health concerns and locate a CMHA branch serving your community.

Trauma and PTSD Resources

Trauma can affect people in very different ways. Some people notice intrusive memories or nightmares, while others experience anxiety, emotional numbness, difficulty trusting people, changes in relationships, shame, irritability, or a heightened sense of danger.

You do not need to identify with a particular diagnosis for a difficult experience to have an ongoing impact.

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

CAMH provides accessible information about trauma and its possible effects, including how traumatic experiences can influence emotions, relationships, a person’s sense of safety, and their ability to cope with stress.

Its resource on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also explains common symptoms, risk factors, treatment, and sources of support.

If difficult or traumatic experiences continue to affect your life, you can also learn about trauma-focused therapy. Therapy does not have to begin by discussing the most difficult parts of an experience in detail. Work can begin with understanding your reactions, building emotional regulation and coping strategies, and deciding together what feels manageable.

Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence Resources

Abuse within an intimate or family relationship can take many forms. It may involve physical or sexual violence, emotional abuse, threats, coercive control, financial control, isolation, monitoring, intimidation, or other behaviours that limit someone’s independence or sense of safety.

You do not have to be certain that what you are experiencing “counts” as abuse before speaking with a support service.

Assaulted Women’s Helpline

The Assaulted Women’s Helpline provides free, anonymous, and confidential support to women throughout Ontario who have experienced or are at risk of abuse.

Support includes crisis counselling, emotional support, safety planning, information, and referrals to shelters, legal resources, and community services.

• Ontario toll-free: 1-866-863-0511
• Toronto: 416-863-0511
• TTY: 1-866-863-7868
• Mobile: #SAFE (#7233) on Bell, Rogers, Fido, and TELUS networks

Find a Women’s Shelter

ShelterSafe, operated by Women’s Shelters Canada, provides a searchable map of shelters and transition houses across Canada. You can contact a shelter for information, counselling, safety planning, and referrals even if you are not planning to stay there.

If you are concerned that another person may be monitoring your phone or browsing activity, consider accessing support using a device or phone they cannot access when possible.

Ontario Services for Survivors of Violence

The Government of Ontario’s support directory for survivors of violence brings together provincial helplines, victim services, sexual violence supports, Indigenous services, Francophone services, and other resources.

Sexual Violence and Sexual Assault Support

Support is available for people who have experienced sexual violence recently or in the past. You do not need to make a police report before reaching out to a sexual assault centre for support.

Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres

The Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres can help you locate a sexual assault centre in your community.

Ontario sexual assault centres offer free and confidential services that may include:

• Crisis and support lines
• Individual and group counselling
• Support following recent or historical sexual violence
• Hospital, police, or court accompaniment
• Information about legal and community resources
• Support for partners, friends, and family members

The directory includes centres throughout Ontario, allowing you to find services based on your location.

Grief and Loss Resources

Grief can follow the death of someone important to you, but loss can also involve relationships, health, fertility, employment, identity, safety, independence, or the future you expected to have.

There is no single timeline for grief, and support can look different depending on the loss and what you need.

AboutGrief.ca

AboutGrief.ca is a national grief resource created by the Canadian Grief Alliance and operated by Canadian Virtual Hospice.

The site includes information about understanding grief, death and non-death losses, supporting someone who is grieving, and finding grief programs and services. Resources are free to access.

Canadian Virtual Hospice

Canadian Virtual Hospice provides information and support related to serious illness, caregiving, death, loss, and grief.

Its resources include MyGrief.ca, which offers free online learning resources for people in Canada coping with different kinds of bereavement, including grief affected by traumatic circumstances.

For local grief groups, bereavement programs, and community organizations, you can also search 211 Ontario using your city or postal code.

Support for Caregivers in Ontario

Caring for a family member, partner, friend, or neighbour can affect many parts of daily life. Caregiving can exist alongside work, parenting, relationships, financial responsibilities, grief, and concerns about the health of the person receiving care.

Ontario Caregiver Organization

The Ontario Caregiver Organization provides free resources, peer support, educational programs, and information for unpaid caregivers throughout Ontario.

The Ontario Caregiver Helpline can connect caregivers with local programs, respite services, support groups, and other community resources.

• Ontario Caregiver Helpline: 1-833-416-2273
• Phone availability: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

The helpline is an information and referral service rather than a crisis or counselling line.

If caregiving has begun to affect your own emotional well-being, identity, relationships, boundaries, or sense of balance, women’s therapy can also provide space to focus on your experience rather than only the needs of the people around you.

Support for Indigenous Women

Talk4Healing

Talk4Healing provides culturally grounded support for Indigenous women and their families in Ontario. Support is available 24 hours a day by phone, text, and online chat.

• Call or text: 1-855-554-4325

Services are available in multiple Indigenous languages as well as English.

Hope for Wellness Helpline

The Hope for Wellness Helpline provides immediate mental health counselling and crisis support to Indigenous people across Canada.

• Call: 1-855-242-3310
• Online chat: Available through the Hope for Wellness website
• Availability: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Telephone and online services are available in English and French, with telephone support available upon request in Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut at certain times.

Francophone Support for Women Experiencing Violence

Fem’aide provides confidential French-language support to women in Ontario who have experienced or are experiencing violence.

The service is available 24 hours a day by phone, text, and online chat and can provide crisis support, safety planning, information, and referrals to French-language community services.

• Call or text: 1-877-336-2433

How to Find a Regulated Mental Health Professional in Ontario

There are many titles used in mental health care, and it is not always obvious which ones are regulated.

Ontario’s regulatory colleges maintain public registers that allow you to confirm a professional’s registration status before beginning services.

Registered Social Workers

The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Online Register allows you to verify whether someone is registered as a social worker or social service worker in Ontario.

The register includes information such as registration status, professional information, and any applicable terms, conditions, limitations, or discipline history.

Registered Psychotherapists

The College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario Public Register allows you to search for a Registered Psychotherapist by name, registration number, or city.

Psychologists and Psychological Associates

The College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario maintains a public register where you can confirm whether a psychologist or psychological associate is registered to practise in Ontario.

Checking a professional’s regulatory status is useful whether you found them through a referral, a search engine, an online therapy platform, or a professional directory.

What If You Are Looking for Ongoing Therapy?

Helplines, community programs, peer support, and educational resources can meet needs that private psychotherapy may not. At the same time, you may be looking for an ongoing space to understand patterns, process experiences, work through emotional concerns, and focus on your own well-being.

Individual counselling can provide broader one-on-one support for concerns such as stress, grief, anxiety, relationships, self-confidence, life transitions, and emotional well-being.

If your concerns are connected to traumatic or distressing experiences, you may also want to learn more about trauma-focused therapy. Women looking for support around identity, boundaries, caregiving, relationships, burnout, trauma, and life changes can explore women’s therapy.

If you are unsure which approach makes sense, you do not have to choose one before speaking with a therapist. You can get in touch with questions or use an initial consultation to explore what kind of support may fit your needs.

Keep This Resource Available When You Need It

The right resource may depend on what is happening, how urgent the situation is, where you live, and what kind of support feels useful at the time. You may want to bookmark this page or share it with someone who could benefit from having trusted Ontario mental health and trauma resources in one place.

Programs, phone numbers, and service availability can change over time. When possible, use the linked organization’s website to confirm its current services and hours.

If you are looking for a space to work through trauma, stress, relationships, grief, or emotional well-being over time, an initial consultation can help you explore what kind of support may be a good fit.