EveryMind delivers free, confidential and high quality mental health services to children, youth, young adults (up to age 25) and families in the Region of Peel. We are funded by the Ontario government, not-for-profit and accredited by the Canadian Centre for Accreditation.

Just like physical health, everyone has mental health, and it is just as important to take care of. Mental health is not just the absence of mental illness. It is a balanced state of well-being in all aspects of life: social, physical, spiritual, economic and mental. Our mental health can be impacted by many different factors, including diet, exercise, family, life experiences and practices like gratitude and mindfulness. When we are mentally healthy, we are able to form relationships with others, feel and express a range of emotions, and regulate our emotions and behaviour so that we can enjoy our lives to the fullest.

A child, youth or young adult might need mental health services and supports if they:

• are avoiding or have lost interest in activities that they used to enjoy
• are sleeping and/or eating more or less than usual
• are feeling stressed, worried, sad or angry more than usual
• are frequently experiencing overwhelming or very intense thoughts and feelings
• are having a hard time concentrating or completing daily tasks
• are lashing out at or withdrawing from people who are close to them

According to Children’s Mental Health Ontario, roughly 1 in 5 young people experience mental health challenges. It is normal and very common for children, youth and young adults to experience mental health challenges, but it is not okay for them or their families to face them alone. Getting help as early as possible is the key to helping a child, youth or young adult develop coping strategies that will help them overcome their mental health challenges and support them for the rest of their life.

If you or your family live in the Region of Peel, you can call WhereToStart.ca at 905-451-4655 or complete this form and an Access and Intake Specialist will follow up with you within 1-2 business days.

Click here for more information about what to expect when you contact WhereToStart.ca.

All of EveryMind’s programs and services are free.

After completing an intake with WhereToStart.ca, an Access and Intake Specialist will explain to you the current wait time for the service that is being recommended for you. You can expect a wait time before starting services and we understand that this can be very difficult. The Access and Intake Specialist will talk to you about different options to help support you while you wait. Within Peel Region, the following are always available to help you:

• Tangerine Single Session Counselling
• 24/7 Crisis Response
• Groups for Children and Youth
• Groups for Caregivers

If your child is over the age of 12, we cannot release any information about them to anyone, including their parents/caregivers, without their consent, unless we are concerned about their safety or the safety of someone else.

Depending on your needs, you will work with a social worker, child and youth workers, psychotherapists, psychologists and/or psychiatrists, and/or peer support workers.

All of our staff are highly qualified and specially trained to help children, youth, young adults and parents/caregivers with mental health concerns.

As our client, you have these rights when you use our services:

• It is completely voluntary for you to work with EveryMind. No one can force you to use our services if you don’t want to.
• Information about you will not be shared with anyone else unless you give us permission to do so. We will make an exception if we suspect abuse or neglect. Please refer to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services’ website for more information about Ontario’s duty to report law.

Children, youth and young adults over the age of 12 can use our services without their parents/caregivers.

Please click here to review our Privacy Booklet. You can also review our Privacy Code here.

If you ever have a concern with any of the services provided by EveryMind, feel free to talk to your counsellor. If your issue continues, please ask your counsellor about speaking with their supervisor.

If this still doesn’t help, you can contact our Director of Clinical Leadership and Excellence by calling 905-795-3500 x 2700 or emailing concerns@everymind.ca.

You can also report your concern to the Children and Youth Unit within the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman. In response to a request, a complaint, or on its own initiative, the Ontario Ombudsman acts on behalf of concerns of individuals or groups of children or youth and can undertake reviews, make recommendations, and provide advice to governments, facilities, systems, agencies, or service providers.

To make a complaint, or for more information on the Children and Youth unit, please visit the Ombudsman’s website at www.ombudsman.on.ca or contact the unit at 1-800-263-2841 or 416-325-5669.

Your voice is important and we will do everything to ensure that you are heard.

When you finish with our services, we will ask you to tell us how well we did. Please give us your honest opinions about our services. We are always trying to improve them.

Thank you for wanting to support us! You can support our mission by donating, fundraising or volunteering for EveryMind.

EveryMind is committed to providing a barrier-free environment for all children, youth, young adults and families who use our services, and we respect and uphold the requirements set forth under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If you have any special needs, we will do everything we can to accommodate you when you begin service with us, including hiring interpreters in your language.

If you are a child, youth or young adult over the age of 12, you can receive services from EveryMind on your own. We will not share any of the information you share with us with anyone else without your permission unless there are concerns about your or someone else’s safety.

Here are some organizations in Peel Region that provide free and confidential mental health and addictions services for adults:

• CMHA Peel Dufferin
• Catholic Family Services of Peel
• Family Services of Peel
• Trillium Health Partners
• William Osler Health System

We do not provide assistance for the following concerns:

• Funding for housing, utilities, food or recreational activities
• Court-mandated psychological assessments
• Court-mandated counselling
• Court-mandated anger management
• Psychoeducational assessments
• Supervised access
• Autism services
• Developmental assessments for children and youth
• Mandatory parenting classes for separated and/or divorced parents
• Mediation for separation, divorce or reunification
• Placements for high school students
• Parenting capacity assessments

Click here to find out about current opportunities to work for EveryMind.

Click here to find out about current volunteer opportunities.