Mental health support services
A number of different tools and services are available to support your mental health and wellness journey.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, find immediate support.
Self-help tools
Check in with yourself, with resources you can use on your own time.
These resources can help you understand yourself better and offer strategies to manage everyday mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, stress, relationship issues and substance use.
Need additional support? You can always reach out along the way.
Please note: These resources are made available by third parties who have no relationship with Concordia. It is your sole responsibility to review and accept any terms of service and privacy policies prior to use (such as the apps and tracking tools). Concordia is not responsible for your use of third-party resources or for the actions of those who are responsible for them.
- Psychology Works fact sheets from the Canadian Psychological Association: Get the facts about many different mental health concerns with regularly updated fact sheets.
- Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre: Find multilingual fact sheets and patient resources, organized by language.
- CAMH Multi-lingual resources: Multi-language information on mental illness to people for whom English is not a first language and professionals who work with clients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
- Wellness Journey toolkit from Wellness Together Canada: Take a short self-assessment and track your progress over time. Find self-directed courses, apps, an online community and one-on-one counselling.
- Mental health meter from the Canadian Mental Health Association: Understand different facets of mental health, measured here by the ability to enjoy life, resilience, balance, self-actualization and flexibility.
- COVID-19 anxiety workbook from the University of Arkansas: Learn self-help strategies to manage anxiety around the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Self-help resources from the Centre for Clinical Interventions: Find information and worksheets to help you manage common mental health concerns.
- The Expressions of Being Alone: Understand solitude, loneliness and isolation with this resource developed by Concordia psychologists.
- Tools & insight for mental health app by Moodfit: Track your mood and implement healthy changes with this app. Available for Apple and Android.
- MindShift CBT app by Anxiety Canada: Use CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) tools to manage your anxiety. Available for Apple or Android.
Referral lines can answer questions about health or psychosocial issues, or direct you to a resource in your health and social services network.
Info-social/Info-sante: Speak with a nurse or social worker who can help you decide what to do about your health-related concerns or difficult life situation. Learn more about what to expect when you call Info-sante or Info-social. 24/7, English and French, Quebec: Call 8-1-1.
Telehealth services by province: Connect with a nurse or social worker to find out what care is available in your province. Canada-wide.
- 211: Find community resources including social security, health, employment, welfare and recreation. Information is available in 200+ languages. This service is managed by the Information and Referral Centre of Greater Montreal. 7 days a week, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Multi-lingual, Montreal: Visit the directories or call 2-1-1.
Connect directly with professional counsellors and volunteers trained in crisis response.
- Kids Help Phone: Connects people ages 5 - 29 with a professional counsellor. 24/7, English and French, Canada-wide: Call 1-800-668-6868.
- Crisis text line: Text with a volunteer trained in crisis response from a secure online platform to help you move from a hot moment to a cool moment. 24/7, English, Canada and U.S.: Text HOME to 686868.
Suicide Action Montreal and Suicide.ca : Support for people struggling with suicidal thoughts, who are concerned for another person, or have experienced a loss. 24/7, English and French, Montreal: Call 1-866-277-3553.
Tracom: Services for people in crisis, as well as their loved ones and caregivers. Includes telephone support, temporary housing, follow-up, and more. Part of the Crisis Centres of Québec. 24/7, English and French, Montreal: Call 514-483-3033.
- SOS Conjugal Violence/Violence conjugale Montreal: Listening, evaluation and referral service for counselling and shelter. 24/7, English and French, Montreal-region: Call 514-873-9010. Quebec: Call 1-800-363-9010. Text-line: 438-601-1211.
Connect with a professional for free, short-term counselling. These services also provide online resources and wellness tracking tools.
- EmpowerMe: Undergraduate students enrolled in the Concordia Student Union health plan can connect 24/7 with a number of professionals with various domains of expertise, including psychology, psychotherapy, social work, nutrition, etc. 24/7, Multi-lingual: Call 1-833-628-5589.
- inConfidence: International students insured with the ISO BlueCross health plan can connect with 24/7 counselling and online wellbeing resources.
Chat: User ID: Concordiaiso (case sensitive); Password: inconfidence
Call 1-877-418-2181 / TTY: 1-877-371-9978
App: Lifeworks (Google Play/Apple)
Employee Assistance Program: All Concordia employees — as well as their spouses and dependent children — can access counsellors through Concordia's Employee Assistance Program. 24/7, English: Call 1-800-663-1142. French: Call 1-866-398-9505. (Staff & faculty only)
- Wellness Together Canada: Provides free short-term counselling with mental health professionals, online educational resources, tools, connections to trained volunteers, group coaching, group mindfulness practice and more. Register online and complete a short survey to find resources tailored to you. This service is funded in part by the Government of Canada. 24/7, English and French, Canada: Youth text WELLNESS to 686868; adults text WELLNESS to 741741; or call 1-866-585-0445.
