Diaspora North

Resources  ·  Get Settled

Mental health support

Settling in a new country is hard. The early months can bring grief, isolation, anxiety, and unexpected sadness — even when everything is "going well." Talking to someone helps. Here's how to find someone, free, in many languages, any time of day.

If you're in danger right now or someone you love is, call 911. Otherwise, the lines below are free, confidential, and won't ask about your immigration status.

Crisis lines (24/7, all free)

ServicePhone / textBest for
9-8-8 Suicide Crisis HelplineCall or text 988Active suicidal thoughts, worried about someone
Talk Suicide Canada1-833-456-4566 · text 45645 (4 pm – midnight ET)Alternate to 988
ConnexOntario1-866-531-2600 · text "CONNEX" to 247247Find local mental health, addiction, gambling services
Hope for Wellness Helpline1-855-242-3310Indigenous callers; Cree, Ojibway, Inuktitut on request
Kids Help Phone1-800-668-6868 · text CONNECT to 686868 · text RISE to 686868Ages 5–29; RiseUp is for African, Caribbean, and Black youth
Good2Talk1-866-925-5454 · text GOOD2TALKON to 686868Ontario post-secondary students, including international students
Naseeha Mental Health1-866-627-3342Muslim newcomers — culturally and spiritually grounded support
Trans Lifeline (Canada)1-877-330-6366 (Mon–Fri 1–9 pm ET)Trans / non-binary callers, peer support
Health811Call or text 811"Should I go to ER?" — RN-staffed health advice
Talk4Healing1-855-554-432524/7 helpline for Indigenous women across Northern Ontario

Loneliness, homesickness & the quiet shock of starting over

Many people leave a lively home — family in the next room, neighbours in the courtyard, someone always cooking — and land in a quiet apartment. In a Northern Ontario winter it can be dark by 4:30 p.m. The first month is busy with forms, classes, and finding a bed. Then that busyness wears off. Holidays away from family can make the quiet feel even heavier. That shift is a real loss. It is not a sign that you chose the wrong place, and it is not something you have to carry alone.

Breaking isolation early is easier than waiting until it feels impossible:

  • Get outside once a day, even for a short walk while it is still light. A change of room matters when the sun sets mid-afternoon.
  • Connect with a local settlement agency. Workers can introduce you to groups, language circles, and people who have already made this move. See the settlement services guide.
  • Look for campus and cultural associations in the local directory.
  • Use the public library. It is free, warm, and a place to be around other people without having to perform.
  • Volunteer a few hours. The volunteering guide lists ways to meet neighbours while you help.
  • Use free community spaces — drop-ins, recreation, and events. Start with free things to do in Thunder Bay, and the same guides for Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, Timmins, and Kenora.

Cultural stigma, shame & pressure to "be strong"

A lot of immigrants hold back. In many families, mental health is not something you name out loud. There can be cultural stigma or shame in asking for help, and a strong pressure to "be strong" for the people counting on you. You may be sending remittances home while you pay rent or tuition here. You may be working below your training because your credentials are not recognised yet. You may be grieving a parent's illness, or a death, from thousands of kilometres away, with no way to sit with your family.

Anxiety, burnout, grief, and the low mood that winter darkness can bring (seasonal depression) are common health issues. Ontario clinicians treat them every day. They are not a personal failure, and they are not a reason to hide.

Three fears that stop newcomers from calling—answered

1. Will this affect my study permit, work permit, PR application, or job?

Seeking care does not go on an immigration file. Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) keeps personal health information private. Doctors, nurse practitioners, campus counsellors, CMHA, and helplines — 988, Good2Talk, and Kids Help Phone — are strictly confidential. They do not report your visit or your call to IRCC, your employer, your professors, or your landlord. A narrow safety exception exists: if a clinician believes someone is in immediate danger, or a child needs protection, and they have enough information to act, they may contact emergency or child-protection services. That exception is about safety. It is not a report to immigration.

2. What if I'm worried someone in my community will find out?

You can speak with a professional who is not in your city. Phone and text lines do not require a walk into a local office. Call or text 988. Ontario post-secondary students can call Good2Talk at 1-866-925-5454 or text GOOD2TALKON to 686868. Kids Help Phone's RiseUp line is for African, Caribbean, and Black youth: text RISE to 686868. Virtual therapy is another private door. Adults can self-refer to the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program. Black Mental Health Canada lists culturally safe therapists who meet by video. Naseeha Mental Health (1-866-627-3342) offers Muslim-centred support by phone.

