When it feels like there’s no clear path forward, we’ll light the way.
More than ever, children and youth are facing increasingly difficult mental health challenges. The help can’t come quick enough.
So, we created One Stop Talk. Our free service provides immediate access to mental health services, when and where they’re needed. We provide culturally safe and appropriate support throughout Ontario. Our registered therapists’ experiences and backgrounds are as diverse as the communities they support.
Who is One Stop Talk for?
Any child or young person under 18 years of age in Ontario can use One Stop Talk to talk to a therapist for about an hour and get connected to ongoing supports, if needed.
Parents/caregivers are welcome to connect to the service with their child to ensure access or on behalf of their child if the child is 0 to 5 years of age.
The One Stop Talk chat and service are available in English and French. If neither of these is a preferred language, an interpreter can be requested before connecting with our therapists. A friend or family member can assist through the chat until you connect with a therapist who will assist you with interpretation support.
No matter race, orientation, origin or identity, if your child is struggling, we’re here for them. No issue is too big or small, if it’s important to them, it’s important to us.
If you are a caregiver, parent or adult looking for support for yourself, please click here to view some resources.
Please note: One Stop Talk is not a crisis line. If the child or teen is in an active crisis (i.e. a danger to themselves or others) please be sure to reach out to crisis lines such as Kids Help Phone, 911 or 988 (suicide hot line)
Our Story: The Big, Bold Idea
In 2020, with an ongoing mental health crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, waitlists for mental health counselling and clinical support for children, youth, and their families in Ontario continued to grow.
During this challenging time, the provincial Lead Agency Consortium (LAC), a group of 31 collaborating organizations, came together to develop One Stop Talk/Parlons maintenant (OST/PM). This group had a big, bold idea: to create a virtual counselling service for young people, so they could receive mental health support no matter where they are. Now, One Stop Talk offers quick access to high-quality support anywhere in Ontario. If more help is needed, we can guide children and youth to the right local agency for additional support. The service aims to provide a consistent and reliable way to access mental health care for kids and teens across the province.
This service, funded by the Ministry of Health, is part of Ontario’s plan (the Roadmap to Wellness) to make mental health care easier to access. It’s all about making sure young people get the right kind of support when and where they need it.
About our therapists
One Stop Talk connects child, youth and families with a team of therapists who are registered health professionals that can provide psychotherapy services.
Our therapists are experts in giving focused help in a single session, and they regularly undergo reviews and meet with supervisors to make sure they’re offering the best care.
One Stop Talk also has a working group of mental health professionals dedicated to continuous improvement and skill development of the team.
Meet some of
our therapists
We have over 80 registered therapists and mental health professionals involved in One Stop Talk.
Here are just a few:
Kathy Hewitt
Kathy Hewitt
MASc (Psychology), RP
Kathy (she/her) works with HANDS The Family Help Network as a registered psychotherapist. She is a mom of two teenagers and has two dogs. Kathy has been working in children’s mental health for more than 20 years and brings a wealth of experience to support every child and youth who uses One Stop Talk.
Kimberly Chapin
Kimberly Chapin
Registered Therapist
Kimberly is a registered therapist with over 20 years of experience providing mental health assessments and treatment to individuals, families, and groups. She holds a diploma in Child & Youth Work, a degree in Social Development, and special training in Child Abuse and Social Work. Currently, she works as a therapist with H-N REACH.
Kimberly enjoys working collaboratively with available supports and services to help participants achieve their goals.
Wendy Roza
Wendy Roza
MDiv, RP(Qualifying)
Wendy (she/her) is a Qualifying Registered Psychotherapist with diverse experience working with children, youth, and families. She currently works at the York Hills Centre for Children, Youth, and Families. Wendy has worked as a community service worker at a substance abuse clinic and with autistic children for many years. She is passionate about helping individuals navigate emotional and behavioral challenges. In her free time, Wendy enjoys flag football and volleyball.
Marie-Eve Poudrier
Marie-Eve Poudrier
Therapist
Marie-Eve (she/her) graduated with an Honors Bachelor of Social Work in 2020 from Laurentian University in Sudbury. She is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at the University of Windsor. Marie-Eve has been a member of the OCSWSSW since 2020 and is a bilingual (EN/FR) clinician at Compass/Boussole/Akii-Izhinoogan. She began her career as a shelter support worker, supporting women and children escaping intimate partner violence. Marie-Eve has been in her current role for over 2 years and is trained to provide various types of therapy.
Kimberly Goodger
Kimberly Goodger
Social Worker
Kimberly (she/her) has been supporting children and youth up to the age of 17 for over two years in her current role as a therapist with Wellkin Child and Youth Mental Wellness. She loves hiking and birding and enjoys these activities even in the winter months, so she is preparing to bundle up and might even break out her snowshoes soon.
Meet our navigators
When a child or youth would benefit from extra or long-term support, our navigators can make the connection and referral to the right local mental health agency right away.
Michel Guide
Michel Guide
Navigator
Michel (he/him, Queer) has a Social Service Worker Diploma from Sheridan College and has worked as a Provincial Youth Outreach Worker (PYOW) for the past 7 years. He has over 15 years of experience working with children, youth, and families. As a Navigator, Michel helps connect children and youth to the OST/PM service. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Charlotte Flameng
Charlotte Flameng
Navigator
Charlotte (she/her) studied psychology and earned her master’s in neuropsychology in Belgium. She is a bilingual (FR/EN) mental health professional living in Toronto. Charlotte moved to Canada 7 years ago and has been working as a navigator for One Stop Talk/Parlons Maintenant for almost 2 years. She believes in universal access to free therapy and in reducing barriers to quality care for youth.
Our
Partners
Our services are provided through a growing network of connected infant, child and youth mental health agencies across Ontario.
To support the diverse needs and lived experiences of everyone using our services, our group of partners is always growing.
Explore our partners below!
