Happy Family Day Weekend!

Our team is available to support you on Saturday, February 15th 2025 from 12pm EST.

We will be closed on Monday February 17th 2025 and our regular hours resume Tuesday, February 18th at 12pm EST.

If this is an emergency, please call 911.

ACCESSIBILITY
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ACCESSIBILITY
Get Started

Frequently Asked Questions

Any child or teen under 18 years of age can connect online or by phone from anywhere in Ontario.


Parents or caregivers can also join the call or video session to support their child. Kids aged 6 and older are required to be there for each session to talk with the therapist.

 

When you use One Stop Talk, we collect some personal information to help you get the right care and connect you to other services, if needed. All staff follow strict rules to keep your information private and safe, in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). Unless required by law, personal information is not disclosed without client consent.

Therapists keep session notes on their own agency’s secure systems. One Stop Talk keeps only basic information to help you with referrals and holds data without names or personal details for program improvement.

We use virtual communication to provide our services. If you choose to use this, please know that while we work hard to keep everything secure, we cannot guarantee complete confidentiality as all virtual communication can potentially be vulnerable to security issues.

Single Session Therapy/brief counselling is a type of therapy that helps with your current concerns and problems. It focuses on what’s happening right now and uses your strengths and resources to help you get through tough times.

There is strong evidence that this type of counseling works well for many issues and is a quicker and less expensive option compared to other treatments.

One Stop Talk lets young people try this type of therapy. Our service can also support kids and teens who are waiting for other mental health supports and services.

One Stop Talk currently supports children and teens 0-17.

If your child is 0-5 years of age, you do not need to have them on the call with you, however, please note the discussion will be focused on your child’s needs.

If your child is between 6-17 years of age, they are required to be in the session as the therapist will need to complete a capacity assessment (check to see if they understand the risks and benefits of therapy) and if they are deemed by the therapist to have capacity, the child needs to provide consent for parent/caregiver to participate.

Please note that we do strongly encourage that young children connect with their trusted adult.

 

One Stop Talk is a free, confidential service that lets kids and youth under 18 of age, call or connect online from anywhere in Ontario to get immediate mental health support. Parents or caregivers seeking services are encouraged to visit One Stop Talk with their child to ensure access to a session. 

During the session, the therapist will talk to you and/or your child and work together with you to develop a plan that will help you move forward with the issue(s) that have been raised.

Children, youth and their families can contact One Stop Talk each and every time they require any support, there’s no limit to this.

One Stop Talk is not a crisis line (we are not meant for emergencies).

We offer free, one-hour sessions where a therapist will talk with your child/you about what’s bothering them. Together, they’ll make a plan to help your child move forward and feel better.

One Stop Talk is currently available at the following times:

  • Monday to Friday from 12 PM to 8 PM (EST)
  • Saturday from 12 PM to 4 PM (EST).

To make sure you get a session, please connect with us at least 45 minutes before closing. 
Statutory holidays may affect these hours.

One Stop Talk is not anonymous. This helps us make sure we can help children and youth if they are in danger or need extra support or services. 

We keep personal information private and will only share it if the child/youth agrees or if the law requires it.

View our full privacy policy here.

One Stop Talk lets children and youth:

  • Get free therapy from experienced therapists across Ontario
  • Have access to help even in the evening and on Saturdays
  • Connect with a therapist in just 5 minutes during our hours of operation.
  • Access therapy in English, French or with in-the-moment interpretation including ASL, if needed.
  • Be immediate and flexible to allow children and youth to choose the best time to get help with their current problem.
  • Be connected to other local services for children and youth if needed, all in one call.

Also, if you’re not sure if therapy is right for your child, One Stop Talk is a good way to try it out!


Please note: One Stop Talk does not do referrals to doctors for assessments or medication. We also do not provide documentation for legal matters.

Yes! This is on demand, Single Session Therapy and it’s meant to help your child with a specific issue or problem they are currently facing.

Your child may get connected to a therapist from your existing agency, or they may get support from a therapist at another participating agency across Ontario.

Navigation services are available if a child or youth needs extra or long-term support. If needed, we can help connect them to a relevant and local infant, child and youth mental health agency right away, so they don’t have to call back or look for help elsewhere.

Navigation services are completely optional. If they/you want this kind of help, just let the therapist know!

A friend cannot contact One Stop Talk on behalf of a friend; however, they can call with their friend – just like parents/caregivers!

No. We currently only provide support through phone and our online platform (as an audio or video call).

Rest assured, the call is confidential, and our trained therapists make sure that the young person’s comfort is top of mind.

No. One Stop Talk provides free therapy to anyone living in Ontario no matter what their citizenship status is or if they are here on a temporary visa. If more support is needed after talking to the therapist, we can refer you to free mental health services for ongoing counselling in the area where you live.

Informed consent is obtained with all participants of the service where they have the capacity to consent for service as per the Health Care Consent Act, 1996. At One Stop Talk, influenced by the Act, we believe that every child and youth is capable of receiving care on their own, unless otherwise assessed.

Where a young person may not have the capacity to consent to service, One Stop Talk will engage a parent/caregiver to support with the session alongside the child or youth.

One Stop Talk has both English and French speaking therapists. We also have a translation service providing in-the-moment support, with over 240 languages, including ASL. A complete list of languages served can be found here.

Yes! We’d love to hear what you think about using One Stop Talk.

You can share your thoughts in the survey at the end of your session. If you want to tell us more, you can also contact us.

Infant, child and youth mental health agencies from across Ontario have signed on to provide therapists to the One Stop Talk.

Click here to find out more.

No, One Stop Talk doesn’t refer you or your child to doctors for assessments or medication.

We also do not provide documentation for legal matters.

If documentation is needed, you need to reach out to the agency from which the clinician supported you, directly. This information can be found on the plan you receive after the session. The agency details can be found on the plan you receive after the session.

Ready to connect with one of our therapists?

Reach us by phone or online:
Monday to Friday: 12PM – 8PM EST
Saturday: 12PM – 4PM EST

To make sure you get a session, please connect with us at least 45 minutes before closing.

Feel like you could be in immediate danger? Please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital. Crisis resources can also be found here.

Talk Online

Welcome to One Stop Talk!

We are pleased to provide children and youth mental health support in Ontario, Canada. Currently, our services are available only to those living in Ontario. We encourage those outside of Ontario to explore the local mental health resources in your community. Thank you for visiting, and we hope you find the support you need. You’re welcome to look at our page for information, however, you will not have access to the chat or phone number.

Please note: If you are using an international VPN but reside in Ontario, you will need to switch your VPN back to Ontario to access our services.