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Mental Health & Addiction — Ongoing Care

If this is happening right now — you're thinking about suicide, you're in crisis tonight, or someone is in immediate danger — go to Guide 01: In Crisis Now instead. That guide covers same-night suicide and crisis lines, mobile crisis teams, crisis beds, and overdose response — everything usable tonight, without an appointment. Nothing on this page is a substitute for that page if tonight is the emergency.

This guide is for what comes after tonight: counselling you can start next week, a warm line to call on an ordinary hard evening, a group to join, someone to help you navigate the system to find care, and support if you're the one holding up a partner, parent, or child who's struggling.

Selection rule

A resource is on this page if it provides free or genuinely low-cost mental health or substance-use support to a Toronto resident on an ongoing basis — counselling, therapy, peer support, warm lines, addiction medicine, family support, groups, or the intake doors that lead to any of those. Sliding-scale entries are labeled sliding-scale, never called free.

Not on this page, on purpose: - Acute crisis lines and same-night crisis beds — see Guide 01, linked above. - Campus counselling and campus health/dental plans — see your campus guide (Guides 04A–04H). - Dental, drug, vision, and hearing coverage, and smoking-cessation programs — see the Health Extras guide (Fleet #7). - Shelter and housing, including addictions-supportive housing — see the Housing guide (Guide 07). - Food — see the Food Today & Groceries guide (Guide 03). - Veteran-specific mental health programs — see the Veterans guide (Fleet #20). - General-purpose settlement agencies whose main service is settlement/orientation ("settlement counselling") rather than mental-health counselling — see the Newcomers and Help in Your Language guides (Fleets #13–14). Only rows where mental-health or addiction support is itself the named, standalone service are cited here.

Finding your way in — intake and navigation

ConnexOntario Free 24/7 phone/text/chat, 1-866-531-2600 (or text CONNEX to 247247), connecting Ontarians to 5,300+ mental health, addictions and problem-gambling treatment programs province-wide. (Also listed in Guide 01 as a tonight option — here, it's your door to an ongoing treatment program, not a crisis response.) connexontario.ca Who it's for: anyone in Ontario. No cost, no documents.

CAMH — Access CAMH Free centralized phone intake, 416-535-8501, option 2, Mon–Fri 8:30am–4:30pm, connecting you or your family to CAMH's mental-health and addictions services. Addictions services accept self-referral; most mental-health services need a referral from a healthcare provider. (Also listed in Guide 01, where the after-hours gap for a crisis-tonight reader is spelled out — if you're calling this number outside those hours expecting a crisis response, it isn't one.) camh.ca/access-camh Who it's for: anyone in Toronto. Referral required for most mental-health streams; addictions self-referral available.

The Access Point Free, single-application centralized intake for Toronto's mental-health and addictions service network — Intensive Case Management, Assertive Community Treatment Teams, and supportive-housing streams (mental health, substance use, mental health and justice). Covers the catchment from Port Union Road to Highway 427, Steeles Avenue to the lake. theaccesspoint.ca Who it's for: Toronto residents 14+. Referral required — this is an application process, not a same-day door; budget for a wait.

CMHA Toronto — Short-Stay Crisis Bed (formerly Safe Bed) 24/7 on-site crisis support for up to 30 days — food, clothing, personal-care items, help developing daily-living skills, and advocacy/referrals into ongoing community treatment — for people 16+ living with serious mental illness who are in crisis and can't stay in their current living situation. Two streams: Generic (referrals from case managers, social workers, crisis workers or medical professionals; self/family referral considered only on a limited basis) and Mental Health & Justice (limited to police, correctional facilities, probation/parole and law-and-mental-health referral sources). Beds are in North York and Scarborough; there's no waitlist — it's first-come, first-served, so you call the registry and keep checking back if nothing's open. cmhato.org — Short-Stay Crisis Bed Who it's for: people 16+ with serious mental illness in crisis, Toronto. Registry line 416-248-4174 — this is a step after crisis intake (ConnexOntario or Access CAMH above, or Guide 01 for tonight), not a same-night walk-in door on its own.