Connect with professionals and peers with expertise that is tailored to particular identities, needs or experiences. Services are specialized in breaking down systemic barriers to accessing care.
For all your options, make sure to review our entire list of services, many of which also offer explicitly culturally-competent and inclusive support.
Support for Indigenous peoples
Hope for Wellness Helpline: Offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples across Canada. 27/7, English and French. On request, phone counselling is also available in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut. Canada: Call 1-855-242-3310 or online chat.
LGBTQ+ help-lines
Interligne: First response centre that provides help and information to those concerned with sexual orientation and gender diversity by phone, online chat and email. 24/7, English and French, Montreal-region: Call 514-866-0103. Toll-free: Call 1-888-505-1010.
Project 10: Anonymous listening line promotes the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, intersexed and questioning people, ages 14 to 25. Tuesday from 12 to 6 p.m. and Thursday from 1 to 6 p.m., English and French, Montreal-region: Call 514-989-4585.
Trans Lifeline: A grassroots hotline and non-profit organization offering direct support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community. 24/7, English and Spanish, Canada: Call 1-877-330-6366. U.S.: Call 1-877-565-8860.
Support for multicultural, multi-lingual and racialized communities
- Concordia Black Perspectives Office (BPO): Provides confidential and non-judgmental support to Concordia students who are navigating impacts of systemic racism, have been affected by anti-Black racial violence, and/or have concerns that intersect with racialization. The BPO team can explain the intervention options, offer culturally relevant support, and provide bridging and advocacy support in engaging other units if necessary. Email the office.
- Multi-Écoute: Listening services in many languages, information and referral services, help filling out forms, translation and certification of documents, French and English courses, conversation workshops, integration workshops for immigrants and sociocultural activities. Multi-lingual, Montreal: Call 514-737-3604.
Vicky’s Support Line: A Black-led multilingual support line aiming to provide mental health support with a decolonial approach. Vicky’s is run by people like you who are trained to provide active listening under an anti-oppressive and anti-racist framework. Services are available in French, English, Haitian Creole and Wolof. Montreal. Schedule an appointment for a listening session.
Naseeha: Services available for everyone in North America, with a specific focus on Muslim youth. Receive immediate, anonymous and confidential support over the phone. 7 days a week, 12 p.m. - 12 a.m., English, Canada and U.S: Call 1-866-627-3342.
Support for parents
Première Ressource, aide aux parents: Counselling line for parents, parental figures and children concerning family issues. Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., English and French, Montreal: Call 514-525-2573. Quebec: Call 1-866-329-4223.
- Linge parents: Support line specializing in parent-child relationships. Services are available by text, email and by phone. 7 days a week, 6 a.m. - 2 a.m., French, Quebec: Call 1-800-361-5085.
Speak to a trained peer in a non-judgmental and confidential setting. These services can help you articulate your feelings, troubleshoot a concern and can provide referrals and other resources as necessary. Peer supporters do not give advice or counselling.
Peer Wellness Ambassadors: Wellness Ambassadors are Concordia students, offering active listening services and events and activities to connect. Montreal, with remote services, students only.
- Concordia Student Nightline: Connect with listening services run by Concordia students for those in need of aid, support or just to talk. Visit their Facebook page for contact information and hours.
The Centre for Gender Advocacy: Offers confidential and non-judgmental online peer support to Concordia students and the greater Montreal community. For more information or to register for a session, visit their website or Facebook page.
- Concordia Black Perspectives Office: Student ambassadors are trained in peer support, active listening, campus resources, and anti-discriminatory frameworks.
- Sexual Assualt Resource Centre (SARC): Trained peer support volunteers are available to meet one-on-one on Zoom on in-person. Please call 514-848-2424 ext. 5972 or email sarc@concordia.ca to reserve your spot in advance.
Vent Over Tea: A free active listening service that allows you to speak your mind to a compassionate stranger. Conversations are confidential and there are no follow-ups or strings attached.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, click here to find immediate support.
