Newcomer Mental Health Services

Many people who arrive in Canada have faced great difficulties in getting here.

 

Many newcomers have faced great difficulties before, during, and after their journey to Canada. If you or your family are among these people, it can help to work with a therapist who can help you cope, recover, and strengthen your resilience.

Trauma is a word used to describe very upsetting or frightening experiences, and how our minds and bodies react to them. These experiences might include things like:

• a serious accident or fire
• being hurt or attacked physically or sexually
• war or violence
• natural disasters like earthquakes or floods
• seeing someone get badly hurt or killed
• losing someone close to you suddenly or in a violent way

These kinds of events can be overwhelming and difficult to cope with.

Everyone experiences trauma differently. Not everyone will react the same way, even if they have been through similar things. What feels traumatic to one person might not feel the same to someone else—and that’s okay.

If you’ve experienced something like this, you’re not alone. Trauma can have mental, emotional, and spiritual impacts on our daily lives and relationships, and it is still possible to find peace, strength, and new ways to move forward.

You can refer yourself below, or be referred by a service provider. For service providers, please get consent from the person you are referring to our services.

 

This program is for individuals, couples, and families to access therapy from psychotherapists who are specialized in working across cultures with the impact of trauma. Many of the therapists on our diverse team have their own migration stories which enrich their work. We provide mental health support to newcomers who are experiencing moderate to severe impact of that trauma in their current daily lives. You don’t need any diagnosis to access services.

Services are provided free of cost, in your language of choice, and with respect for your cultural traditions and faith. When needed, we can also provide transportation support to help you get to our offices for your appointment, or meet with you via phone or video chat.

Therapy clients in this program can also use our navigation support for the formal health system, access to psychiatry and psychology services, and referrals to other community supports for practical needs.

All newcomers are eligible for this program regardless of immigration status, if they were born outside the country and have experienced migration to Canada in their lifetime.

Support for ethno-cultural and faith groups is also available to help communities learn about the causes, signs and symptoms of mental health and how to access mental health supports.

***NEW: All self-referrals and third-party referrals should come through the forms above unless there is a policy with the referring agency that prohibits that. If you are unable to submit the referral by smart form contact the intake clinician at newcomer.referrals@aurorafamilytherapy.com for assistance.

If you have any questions about the referral and intake process, you can contact the intake clinician at newcomer.referrals@aurorafamilytherapy.com, or for questions about the program overall, contact the program coordinator, Sara Warkentin, at s.warkentin@aurorafamilytherapy.com

Looking for other services? We can help connect you:

Housing – contact info to follow

Employment – contact info to follow

Language – contact info to follow

Aurora Family Therapy Centre Inc. is in full compliance with the requirements under The Public Sector Compensation Disclosure Act (CSSM Chapter P265), Sections 2(1) and 3(1) as at March 31, 2019. Information is available upon request.