Frequently Asked Questions
Is One Stop Talk hiring?
One Stop Talk doesn’t post job openings on our website. Since this is a collaborative effort between various infant, child and youth mental health agencies across the province, job vacancies will only be posted on partner agency websites.
What is One Stop Talk?
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.
Who can use One Stop Talk?
Any child or teen under 18 years of age can connect online or by phone from anywhere in Ontario.
What are the hours of operation?
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.
Is One Stop Talk anonymous?
One Stop Talk is not anonymous. This is to ensure that we can provide safe care and continuity of service for clients who may need referral to additional services. However, the program adheres to strict privacy and confidentiality obligations and does not disclose any personal information without consent, unless required by law.
View our full privacy policy here.
Who will the user be talking with when they contact One Stop Talk?
The therapists working within the One Stop Talk program are regulated and experienced professionals who work for provincially funded Infant, Child and Mental Health Agencies in Ontario. They are experienced with and understand the many multicultural and diverse issues children and youth face.
How do clients benefit from using One Stop Talk?
Connecting with One Stop Talk will ensure that child/youth:
- Receive free therapy from experienced and registered therapists located across the province.
- They’ll be connected with a therapist within 5 minutes.
- Have access to much needed mental health service in the evening and on Saturdays (French speaking therapists and in-the-moment interpretation including ASL is also always available).
- Get the support they need when it’s right for them to get help for a current issue.
- Get connected to additional community-based infant, child and youth mental health services if needed, in the same interaction without having to call another organization.
If a child/youth is not sure about therapy, this is a great way to be exposed and have initial conversations regarding their mental health.
Please note: One Stop Talk does not refer callers to doctors for assessments or medication requests or provide documentation for legal matters.
How does One Stop Talk use the data the user provides?
The One Stop Talk intake process collects personal information about service seekers to support appropriate care and referral to other services if needed. Data is also used to evaluate and improve the program. All staff associated with the program adhere to strict privacy and confidentiality obligations in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).
Unless required by law, personal information is not disclosed without client consent. Each therapist keeps the session documentation on their own agency Client Information System. The One Stop Talk program only keeps basic information to support in redirecting the user to the agency holding personal information. In addition, the One Stop Talk program holds de-identified data, meaning that names and other information that can identify a person are not associated with the data to uphold confidentiality and support program evaluation.
Electronic communication is used to provide services to clients of One Stop Talk. Clients understand that if they choose to communicate electronically, One Stop Talk cannot guarantee complete confidentiality as all electronic communication is potentially vulnerable to security breaches, however, we have done our best to create a secure virtual platform, powered by think research Corporation
The One Stop Talk platform is powered by THINK Research, an approved virtual care system by Ontario Health, compliant with all health care privacy requirements.
Can my student/client contact One Stop Talk even if they are currently receiving services elsewhere?
Yes! This is Single Session Therapy and it’s intended to help the young person with one specific issue or problem they are currently dealing with. They may be connected to a therapist from their existing agency, or they may receive support from a therapist at another participating agency as the One Stop Talk platform is a collaboration of infant, child and youth mental health agencies from across the province, meaning that the participating agencies contribute their therapists to One Stop Talk allowing for representation from from all over the province.
What are navigation services and can a user decline them?
Navigation services are available only if they would like for additional or long-term support and are not already on a waitlist for an infant, child and youth mental health agency.
When needed, our navigation services will help connect children/youth to a local infant, child and youth mental health agency that you and/or the child/youth consent to on the same call so they don’t have to call back or seek a referral elsewhere. Navigators can also support local resource navigation.
Navigation services are completely voluntary. If they’re interested in this, they can let their therapist know and be transferred at the end of their session!
What’s Single Session Therapy/brief counselling?
Single Session/brief counselling is a type of therapy that is available only to support in the moment. It focuses on immediate concerns and current life circumstances, and it works with a person’s strengths, available resources and skills to help the service user get through the challenging time.
There is strong evidence that brief therapy is an effective treatment for behavioural and psychological conditions, and a shorter and less costly alternative to other treatments.
One Stop Talk offers an opportunity to try brief counselling to see if it will help. It can also support children and youth who are on current waitlists for in-the-moment support until long-term and/or additional support is received.
Can a friend of the young person contact One Stop Talk on their behalf?
A friend cannot contact One Stop Talk on behalf of a friend; however, they can call with their friend – just like parents/caregivers!
Is the chat option available for the child/youth to connect with the therapist?
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.
My student/client is on a temporary visa. Are they able to receive the services from One Stop Talk?
Yes! One Stop Talk provides free Single Session Therapy to anyone living in Ontario regardless of their citizenship status. If they wish to receive ongoing services, we can refer the client to free mental health services for ongoing counselling in their area of residence.
