Starting over can bring relief and possibility, but also isolation, grief, financial pressure, discrimination or memories of trauma. You do not need to wait for a crisis to ask for help.
If safety is immediate
Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger. If you are thinking about suicide or worried about someone who may be, call or text 988 anywhere in Canada. Support is available 24 hours a day.
Choose a first contact
Depending on the situation, begin with a family doctor or nurse practitioner, provincial health line, community health centre, school counsellor, employee assistance program, settlement organization or culturally specific community service.
Ask whether interpretation is available and whether it is confidential. A family member—especially a child—should not have to interpret a sensitive mental-health conversation.
Understand cost and coverage
Psychiatrist and hospital services may be publicly insured when medically necessary, but counselling by psychologists, social workers or therapists may not be fully covered. Check employer or student benefits, provincial programs, community agencies and sliding-scale clinics.
Before beginning paid counselling, ask about qualifications, fees, cancellation rules and what happens to your records.
Prepare for the appointment
Write down what has changed, how long it has lasted, how it affects sleep, work, school or relationships, and any medication or substance use. Say if you have thoughts of self-harm, feel unsafe at home or cannot care for yourself or a child.
If the first service is not a good fit, ask for another option. Language, culture, faith, gender and experience with migration or trauma can matter to the relationship.