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Mental Health Clinic

Mental Health Clinic

COSTI’s Mental Health Clinic provides a variety of services to those who suffer from severe and/or chronic mental illness. Services include psychiatric assessments and follow-up by an on-site psychiatrist. COSTI Family and Mental Health Services also runs chronic pain management groups; and short-term psycho-educational groups for women diagnosed with depression.

Services Available

  • Clinical counsellors provide psychosocial assessments.
  • Supportive counselling and/or psychotherapy to individuals and families.
  • Family education/support groups.
  • Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety and depression.
  • Pain management group.
  • Support and skill building group for individuals suffering from anxiety.
  • Referrals to services not available at COSTI.

Who is Eligible

Services are available to those residing in the Greater Toronto area and York Region.

Program Intake

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and Wednesday 8:30 am to 9:00 pm. Services are also available at COSTI's Vaughan Centre. Please call directly for an appointment.

This Program is Located at:

Family and Mental Health Services
Sheridan Mall, 1700 Wilson Avenue, Suite 105
Toronto, ON M3L 1B2
Phone: 416.244.7714 | famcounselling@costi.org

Fees are on a sliding scale that is geared to income, but services will not be denied due to an inability to pay.

COSTI's Mental Health Services are funded by the City of Toronto and the United Way Greater Toronto.

Related Resources

View Workshop Calendars

How do I know I'm suffering from depression?

Depression has been used to describe a state of unhappiness, feelings of sadness, and as a despairing mood. It is common for everyone to experience feelings of sadness or having, what is normally referred to as, the “blues.” Having a depressed mood is a normal reaction following a disappointment or a loss or following a traumatic event that is short term, and one’s mood lifts fairly quickly. However, depression is also used to describe a psychiatric illness and is, therefore, much more severe than simply unhappiness. Clinical depression is a “major mood disorder” where a person’s emotional state is abnormally low or sad and where it impairs one’s level of everyday functioning (i.e., family, occupational, personal, and social functioning).

Depression can occur at any time in a person’s life. Depression is one of the most common mental health problems. It is estimated that up to 15% of the population will be treated with depression at some point in their lifetime. Major Depression can occur in 10 - 25% of women and 5 - 12% of men. Studies show that approximately 15% of those over 65 experience symptoms of depression that cause them distress and make it hard for them to function.
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Symptoms of Depression

The chief symptom of depression is sad, despairing mood that persists beyond 2 weeks and impairs a person’s level of functioning where it becomes difficult to cope with day-to-day activities.

Symptoms of Depression include:
  • Significant changes in appetite and weight over a short period of time


  • Sleep problems; sleeping too little or too much


  • Loss of interest in work, hobbies, people


  • Feelings of uselessness, hopelessness, excessive guilt


  • Preoccupation with failure(s) or inadequacies


  • Agitation or loss of energy

  • Slowed thinking, forgetfulness, trouble
    concentrating and making decisions


  • Decreased sexual drive


  • Tendency to cry easily, or having the urge to cry but unable to do so


  • Excessive concern about physical complaints


  • Thoughts of death and/or harming self


  • At times, a loss of touch with reality, perhaps hearing voices (hallucinations) or having strange ideas (delusions)
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Other Services/Resources

Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division Toll-free: 1.800.875.6213 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health 416.535.8501 Mood Disorders Association of Ontario 416.486.8046 or 1.888.486.8236 National Foundation for Depressive Illness 1.800.239.1265 or ifred.org.
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