What is the profile of children or youth who would be best supported through One Stop Talk?
One Stop Talk is a brief single session model of therapy intervention that can support tier 2 mental health needs (any mental health specific/related challenges that are not presenting imminent danger to the child/youth) for children and youth who can actively participate in talk therapy and are not in a mental health emergency, are contemplating accessing service or being discharged from a service.
One Stop Talk is not a suicide crisis support resource. One Stop Talk can provide support around suicidal ideation and safety planning if there is no imminent risk of harm to the client.
What is the session length and therapeutic modality?
Sessions are approximately 45 minutes to one hour.
The primary therapeutic modality that is used within the program is Single Session Therapy, which is a solution-based therapeutic model.
Assessments used for the program are: Heads ED (both 6 and under and 6 and above) and the Columbia Suicide Screener.
Does a child/youth get service right away when they reach out or is service booked for later?
Yes, children and youth are connected with a therapist for service within five minutes during operating hours (i.e., 12-8pm EST Monday to Friday; 12-4pm EST on Saturday)
What are the consent requirements for this service and what are they guided by?
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.
What if the child or youth needs more service after the session?
Currently, One Stop Talk only refers to the client’s local infant, child and youth mental health Lead Agency using the Oceans referral platform with client consent. We depend on Lead Agencies to support or re-refer clients to more appropriate services within their region as they would have the most up-to-date information regarding local programs. It’s important to note that participating in One Stop Talk does not impact the young person’s wait time for an infant, child and youth mental health agency, rather it is to support them in the meantime.
Does One Stop Talk refer to school-based mental health or services where the concern is of a school-based nature?
Currently One Stop Talk has capacity to refer only to infant, child and youth mental health agencies in Ontario, however One Stop Talk therapists will recommend that young people connect with school-based supports as part of the co-created plan, where relevant.
Does One Stop Talk offer the service in different languages?
One Stop Talk has both English and French speaking clinicians. Additionally, we 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.
Langue des Signes Québécoise (LSQ) translation support can be arranged by contacting operations@onestoptalk.ca, however a minimum of 72 hours advance notice is required to set up an appointment
How is the service adapted for clients to ensure identity affirmation and cultural safety?
Single Session Therapy focuses on solutions grounded in the individual’s lived context and hopes for service. Identity affirmation and cultural safety practices are supported through the ongoing professional development of clinicians.
Is a file created for the service user? Is this referred to should the child or youth require service again in the future?
Files are not maintained centrally by the central One Stop Talk platform. A file is created for the client with documentation of the session that is accessible to the specific One Stop Talk agency that provided the care to the client. This file would not be accessible to other One Stop Talk providers. The intention of Single Session Therapy is not for continued care but to provide support in the moment.
Does One Stop Talk provide services by community or across the province? What if agencies in my community have not signed on?
One Stop Talk provides service to young people under 18 years of age, living in Ontario, regardless of whether the infant, child and youth mental health agency in their community has signed on to participate in the program. The child/youth are connected with the first available therapist from any of the participating One Stop Talk agencies.
Where do the therapists for One Stop Talk come from?
Infant, child and youth mental health agencies from across Ontario have signed on to provide clinicians to the One Stop Talk platform.
Click here to know more about the partner agencies that are presently signed on to provide services.
How can a community become part of One Stop Talk?
One Stop Talk formally partners with infant, child and youth mental health Lead Agencies and Core Service Providers to provide therapy services. To learn more about signing on and contributing to the One Stop Talk network of providers on the platform across Ontario, contact communications@onestoptalk.ca.
How can I share my feedback about my experience using One Stop Talk?
We would love to hear about your experiences and feedback on using the One Stop Talk platform.
Service users receive the opportunity to share their feedback in a survey sent to them at the end of a session with the therapist. Anyone can also write to us at communications@onestoptalk.ca or through our contact form to connect or help us learn more about how we can improve the program.
Does One Stop Talk provide doctor assessments, prescriptions or legal documentation?
No, One Stop Talk doesn’t refer the child or youth to doctors for assessments or medication.
We also do not provide documentation for legal matters.
If documentation is needed, they need to reach out to the providing agency directly to request documentation. The agency details can be found on the plan you receive after the session.
Is One Stop Talk a crisis line?
One Stop Talk is not a crisis line (we are not meant for emergencies).
We offer users free, one-hour sessions of professional therapy at no cost to work through their current issue or problem. Together, the therapist and the child and any adult present, co-design a plan to help them move forward.
The intention is to support children and youth before they reach crisis as an early intervention.
Is there a chat or text option available to connect with the therapist?
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.