Discovery tools — not verified individual services, but useful for finding one: - CAMH Community Resource Sheets — around 50 free, downloadable topic guides (crisis resources, harm reduction, older adults, domestic-violence survivors, queer-specific resources, sex-worker support, incarceration supports, and more), each listing named agencies with phone numbers and eligibility. camh.ca — Community Resource Sheets

Free counselling you can actually get

Family Service Toronto — Single Session Walk-In Counselling Walk-in single-session counselling — virtual Mon/Wed/Fri 11am–5pm, in-person Thursdays 2:30–7pm — plus ongoing sliding-scale counselling by intake afterward. familyservicetoronto.org Who it's for: anyone in Toronto. Walk in for the first session — no documents required; the follow-on ongoing counselling is pay-what-you-can, not free.

What's Up Walk-In Counselling Free, same-day walk-in mental-health counselling — no appointment, no fee, no health card required — at multiple Toronto sites, six days a week across the network (some individual sites ask you to call ahead as a courtesy before arriving). whatsupwalkin.ca Who it's for: ages 0–29, Toronto. Walk in — no documents required, though calling ahead is recommended at some sites.

Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program / TeleCBT Free, OHIP-covered cognitive-behavioural therapy for depression and anxiety, self-led or therapist-led. telecbt.ca Who it's for: anyone in Ontario. A physician referral is required for new patients per the provider's own site.

BounceBack Ontario Free CBT-based skill-building program for low mood, depression, anxiety or stress — up to six telephone coaching sessions over 3–6 months, plus self-access online videos that don't need a referral. bouncebackontario.ca Who it's for: adults and youth 15+, Ontario. No documents required.

Hard Feelings Low-cost, sliding-scale individual counselling through a community network of therapists, plus mental-health workshops and a self-care storefront. hardfeelings.org Who it's for: anyone in Toronto. Sliding-scale, not free.

OISE Psychology Clinic Psychoeducational assessment and counselling for children, adolescents and adults, provided by supervised graduate clinical trainees, sliding-scale fee for non-covered services. Children & Adolescent Services intake is closed as of 2026-07-30, reopening September 2026 — call 416-978-0678 to confirm before assuming availability. Adult Services intake (416-978-0654) showed no closure notice as of this check. oise.utoronto.ca/psychology-clinic Who it's for: anyone in Toronto. Sliding-scale/subsidized training-clinic rate, not free.

ADLER Centre Psychoeducational assessment and psychotherapy for individuals 16+, at reduced training-clinic rates, provided by supervised graduate trainees. sites.google.com/adler.ca/adler-centre Who it's for: ages 16+, Toronto. Reduced-fee/subsidized, not free.

Counselling built for your specific community or experience

Youth

Stella's Place Free peer support, clinical counselling, and employment/wellness-recovery programs for young adults, much of it same-day drop-in. stellasplace.ca Who it's for: ages 16–29, Toronto. Walk in for much of it — no documents required.

WoodGreen Community Services — Youth Services (formerly Turning Point Youth Services) Free mental-health counselling, individual/family therapy and life-skills support, plus live-in specialized treatment (transitional housing requires a monetary contribution — that piece is not free). woodgreen.org — Turning Point Who it's for: ages 12–24, Toronto.

YouthLink Free walk-in counselling — no referral required — and mental-health programs for vulnerable youth and their families. youthlink.ca Who it's for: ages 12–24, Scarborough/Toronto.

Wanasah — Regent Park Free counselling and case management for Black youth and their families experiencing mental health and substance-use concerns. wanasah.ca Who it's for: Black youth 12–25 and families, Regent Park and neighbouring areas. Community-specific.