Services for Concordians
Receive immediate support from a mental health practitioner
Tele-counselling services in Concordia's wider network of providers are free and available 24/7. These services can offer immediate short-term counselling by phone or video. Access is governed by Concordia’s health insurance plans. Tele-counselling is a great first step in addressing your mental health needs
- For undergraduate students enrolled in the CSU health plan
EmpowerMe
24/7, Multi-lingual: Call 1-833-628-5589. - For international students enrolled in the ISO BlueCross health plan
- inConfidence
Chat: User ID: Concordiaiso (case-sensitive); Password: inconfidence
Call 1-877-418-2181 / TTY: 1-877-371-9978
App: Lifeworks (Google Play/Apple)
For all Concordia employees, as well as their spouses and dependant children
Employee Assistance Program
English: Call 1-800-663-1142. French: Call 1-866-398-9505- For anyone in Canada, funded in part by the Government of Canada
Wellness Together Canada
24/7, English and French: Youth text WELLNESS to 686868; adults text WELLNESS to 741741; or call 1-866-585-0445.
Clinical providers at Concordia
If you are experiencing persistent mental health concerns or a challenging life situation, Concordia clinicians can provide short-term counselling, mental health assessments and treatment plans.
Counselling and Psychological Services: Licensed psychologists and psychotherapists provide short-term counselling to Concordia students residing in Quebec.
- Please note that Counselling and Psychological Services accepts a limited number of new clients each week. As there may be wait times for services, we strongly encourage you to consider all mental health services available to you, including 24/7 tele-counselling lines which can provide immediate support.
- Concordia Health Services: Family doctors can provide mental health assessments, and if needed, refer to a psychiatrist for specific assessments and treatments. Available to students, staff and faculty.
Services in the community
Mental health clinics in the community can provide specialized services and longer-term support. Concordia’s health insurance plans offer coverage for many services. Please contact the external clinics directly for more information including rates and wait times.
Find a provider in the community
- Concordia Applied Psychology Centre: Provides counselling and assessment services to the local community.
PsyMontreal: Has a Student Wellness program that offers a reduced rate to students covered by Concordia Student Union (CSU) and Graduate Student Association (GSA) health plans.
Montreal Therapy Centre: Offers sliding scale fees based on income.
Agence Ometz: Offers sliding scale fees based on income.
- Medipsy: Offers low fee service options, for example self-help programs with the assistance of a clinician, as well as psychotherapy provided by supervised interns.
- The Lavender Collective: Regroups different providers from racialized communities in Montreal; caters to BIPOC communities.
- Wellness Together Canada offers virtual support and accountability groups led by trained facilitators or counselors. There are groups that focus on mental health, addiction issues, general behaviour change, and more. After signing in, click on Tools and Programs, and filter for Support groups.
- Y Mind Youth is a free seven-week mental wellness program for young people who are aged 18 to 30 and struggling with mild-to-moderate anxiety or stress. This free program brings young people who have similar thoughts and feelings together. Participants learn evidence-based skills from trained mental health professionals. They report feeling reduced anxiety, increased well-being and feeling less alone following the program. Open to everyone, including international students.
Lumino Health (within Canada): Find healthcare providers in your province or territory. Use of the search tool is free, but providers do charge fees for their services.
- If you are an international student covered by BlueCross Health Plan, BlueCross covers up to $500 for psychotherapy visits. For any questions, contact iso@concordia.ca.
- If you are a Canadian student enrolled in the CSU or GSA Studentcare plans, please visit Studentcare for more information. Studentcare covers up to 80% for psychotherapy visits, with a maximum of $750 per policy year or contact. For any questions, contact (CSU) contactus@csu.qc.ca or (GSA) info@gsaconcordia.ca.
- If you are a staff or faculty member, please consult your benefits plan for more information.
Self-evaluation
The links below provide validated questionnaires that can help you identify if you or someone you care about may have a problem with substance misuse. If you score +, or if doing the screening raises any questions or concerns, book an appointment with a Health Services nurse, or see the resources below for support.
- Check out your drinking with the AUDIT self-test: A quick self-screening that will give you feedback and tailored advice.
- Cannabis use disorder identification test Revised (CUDIT-R): Can help you self-screen for problem cannabis use.
- The Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10): A quick self-screen that focuses on drug-use (not including alcohol or tobacco); for example, using medications in a way that is different from the instructions, and any non‐medical use of drugs.
Comparing your behaviour to reliable guidelines can also help you assess your substance use and gambling behaviour and make decisions about what you would like to do next.
- Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health: Provides evidence-based advice on alcohol to support people in making informed decisions about their health.
- Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines: Science-based recommendations that can help you reduce the health risks associated with your cannabis use.
- Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines: If you gamble, the Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines show you how to lower the risks and harms associated with gambling.
Fact sheets and self-help resources
- Rethinking drinking from the National Institutes of Health: Research-based information that can help you examine your drinking habits and their effects on your health, and find ways to reduce your risks, or take steps to cut-down or quit.
