Learner Assistance
Students Matter
Have you experienced mistreatment? We are here to help support you.
Unity Health is proud to have a team of individuals who are on site to support all learners navigate challenging educational situations. If you are experiencing issues with your placement, the hospital, faculty/staff or another student, or have experienced any form of discrimination, harassment, and violence, we can help. Our Students Matter Process offers learners the support and resources to address any issues brought forward.
If you are a medical student, resident physician or fellow, please click here to access the reporting structure through the Office of Learner Affairs.
If you would prefer to speak to someone at Unity Health please contact:
- For Medical Students: Dr. Jeremy Edwards
- For Resident & Fellows at St. Michael’s Hospital: Sasha Miles or Dragana Markovic
- For Residents & Fellows at St. Joseph’s Health Centre: Dr. Rishie Seth
For all other learners (Nursing, Health Disciplines & Administrative and Operational Students), please feel free to contact any member of the Student Centre for any issues and concerns you may have. This can be done via email, telephone or in-person or click here for assistance on reporting mistreatment through the Students Matter process.
Student Mental Health and Wellness
Feel free to contact any member of the Student Centre for any issues and concerns you may have. In an emergency, or when other suitable options are unavailable, please call 911 or go to the Emergency Department of the nearest hospital.
Below is a list of community mental health services and wellness resources. Some of the services endeavor to address the unique needs of individuals who identify as BIPOC. The range of free and fee-based services and resources include crisis intervention; short-term counselling and/or wellness programming that prioritizes self-care, restorative health and healing by providers using anti-racist, anti-oppressive and trauma-informed approaches.
mental health resources
A confidential directory service that helps people find mental health and wellness programs. Can be accessed 24 hours a day, in more than 150 languages, by phone, chat, text, and web. Calls are answered by referral specialists trained to assess caller needs and refer callers to services.
Call 2-1-1 to connect to services
Free mental health counselling services prioritized for newcomer Toronto residents who are registered with Access Alliance and also connected to a primary health care provider. Services use an integrated, trauma- informed model of practice and are based on principals of anti-oppressive practice and equity and are language accessible.
Downtown – (416) 324-8677
Danforth – (416) 693-8677
Jane – (416) 760-8677
Free mental health services that use anti-racism/anti- Black racism and anti-oppression frameworks. Mental health service providers address the body-mind and spirit using multiple forms of healing for racialized persons, acknowledging the impact of racism and anti-Black racism on mental health.
http://www.acrossboundaries.ca/
Call: (416) 787-3007, ext. 222
Free online individual and group mental health and wellness counselling support working from an inclusive, sex positive, harm reduction, anti-racist, anti-oppression, and participatory framework for Black people who are vulnerable to HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Referral service to lower cost, mental health support designed primarily for individuals who identify as Black, African, or from Caribbean heritage and across all age groups with a focus on addressing impacts of historical and race based trauma.
Tel: 1-888-220-2510 (toll free)
A free national helpline and referral service designed for Black youth and their families with a focus on early, pre-crisis support. Service in French and other languages available upon request.
Tel: (416) 285-9944 Everyday 9AM – 10PM
Toll free: 1-833-294-8650
Email: info@blackyouth.ca
Free culturally responsive mental health programs and counselling for individuals and families. Service can be offered in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu upon request.
Mental Health Counsellor Contact: Tel: (905) 790-8482
Intended For: Adults age 16 + in need of emergency psychiatric assessment and treatment with mental health and substance abuse issues.
Location: Queen Street site – 1051 Queen Street West
Hours of Operation: 24 hours and 7 days per week
Free and lower cost counselling, psychotherapy and referral services primarily for individuals and families of Asian backgrounds affected by mental health concerns including trauma. Also offers free, counselling for healthcare workers and their families affected by pandemic-related stress.
Tel: (416) 979-8299
Toll Free: 1-866-979-8298
Email: info@cfso.care
Home – CFSO Community Family Services of Ontario
Free and lower cost short-term counselling services for individuals and families and free wellness programming options including such as trauma-informed yoga/mindfulness sessions.
https://familyservicetoronto.org/
Tel: (416) 595-9618
The Physician Health Program (PHP) is a confidential program of the Ontario Medical Association that provides assistance to medical students, physicians, and residents who are experiencing a range of personal problems and stresses. Call 1.800.851.6606 from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.
A directory of mental health professionals who provide fee-based culturally responsive counselling. Counsellors can be searched by social identity including Black, First Nations and Metis, or by area of specialty, for example trauma. Dollar range of services are listed in the directory.
Free supportive counseling and wellness programs for clients and their family members experiencing workplace, family and life event stresses. Services are designed to meet the unique needs of the South Asian community using an anti-racism and anti-oppression framework and offered in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Malayalam languages.
Tel: (905) 677-0889
Free and lower cost mental health counselling and wellness programming for children, youth and parents who struggle with many intersectional challenges. Residents of Peel Region who identify with Black and Caribbean communities are prioritized.
Black, African and Caribbean Communities in Peel Support Line
Tel: (647) 812- 8545
Monday to Friday 9AM-7 PM
Email: supportline@rootscs.org
Free mental health supports for young adults aged 16 to 29, including up to 6 counselling sessions, wellness and recovery services, peer support and a drop-in group specifically for BIPOC youth.