Black Youth Helpline Free, culturally appropriate helpline and services for Black youth, families and schools — assessment, referral, home tutoring/Saturday School support, mediation with school boards, and mentorship. Nationwide and phone-based, daily 9am–10pm. blackyouth.ca Who it's for: Black youth and families, Canada-wide. Phone 416-285-9944 (toll-free 1-833-294-8650), daily 9am–10pm. No documents required.

Planned Parenthood Toronto (PPT) — Counselling Free individual and group counselling — anxiety, depression, self-esteem, trauma, relationship challenges, boundary setting, life transitions, and the impacts of homophobia, transphobia, racism and sexism — from a 2SLGBTQ-affirming, sex-positive, harm-reduction practice; the practice also runs group programs such as a Spoonie Peer Support Program and an ADHD Strategies Workshop. Start with a phone consultation with PPT's Case Coordinator, who helps match you to the right support; a waiting list currently applies. ppt.on.ca/counselling Who it's for: anyone, Toronto — peer-education/sexual-health information is specifically for ages 13–29, but general counselling isn't age-gated on the provider's own page. Call 416-961-0113 to book.

Men, boys and fathers

Canadian Centre for Men and Families Support for depression, anxiety, relationships, separation/divorce, parenting, social isolation, self-esteem, abuse/trauma, and crisis/distress. menandfamilies.org Who it's for: boys, men, fathers and their families, Toronto.

Men's Counselling Link (Family Service Toronto) Free, single-session counselling focused on your most significant challenge right now — a trained counsellor helps you sort through it and identify a short-term plan or strategy. Phone/virtual appointments Mon/Wed/Fri; in-person walk-in Thursdays 2:30–7pm, 355 Church St, 3rd floor. The provider's own eligibility criteria are narrower than the general "who benefits" description on the same page: it's for men (and people who identify as men) 16+ in Ontario seeking support for anger management or relationship conflict, and/or who have participated in, or are currently in, the Partner Assault Response (PAR) or Kizhaay Anishiinaabe Niin program — and are not currently before the courts on unresolved domestic-related charges. Complements Canadian Centre for Men and Families above, which isn't scoped the same way. familyservicetoronto.org — Men's Counselling Link Who it's for: men 16+, Ontario, meeting the eligibility criteria above. Call 211 and ask for "Men's Counselling Link," or Family Service Toronto's Service Access Unit at 416-595-9618. Appointments typically within 1–3 weeks.

Women, and survivors of gender-based violence

Women's Health in Women's Hands Community Health Centre Feminist, anti-oppressive individual counselling and group therapy (a named Mental Health Services program), plus a Gender-Based Violence Services stream. whiwh.ca Who it's for: women, Toronto.

Riverdale Immigrant Women's Centre — VAW Program Free crisis intervention, safety planning, sexual-assault and long-term therapeutic counselling, advocacy and referral/escort services, in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tagalog and Tamil. riwc.ca/vaw-program Who it's for: racialized and newcomer women and children who have experienced abuse, Toronto.

Elizabeth Fry Toronto — Counselling Services Free one-on-one and group counselling: general counselling (abuse/trauma, parenting, anger, substance use), reintegration counselling for women on probation/parole, and Standing Strong (TREM) — a 16-session trauma-recovery program for women and gender-diverse young adults who've experienced family or gender-based violence. Free interpretation via the Barbra Schlifer Clinic. efrytoronto.org Who it's for: women and gender-diverse people, Toronto — including women in conflict with the law. Standing Strong is specifically for ages 16–29.

Scarborough Women's Centre Free information & referral, one-to-one mentoring, and professional counselling for women, alongside targeted programs for young women, senior women, newcomer women, 2SLGBTQ+ women, Francophone women, and women with disabilities. The provider's own homepage states plainly: "All services are free." scarboroughwomenscentre.ca Who it's for: women, Scarborough/Toronto. 2100 Ellesmere Rd, Suite 245; 416-439-7111. Community-specific.