How to prevent alcohol-related problems: A self-help booklet from the Center for Integrated Healthcare, modified from the World Health Organization's guide.
- Self-help strategies for cutting down or stopping substance use from the World Health Organization, for alcohol and other drugs.
- Knowing Your Limits with Cannabis - A Practical Guide: This guide helps you think about your cannabis use, and provides you with information about cannabis. It has tips and tools that can help you reduce your cannabis use or help you address some of the health risks of using cannabis. From the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.
- Review Concordia Health Services’ information on what you should know about cannabis.
- What's the Deal on Quitting? A do-it-yourself guide to quitting cannabis.
- You and Substance Use: Tips for Cutting Back: A printable workbook with activities to help you think about your own substance use.
- A Doctor's Guide to Cutting Down: For cannabis smokers to want to use less.
- SMART Recovery tool box: Worksheets and exercises to help you self-manage your addiction recovery and your life. Based on developing cognitive thinking skills to support you through addiction recovery.
Within Canada
- Get help with problematic substance use: The Government of Canada: Find services and referrals by province.
In Quebec
- Help and referral line: Speak with a trained counsellor. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Free, bilingual, confidential. 514-527-2626
- Gambling: Help and referral: Speak with a trained counsellor. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Free, bilingual, confidential. 514-527-0140
Attending meetings can provide many benefits in helping you work through substance misuse, including support from others with similar struggles and the opportunity to build healthier social networks.
SMART Recovery: Find meetings online or based in your area and support options to help maintain sobriety. SMART Recovery is a non-profit organization and offers its services for free.
Alcoholics Anonymous: explore the main website to learn more about A.A. and to find resources; and to find in-person and online Quebec-based meetings, visit AA Quebec.
- Montreal Gamblers Anonymous: Find GA meetings and resources in Montreal.
- Marijuana Anonymous Online: Meetings are held at many different times throughout the week: see their online meeting schedule. You can also get support through their chatroom 24/7.
- Marijuana Anonymous in-person meetings: at the time of writing, in Montreal there is an in-person English meeting on Monday evenings, and an in-person French meeting on Thursday evenings; but check their meeting finder tool for the most up-to-date info.
Find evaluation and treatment programs for alcohol, drugs, gambling and gaming, including urgent care and detox/rehab programs.
French-language programs
- Centre de réadaptation en dépendance de Montréal - Institut universitaire: Includes programs for drugs and alcohol recovery, gambling and internet addiction, support for friends and family members and urgent care services.
English-language programs
- Foster Addiction Rehabilitation Centre: Specialized addiction rehabilitation services aim to prevent, reduce and treat the problems related to alcohol, drugs (including prescription medications), gambling, compulsive buying, and internet use. Services are open to English-speaking Montrealers and Montérégie residents. Several points-of-service.
- Chabad Lifeline: Offers a full range of treatment options for people struggling with substance and behavioural addictions and their family members. Services are immediate and offered at no charge to those in need.
Bilingual programs
- MUHC Addictions Unit: A hospital-based addictions service that provides a continuum of care for adults with drug/alcohol and mental health disorders, including inpatient and outpatient services.
- Portage: Provides drug addiction rehabilitation treatment, based on the therapeutic community approach.
- Concordia staff and faculty who are eligible for Health Benefits can access the University's Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program (employee sign-in is required on Cspace to access contact information)
If you or someone else is experiencing an emergency, dial 9-1-1 or consult our resources.
Resources for everyone
- Red Cross Psychological First Aid: This course equips learners in developing a personal understanding of the effects of stress, loss, trauma and grief on others, with emphasis on self-care and personal protection.
- AMI-Quebec: Offers free programming for people living with mental illness and those in their circle of support, including friends, family and partners. AMI-Quebec helps caregivers manage the effects of mental illness through support, education, guidance and advocacy.
- Be There - Jack.org: A comprehensive online resource for young people to learn how to support each other through mental health struggles, created in consultation with over 1,400 people from across Canada.
- Conversation Starter: Information sheet to help youth support friends struggling with mental health, developed by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Game Changers, a program designed to help young people feel more comfortable talking about health, mental health, seeking help and supporting friends.
- Supporting a student in distress: FAQ created by clinicians to help faculty respond to a student in need, including information about mental health services at Concordia, guidelines to compassionately respond to a student while maintaining the boundary of their role as professors.
- Supporting a colleague or employee through a difficult time: Practical steps faculty and staff can follow to approach or respond to a colleague or employee in need.
- Supporting Student Well-Being in a Time of COVID-19: Read suggestions by clinicians and teaching and learning specialists on considering the health and well-being of students while teaching online.