Good2Talk / Allo J’écoute: Ontario’s Post-Secondary Student Helpline – MHIF (Round 1)
Project Summary
In June 2013, a new, toll-free post-secondary student mental health helpline was created as part of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities’ (MTCU) Mental Health Innovation Fund. Good2Talk / Allo J’écoute is a free, bilingual, confidential and anonymous helpline that offers professional counselling and information and referrals for mental health, addictions and well-being to post-secondary students in Ontario.
A partnership between four organizations – ConnexOntario, Kids Help Phone, Ontario211 and the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health – Good2Talk was created in response to the need for increased mental health services and supports for Ontario’s growing post-secondary student population. Good2Talk is funded by MTCU as a 3-year pilot, and is designed to complement the existing range of on- and off-campus services available to college and university students in the province. Students can reach Good2Talk at 1-866-925-5454, or by connecting through 2-1-1 from anywhere in Ontario.
The purpose of the helpline is to provide post-secondary students in Ontario with: immediate access to professional counselling on any issue; on- and off-campus referrals to appropriate services and supports; accurate, accessible and timely mental health and addictions information; and service that is confidential and anonymous, 24/7/365.
Good2Talk serves students at Ontario’s publicly-funded colleges and universities, with a primary focus on those aged 17 to 25. Students can call Good2Talk for support on a wide range of issues, from mental health challenges such anxiety, depression, substance abuse, addictions and suicidal ideation, and other concerns that can impact their post-secondary success, such academic performance, personal or family relationships, residence life, financial matters and feelings of alienation or loneliness.
By calling one number, students can speak with one of Good2Talk’s professional counsellors or information and referral specialists about any issue, big or small, at any time of the day or night. The success of the post-secondary student helpline will be measured not only in terms of students’ level of use of the service, but by the quality of their experience when calling the line. Caller satisfaction, campus staff satisfaction, and improvements in callers’ identified outcomes are just some of the measures that will be used in Good2Talk’s comprehensive service evaluation conducted by the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health.
Lead Institute
Reports & Resources
CICMH May 2014 Webinar on Good2Talk
Good2Talk Workshop Presentation – presented at CICMH’s June 2015 Campus Exchange Event
For more information, please visit
good2talk.ca
Project Leads
Megan Van Massenhoven
Outreach Coordinator
Good2Talk.ca
(416) 586-5437 ext. 8223
megan.vanmassenhoven@good2talk.ca
Alisa Simon
Vice President, Counselling Services & Programs
Good2Talk.ca
alisa.simon@kidshelpphone.ca