Deaf and hard of hearing

Canadian Hearing Services — CONNECT Mental Health Counselling Free, confidential professional counselling for mental health, addiction, relationships, stress or abuse, delivered in ASL/LSQ with real-time captioning and amplification as needed. chs.ca — CONNECT Who it's for: Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals 16+ and their families, Ontario.

Indigenous

Anishnawbe Health Toronto Free primary care, chiropody, physiotherapy, mental-health/psychiatric services, child & family therapy, substance-use supports, and traditional Indigenous healing (ceremony, medicines, ties to Elders/healers) — plus Emergency Counselling Services, available Wednesdays and Fridays only, 10am–12pm and 1–3pm (in person or by phone). Outside those windows, call reception at 416-360-0486 to book a scheduled appointment instead — this is not an anytime walk-in door. aht.ca Who it's for: Indigenous clients across Toronto. Community-specific. Emergency Counselling runs Wed/Fri only (see hours above); no documents required for that service. (Also listed in Guide 01 for its walk-in crisis counselling — if tonight is the emergency and it isn't a Wednesday or Friday within those hours, use Guide 01's other options instead.)

2SLGBTQ+

Sherbourne Health — Supporting Our Youth (SOY) Free groups, programs and events for queer, trans and questioning youth, including goal planning and health/wellness programming with Youth Resource Workers, mental-health and primary-care connections, mentorship and peer support. sherbourne.on.ca/soy Who it's for: 2SLGBTQ2S+ youth 29 and under, GTA. Community-specific.

Newcomers, refugee claimants, and people with no health insurance at all

FCJ Refugee Centre — Primary Health Clinic Free primary care and psychiatry for people with no insurance at all, regardless of immigration status. fcjrefugeecentre.org/health-clinic Who it's for: uninsured Toronto residents, any immigration status — undocumented people are explicitly not barred. No documents required.

Community Family Services Ontario (CFSO) Free, and some sliding-scale, counselling for adults, alongside family and newcomer-settlement support (including help with Employment Insurance applications). Phone and virtual counselling available. cfso.care Who it's for: adults 18+ — newcomers, permanent residents, refugee claimants, and student/work permit holders, Toronto.

Culturally- and language-specific

Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS) / Sahara Programs Free Sahara Mental Health case management, Sahara Addictions treatment, and Sahara Better Families counselling, in English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, Armenian, Dari, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Turkish. pchs4u.com Who it's for: South Asian community, Ontario.

Vasantham — A Tamil Wellness Centre Free mental-health and addictions counselling (individual/group), elder-abuse and caregiver support, and youth CBT programming, in English and Tamil. vasantham.ca Who it's for: Tamil community, Toronto.

Japanese Social Services (JSS) Professional counselling and family support for Japanese-Canadians, immigrants, visa holders and international students, in English and Japanese — the provider's own site notes some services are free and others fee-based. jss.ca Who it's for: Japanese/Nikkei community, Toronto. Confirm fee status with them before your first session.

Centre francophone du Grand Toronto (CFGT) Free, confidential mental-health services — therapy/counselling for individuals, couples, families and groups, plus crisis intervention — alongside free primary care, including for uninsured immigrants without legal status. centrefranco.org Who it's for: Francophones in the GTA, including undocumented people. No documents required.

Jewish Family and Child Service (JF&CS) Free-to-low-cost counselling and support for poverty, family violence, child welfare and mental-health issues, plus chaplaincy support; many services at no cost, sliding-scale fees for individual/couple counselling and some group workshops. jfandcs.com Who it's for: Jewish community, faith-inclusive, Toronto. Some services sliding-scale, not free — check which before booking.

Across Boundaries Holistic mental-health and addiction services for racialized communities, anchored in an anti-racist, anti-Black-racism, anti-oppression framework. acrossboundaries.ca Who it's for: racialized communities, GTA.

Hong Fook Mental Health Association Wrap-around mental-health supports — psychosocial recreation/education, peer and self-help support groups, family support groups, and CBT — in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese and Khmer. hongfook.ca Who it's for: Cambodian, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese-descent youth and adults 16+, Toronto.

Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) Free mental-health counselling — in-house psychiatrists, psychologists and family doctors, crisis intervention, individual/family/group counselling — plus settlement services and legal advocacy. ccvt.org Who it's for: survivors of torture, war, genocide and crimes against humanity, Toronto. Referral required.

Someone to talk to who isn't a crisis line — warm lines and peer support

None of the lines below are crisis lines — they're peer-support conversations for an ordinary hard day, staffed largely by people with lived experience, not clinicians. If you're in crisis, use Guide 01 instead.

Progress Place Warm Line Confidential phone/text/online-chat peer support for isolation, loneliness and anxiety — Canada's first peer-support warm line. Hours: 6pm–midnight, 7 days a week. progressplace.org Who it's for: anyone in Ontario.

Krasman Centre Warm Line & Peer Crisis Support Free peer-support warm line, phone confirmed 24/7: 1-888-777-0979. Live chat separately 10am–midnight daily. Also runs an in-person peer drop-in and system-navigation support. krasmancentre.com Who it's for: anyone in Ontario.

Hope + Me (Mood Disorders Association of Ontario) Free virtual peer support groups, one-on-one peer support/counselling, a telephone warm line, and workshops for people with mood disorders and their families. hopeandme.org Who it's for: anyone in Ontario. Referral required.

A Friendly Voice — Seniors Warm Line Free phone companionship line, 1-855-892-9992, Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm. afriendlyvoice.ca Who it's for: adults 55+, Ontario and Atlantic provinces.

Naseeha Mental Health Helpline Free, anonymous, 24/7 peer-support phone (1-866-627-3342) and text/chat line staffed by trained Muslim counsellors, open to Muslims and non-Muslims alike — English, French, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Gujarati (varies by shift). naseeha.org Who it's for: anyone, Canada.

LGBT YouthLine Free, confidential, anonymous peer support by live chat and text, 647-694-4275, Sunday–Friday 4:00–9:30pm, run by trained volunteers 16–29. Also keeps a directory of in-person 2SLGBTQ+ resources across Ontario. youthline.ca Who it's for: 2SLGBTQ+ youth, Ontario. (Also in Guide 01, for tonight.)

Trans Lifeline Free, fully anonymous peer-support hotline run by and for trans people — Canada: 1-877-330-6366 (Spanish available), Mon–Fri 1–9pm ET. Will not contact police or emergency services without your consent. translifeline.org/hotline Who it's for: trans and questioning people, Canada. (Also in Guide 01, for tonight.)

If substance use is part of what you're dealing with

Peer recovery fellowships — for the person in recovery

Open and closed meetings, explained once: a closed meeting is for people who have the problem in question, or who think they might — no diagnosis needed, just a wish to stop. An open meeting welcomes anyone, including family, friends, curious newcomers, or professionals, to sit in. AA, NA, CA and OA all draw this line explicitly on their own sites. Gamblers Anonymous is the exception — its own FAQ frames membership around wanting to stop gambling and never uses the words "open" or "closed," so no such split is claimed for GA meetings below.

Alcoholics Anonymous — Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Intergroup Free, anonymous, member-run peer support meetings for anyone with a desire to stop drinking — in-person, online and hybrid across the GTA, searchable by day, time, location and meeting type (speaker, discussion, beginner, step) through their own meeting-finder tool. Help Line (416) 487-5591, answered by fellow AA members. (Their own pages disagree on Help Line hours — the homepage says "24-hour, 365-day," the About page separately says only "seven days a week" without repeating the 24-hour claim — recorded honestly rather than picking one. No current total meeting count is published on the site.) aatoronto.org — Find a Meeting Who it's for: anyone with a desire to stop drinking, GTA. No documents required; some meetings are closed (see the note above).

