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For youth and others

1. What does CTYS do?

We offer programs that help Toronto-based youth, young adults and their families resolve social and mental health challenges. By engaging, challenging and nurturing youth, we offer them an opportunity to recreate their lives and take control of their future. CTYS is a community-based, accredited Children’s Mental Health Centre. Since 1973, we have been at the forefront of serving at-risk youth.

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2. I need help right away. What should I do?

If it’s an emergency, click here for a list of emergency services that can help right away. If it’s not an emergency, call us at 416-924-2100 any time between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

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3. Where are you located?

We’re at the corner of Church and Wellesley Streets, a five-minute walk east of the Wellesley Subway Station. The address is 65 Wellesley Street East, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario M4Y 1G7. Here’s a map.

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4. What programs do you offer?

• Community Counselling, which offers support to youth from 12 to 18 years of age who face challenges that cannot be addressed by traditional approaches. We support these youth through outreach, individual counselling and group work in the community and in schools. Learn more.
• New Outlook, which provides a wide variety of programs to youth from 14 to 24 recovering from serious mental illness, primarily psychotic disorders. Learn more.
• Pride & Prejudice, which offers programs for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and questioning youth from 13 to 24. Learn more.
• Youth Justice, which offers support to youth who are serving a youth order and/or have matters before the youth court. Learn more.

All programs are voluntary. The decision to participate is yours.

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5. Do I have to pay?

Our services are free of charge.

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6. How quickly can I get into a program?

The timing varies. Some programs and groups have immediate openings. Others may have waiting lists. Learn more.

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7. How do I join a program?

For programs other than Youth Justice, call us at 416-924-2100 and we’ll put you in touch with the right person. Youth Justice participants are referred to us by a probation officer or court order. For all programs, we expect you to commit to participating.

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8. What languages do you provide services in?

We offer our programs in English. However, we do our best to accommodate any barriers that language creates.

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9. What information do you need from me, and what do you do with it?

With your permission, we collect only personal information that is relevant to our mandate or required by legislation. You can withdraw your permission to collect, use or disclose information at any time.

We retain and securely store this personal information for as long as required. When we no longer need the information, we destroy it.Your privacy matters. Read more..

Please note that, by law, we must report suspected cases or risk of child abuse to the Children's Aid Society. We must also report any concerns that young people may pose to themselves or to others.

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10. What if I have a complaint?

Our goal is to see that every client receives service that works for them, so CTYS takes any concerns or complaints seriously and will address them as soon as possible. Although we realize it’s not always easy to talk about difficult issues, we have found that most can be resolved through discussion. If you have a concern or complaint, we encourage you to talk first with your worker. If you can’t work things out, we encourage you to speak with a manager. If you’re still concerned, a director and/or the executive director will get involved in the process.

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For parents, caregivers and service providers

11. What type of expertise do you have on staff?

Our staff include child and youth workers, social workers, psychotherapists and expressive art therapists. All are dedicated to empowering youth to succeed in the challenges they face. We come from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. CTYS itself is fully accredited by Children’s Mental Health Ontario, which means that our services meet or exceed rigorous standards. In addition, we have our own quality assurance standards and practices.

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12. What information do you need from me?

Generally, information that will help us to best support the young person in question. More specifically, it depends in part on the program that the young person will be participating in. We’ll guide you through this.

For parents and caregivers, we’re interested in hearing and responding to your concerns. For service providers, the young person’s experiences with other services.

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13. What is my role?

For parents and caregivers, your role is to be supportive of the young person participating in a CTYS program. For service providers, your role may involve helping the person make the transition into a CTYS program, and providing information that will better help us work with this person. Depending on the program and your place in the person’s life, we may invite you to collaborate with us.

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14. Do you offer all treatment needs for youth?

If we don’t have a program that meets a young person’s treatment needs, then we will do our best to connect the person with a more appropriate resource.

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15. Do you work with other organizations that offer specialized treatments?

Yes, often. Schools, hospitals, other mental health centres, probation offices, and youth shelters are just some of the organizations we work with.


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