3. What if I don't have OHIP or money for therapy?

Several doors are free and do not require OHIP. 988 is free. CMHA walk-in and crisis services in Thunder Bay are free for ages 16 and up, with no OHIP card and no referral. Community Health Centres, including NorWest CHC in Thunder Bay (525 Simpson Street, 807-622-8235), offer free counselling and serve people without OHIP. Settlement workers can listen and refer you at no cost. If you are a student, campus counselling is available through your school — ask the international office how to book it.

Adults 18 and older can also get free cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) through the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program. You do not need an Ontario health card, a family doctor, or Canadian citizenship. You do need to be 18 or older and living in Ontario. The program is for mild to moderate depression, anxiety, and anxiety-related conditions. It is not a crisis service — use 988 if you are in crisis. In the North West, self-refer through St. Joseph's Care Group. In the North East, central intake is Health Sciences North (call 1-833-496-3677 or email neosp@hsnsudbury.ca). North Bay Regional Health Centre is the designated specialty mental health centre for the northeast and a regional partner; new OSP referrals in the northeast still start with Health Sciences North.

Local services in Northern Ontario

CMHA Thunder Bay

  • Office: (807) 345-5564 · toll-free 1-888-269-3100 · 200 Van Norman St (Mon–Fri 8:30–4:30)
  • Crisis Response Service: (807) 346-8282 · toll-free 1-866-888-8988 (24/7)
  • Mobile Crisis Team: 12 pm – 12 am daily within Thunder Bay city limits
  • Free walk-in / talk-in counselling: 16+, no OHIP or referral needed, first-come-first-served
  • thunderbay.cmha.ca

CMHA Sudbury / Manitoulin

  • (705) 675-7252 · toll-free 1-866-285-2642
  • 111 Elm St, Suite 100, Sudbury
  • sm.cmha.ca

NorWest Community Health Centres (Thunder Bay)

  • Free, confidential counselling for anxiety, depression, trauma, and situational issues
  • Open to newcomers including those without OHIP — call to confirm eligibility
  • norwestchc.org

Anishnawbe Mushkiki (Thunder Bay)

Indigenous-led Aboriginal Health Access Centre offering culturally-grounded mental health and addictions support. 807-623-0383 · mushkiki.com

Black, African & culturally-specific therapists (virtual)

Northern Ontario has limited in-person culturally-specific options. The good news: every therapist below offers secure video sessions — they work as well from Thunder Bay or Timmins as from downtown Toronto.

Settlement workers can refer you

If you don't know where to start, your local settlement agency can listen, suggest options, and connect you to culturally-appropriate care. They speak many languages and won't ask about your status.

See our settlement services guide.

Common newcomer pitfalls

  • Waiting until things are "really bad." Mental health support is preventive, not just for crisis. The earlier you talk to someone, the easier it gets.
  • Not knowing 988 exists. It's free, multilingual, and works from any phone.
  • Paying for a therapist when a CHC would have served you free. NorWest CHC and Anishnawbe Mushkiki offer free counselling.
  • Going to the ER for non-urgent mental health. Walk-in CMHA, 988, and 811 cover most non-emergency situations.
  • Hiding it from your community. Talking helps — and there are therapists who share your background.

Sexual assault and violence counselling

These centres offer confidential counselling. Crisis lines are open overnight. They do not ask about immigration status. Shelter addresses that are kept confidential are not listed here. More options are on the domestic violence guide.

Local services across Northern Ontario

Verified entries from settlement.org and 211 Ontario directories. Confirm hours and intake before visiting.

Thunder Bay

Greater Sudbury

Sault Ste. Marie

North Bay

Timmins

Sources & references: Local services cross-referenced with settlement.org (OCASI's Ontario newcomer directory) and 211 Ontario. Confirm current hours and intake before visiting.

Next steps

  1. Save 988 in your phone right now
  2. Save your local CMHA crisis line (Thunder Bay: 1-866-888-8988; Sudbury: 1-866-285-2642)
  3. If you'd rather a therapist who shares your background, browse the directories above
  4. If you're not sure what kind of help you need, call 1-866-531-2600 (ConnexOntario) — they help you find it

Don't want to call alone?

A settlement worker can call with you.

They can listen, translate, and stay on the line while you connect to a counsellor or crisis service. Free, confidential, no immigration status check.

Thunder Bay Multicultural Association   Or message us

DON'T LIVE NEAR A SETTLEMENT OFFICE?

Call the regional org for your area.

Settlement workers will register you by phone or video and help you find local supports. There's no requirement to live in the same town as the office — these services are funded for all of Northern Ontario.

See all settlement services →

Last reviewed: October 2026. Wellness Together Canada was decommissioned April 2024 and is not active in 2026; use 988 / ConnexOntario / Health811 instead.

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