Narcotics Anonymous — Toronto Area Free, anonymous, member-run peer support meetings for anyone with a desire to stop using drugs — the organization's own site states "multiple online and in-person meetings daily" across Toronto, searchable via their meeting finder. A weekly newcomer orientation runs Mondays 7pm EST via Zoom. Helpline 1-888-811-3887 (a separate Farsi-language contact, 1-647-520-1788, is also published). Helpline hours are not stated on the site. torontona.org — Meetings Who it's for: anyone with a desire to stop using drugs, Toronto. No documents required.

Cocaine Anonymous — Southern Ontario Area (Toronto meetings) Free, anonymous, member-run peer support meetings "for recovery from cocaine and all other mind-altering substances" — a live meeting finder filtered to Toronto shows real, currently scheduled in-person and hybrid Toronto meetings. Info Help Line 416-927-7858 (or toll-free 1-888-338-0417). The organization's published "over 100 groups" figure covers all of Southern Ontario, not Toronto alone. ca-on.org — Toronto meetings Who it's for: anyone wanting to stop using cocaine or other mind-altering substances, Toronto region. No documents required.

SMART Recovery Canada Free, secular, peer-led mutual-support meetings based on a 4-point CBT/self-empowerment model (build motivation, cope with urges, manage thoughts/feelings/behaviours, live a balanced life) — the alternative here for readers who don't fit the 12-step, higher-power framework of AA/NA/CA. Meetings run online and in person across Canada; search by city through SMART's own finder. SMART does not provide crisis intervention — see Guide 01 for that. meetings.smartrecovery-canada.ca Who it's for: anyone in Canada seeking a non-12-step recovery community. The finder is Canada-wide, not independently confirmed Toronto-specific in our source — search it by city for a meeting near you.

Overeaters Anonymous — Central Ontario Intergroup Free, anonymous, member-run Twelve Step peer support for anyone who wants to stop eating compulsively — explicitly not a weight-loss or diet program. A standing in-person Toronto meeting runs at The 519 (519 Church St): 1st and 3rd Sundays 10:30am–12pm and 1st Monday 6–7pm; contact Janet F, 416-832-1013. Call ahead — some meetings require pre-registration. oaontario.org — Meetings Who it's for: anyone who wants to stop eating compulsively, Toronto/Central Ontario. No documents required.

Gamblers Anonymous Toronto Free, anonymous peer support meetings for compulsive gamblers — no booking required, "just go to any meeting at the time and address indicated online": Tuesday 7pm (St. Vincent De Paul Church, 263 Roncesvalles Ave), Wednesday 7:30pm (Church of the Resurrection, 1100 Woodbine Ave, East York), Saturday 12pm (Church of the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St W — also a Saturday 11am Zoom option), Sunday 7pm (Glenview Presbyterian Church, 1 Glenview Ave). Helpline 1-855-222-5542. gatoronto.ca/toronto Who it's for: compulsive gamblers, Toronto. No documents or cost — GA's own FAQ confirms meetings are free.

Medical and harm-reduction support

Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinics Free, mostly no-appointment walk-in addiction medicine clinics: counselling, medication for cravings/withdrawal, harm-reduction education, and referrals to community treatment. Nearly 100 publicly funded clinics across Ontario, several in Toronto — postal-code search tool to find the nearest one. metaphi.ca/raam-clinics Who it's for: anyone in Ontario. Walk in — no documents required.

Salvation Army Harbour Light / Homestead — Addiction Services Free 10-week day-treatment addiction program (separate streams for women and men) — trauma-informed counselling, case management, life-skills classes and relapse-prevention support, alongside emergency shelter and housing supports. torontoharbourlight.ca Who it's for: adults 18+, Toronto (Scarborough). Referral required.

Breakaway Community Services Community-based and outreach harm-reduction (non-abstinence) support for people using or interested in safer supply of opioids. breakawaycs.ca Who it's for: anyone, Toronto. (Also in Guide 01, for tonight's overdose-safety needs — here, it's the ongoing harm-reduction relationship.)