Free mental health and addictions counselling and support to African and Caribbean Canadian youth and their families in reducing harm, moving toward recovery, and making the best choices for themselves and their family. Offered through Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH).
(416) 535-8501 press 2
Free short-term counselling services prioritized for residents of Malvern and members of the Black community across the GTA. Mental Health service providers work from an anti-oppressive framework, both teaching and learning from clients about the different forms of oppression that occur in their daily lives.
Tel: (416) 644-3536
Free confidential helpline for Indigenous women available in 14 languages across Ontario.
Toll free, 24/7 Help Line: 1-855-554-HEAL (4325)
Online chat: http://www.talk4healing.com/
Free short-term counselling (up to 8 sessions) for individuals over the age of 16. Services prioritize the experiences and support needs of 2SLGBTQ+ people. Counselling services are trauma-informed. Service providers and front-line staff understand the impacts of trauma and work with clients to promote safety.
https://www.the519.org/programs/category/counselling-services
Free culturally responsive and supportive mental health counselling and wellness programs prioritizing the needs of Caribbean, Black and African communities. Located in Scarborough.
Tel: (416) 439-9009
https://tropicanacommunity.org/
For services in French please call: Oasis centre des femmes (416) 591-6565
1-877-336-2433 (Toll free)
Fee-based, culturally responsive mental health services and wellness programming delivered by racially diverse psychotherapists. Services are anti-oppressive, trauma- informed and LGBTQ-aligned. Free consultation to determine therapist match. Sliding scale fees available by request and need. Located in downtown Toronto.
(437) 333-WELL (9355)
Email: info@well-nest.ca
Free Virtual and In-Person Mental Health Counselling
Immediate mental health counselling for children, youth, young adults and their
families, and families with infants is available at the What’s Up Walk-In Clinic.
Free short-term counselling prioritized for racialized women from the African, Black, Caribbean, Latin American and South Asian communities in Toronto & GTA. Counselling acknowledges women’s experiences of oppression within the context of power dynamics and understanding intersectionality.
Tel: (416) 593-7655
24 Hour Crisis Intervention Telephone Lines
A safe space to talk, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Call or Text 9-8-8.
Visit: https://988.ca
Free confidential telephone crisis support for Indigenous people who are experiencing distress. Counsellors also work to link individuals to accessible wellness supports. Upon request, phone support can be provided in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut.
Call 1-855-242-3310 (Toll free) Available 24/7
Free confidential 24-hour community-based crisis services for adults who are dealing with mental health issues and are currently in crisis. Community Crisis Workers have a broad range of experience and education, many including lived experience. All staff are trained in crisis intervention, suicide intervention, harm reduction, and work from a trauma-informed perspective.
Call (416) 929-5200
https://gersteincentre.org/our-crisis- services/telephone-crisis-support/
Call (416) 929-5200 Trans Life Line (for trans and gender non-conforming folks)
Free 24-hour national crisis line operated by trained Aboriginal crisis counsellors to provide emotional and crisis support and referral services for Survivors of the residential school system.
Call 1-866-925-4419 (Toll free) Available 24/7
Free confidential and anonymous care from professional counsellors. Available 24/7 to Canadians aged 5-29
Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868
Indigenous people can connect with an Indigenous volunteer crisis responder, when available, by messaging FIRSTNATIONS, INUIT or METIS to 686868 for young people and 741741 for adults
The PARO 24 Hour Helpline is available to residents, their partners and family members, as well as medical students. The toll-free number, 1-866-HELP-DOC (1-866-435-7362), is accessible anywhere in Ontario, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In order to provide this service, PARO has partnered with Distress Centres of Toronto.
Corporate/Occupational Health
Contact Information
Telephone: 416-530-6486 x4620
Location: 2 Bond South (as of May 20, 2022)
Telephone: 416–864–5013
Regular Hours: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Email: CHSS@smh.ca
Telephone: 416-285-3666, ext. 4386
If you experience either of the situations below, please contact Corporate/Occupational Health immediately.
- If you have sustained a needle-stick or other injury with a contaminated sharps object.
- If you have had a mucous membrane or skin exposure to blood or bodily fluids (e.g. splash to eyes)
If you are unable to connect to Corporate/Occupational Health, please report to the Emergency Department
COVID-19
For the most up-to-date COVID-19 information, click here.
Safety First – safety event reporting
For all accidents/injuries and exposures please first inform your Preceptor and/or Clinical Instructor. They will assist you in seeking medical attention and guide you through the process of completing a Safety First report. You must also notify the appropriate program administrator at your College or University. If you are injured, you should also visit Corporate Health and Safety Services (CHSS) to be assessed by the occupational health nurse (OHN).
Safety First is Unity Health Toronto’s safety reporting system that tracks any event that results in or has the potential to result in a negative outcome for the person affected. You can access Safety First through the purple icon on your desktop and intranet.
Click here for examples of safety event types.
WSIB
Students in health sciences programs as identified by their university or college are eligible for Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) coverage of claims while on unpaid placements as required by their program of study.
Contact your educational institution to ensure that the appropriate reporting protocol is followed based on insurance type.