Harm Reduction Supplies & Services (Toronto Public Health) Free harm-reduction supplies (needles/syringes, safer smoking equipment, naloxone kits with training) and drug-checking, delivered through TPH's mobile and street outreach — call 416-392-0520. TPH closed its own walk-in site (277 Victoria St.) in April 2025 and no longer operates a walk-in storefront directly. For in-person supervised consumption or overdose-prevention services, TPH points to three independently-run sites: Casey House, Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site, and Street Health — contact each directly, hours vary by site. toronto.ca — substance use clinical services Who it's for: anyone, Toronto. Phone/street outreach — no documents required. (Also in Guide 01 — that entry should be checked against this same closure.)

TRIP! Project Free harm-reduction drop-ins and outreach for youth 16–29 — drug-checking information, safer-partying resources, harm-reduction kit-making sessions, youth counselling and art drop-ins, peer support, and street-level outreach. Sessions run on a flexible, scheduled basis, not a fixed daily walk-in — check tripproject.ca, their Instagram, or text the TRIPwire at 647-822-6435 for the current calendar. tripproject.ca Who it's for: youth 16–29, Toronto.

If disordered eating is part of what you're dealing with

This section is new in v0.2 — the atlas previously had no eating-disorder-specific row at all, a gap the guide itself named. It closes with one direct-service group-support provider and one national helpline.

Sheena's Place Free, professionally-facilitated group support (Support, Skill-Building, Expressive Arts, Body Image & Movement, and Nutrition groups, plus workshops) for anyone 17+ in Ontario with lived experience of an eating disorder or disordered eating — no diagnosis or referral required to register. Currently delivered online via Zoom (in-person programming at the Toronto location is paused, per the org's own page, until it's safe to resume). A Trans/Non-Binary/Gender Questioning support group is named among its offerings. Registration is required for every group, including the "drop-in" type — that means no waitlist once registered for the season, not a walk-up-anytime service. sheenasplace.org Who it's for: ages 17+, Ontario, with lived experience of an eating disorder or disordered eating. No diagnosis or referral required — registering through their own portal is.

National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) Canada's only national toll-free helpline and live chat for people directly or indirectly affected by disordered eating and eating disorders — phone, email and live-chat information, support and referrals. Toll-free 1-866-633-4220, or a direct Toronto line 416-340-4156. Published hours (EST): phone 10am–6pm Mon–Thu, 10am–5pm Fri, 12–5pm Sat/Sun; live chat/email 9am–9pm Mon–Thu, 9am–5pm Fri, 12–5pm Sat/Sun. Not 24-hour. nedic.ca Who it's for: anyone in Canada affected by disordered eating, directly or indirectly. No documents required.

If you're the one holding someone else up — support for family and caregivers

Ontario Caregiver Organization — Caregiver Helpline Free 24/7 helpline, 1-833-416-2273, staffed by real people in 150+ languages — information and referrals (respite, local support groups, programs for the person you care for), plus free counselling/coaching webinars, peer support, e-learning, and dedicated resources for 2SLGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous and young caregivers. ontariocaregiver.ca/help/helpline Who it's for: unpaid caregivers, Ontario. No documents required.

Alzheimer Society Toronto Free support for people with Alzheimer's/other dementias and their caregivers: phone/in-person counselling, referrals to community services, a lending library and online resources in 90+ languages, and public education workshops. alz.to Who it's for: people with dementia and their caregivers, Toronto.

If it's specifically someone else's drinking or drug use you're supporting them through, three peer-support fellowships specialize in exactly that:

Al-Anon Family Groups — Toronto/GTA Free, anonymous, member-run mutual-support meetings, in-person and virtual, for relatives and friends affected by someone else's drinking, plus Alateen for teens 13–18. No fees — self-supporting through voluntary donations only. al-anon.alateen.on.ca Who it's for: family and friends of someone who drinks, Toronto. Walk in — no documents required.

Nar-Anon Family Groups of Ontario Free, anonymous, member-run 12-step mutual-support meetings, in-person and virtual, for relatives and friends of people addicted to drugs, plus Narateen for young people. naranonontario.com Who it's for: family and friends of someone with a drug addiction, Ontario. Walk in — no documents required.

Families for Addiction Recovery (FAR Canada) — 1-855-377-6677 ext. 207 Free, confidential live phone support from trained peer supporters with lived experience (toll-free, Canada-wide), a Peer-to-Peer program matching family members with a trained supporter for eight one-hour sessions, and free online family support groups. farcanada.org/phone-support Who it's for: family members of people with substance-use problems, Canada.

OCD support

The one row we have here supports family and loved ones of someone with OCD — we don't yet have a row for OCD-specific peer or clinical support for the person with OCD themselves. See "Free counselling you can actually get" and "Finding your way in," above, for general routes into therapy that could include OCD-focused care.

Sunnybrook OCD Family Support Group Free monthly virtual peer support group, 1st Tuesday, 6:30–8:30pm via Zoom, for family members/loved ones of people living with OCD. iocdf.org — Sunnybrook OCD Family Support Group Who it's for: adults 18+, Ontario — family members of someone with OCD, not the person with OCD directly.

Bereavement and grief support

Bereaved Families of Ontario – Toronto Free mutual-support bereavement groups — small, closed-membership, like-loss groups of 8–12 — plus one-to-one grief support. Groups run only about three times a year (fall, winter, spring) and are not currently forming mid-summer; there is often a wait for a group spot even once a cycle opens. bfotoronto.ca Who it's for: anyone in Toronto. Self-refer — no professional or agency referral needed; call 416-440-0290 or use the online intake form. A mandatory one-to-one screening session happens before joining a group.

Yorktown Family Services — Grief & Bereavement Support Free, walk-in Rapid Access Therapy — no appointment, no referral, no health card — for children, youth and young adults, including grief and bereavement, at the West Toronto Youth Hub; also individual/family grief therapy by intake. yorktownfamilyservices.com/youth-walkin Who it's for: children, youth and young adults, Toronto. Walk in — no documents required. (Also in Guide 01, for its general walk-in therapy; here the emphasis is the grief/bereavement service.)

What we looked for and couldn't find in the atlas

Closed since v0.1: the AA/NA-style peer-recovery gap (see "Peer recovery fellowships," above) and the eating-disorder-support gap (see "If disordered eating is part of what you're dealing with," above) are no longer true and have been removed from this list.

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Every entry on this page is verified against the provider's own page on its dated row in the Free Toronto Resource Atlas; this guide regenerates from the atlas — corrections happen there first.

Generated: 2026-07-30. Underlying rows verified 2026-07-27 through 2026-07-29 (see each entry's <!-- FT-XXXX --> citation and the atlas for exact dates). Amended: 2026-08-01.

Source: this library's internal records (v0.5, sealed). Cites 67 rows in this library's resource atlas, the atlas’s registry of record: FT-3015, FT-9031, FT-9413, FT-9562, FT-9404, FT-10237, FT-9908, FT-4019, FT-8025, FT-4023, FT-5026, FT-8027, FT-8026, FT-8043, FT-4015, FT-9614, FT-9615, FT-9580, FT-10228, FT-10222, FT-9578, FT-9029, FT-10217, FT-10216, FT-9903, FT-9630, FT-9917, FT-9233, FT-9907, FT-3017, FT-9623, FT-9206, FT-9207, FT-9217, FT-9222, FT-9230, FT-9575, FT-10230, FT-9708, FT-9024, FT-9025, FT-9027, FT-9032, FT-9232, FT-10223, FT-10225, FT-17001, FT-17002, FT-17003, FT-17004, FT-17005, FT-17006, FT-10236, FT-9616, FT-9577, FT-1012, FT-9310, FT-17007, FT-17008, FT-9920, FT-9613, FT-9926, FT-9927, FT-9928, FT-9030, FT-9028, FT-9925.