Shaden portrait holding book
Mental health resources
Resources

things that might help

This page is a living collection of resources offered with care. Whether you're in crisis, in need of reflection, or just looking for something to accompany your process, I hope you find something here that supports you.

DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES ● READING LISTS ● CRISIS SUPPORT LINES

DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES ● READING LISTS ● CRISIS SUPPORT LINES

feeling creatively stuck?

Sometimes, creativity retreats under pressure, perfectionism, or the endless demand to be useful in our present-day capitalist society.

Download this free reflective guide to reconnect with your creative self. 

reading is resistance

A curated reading list for reflection, healing, and self-inquiry (more coming soon!)

Shaden portrait on resource page

    • The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk

    • My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts – Resmaa Menakem

    • Self-Compassion – Kristin Neff

    • Radical Acceptance – Tara Brach

    • The Places That Scare You – Pema Chödrön

    • No Bad Parts – Richard Schwartz

    • The Science and Art of Dreaming – Mark Blagrove & Julia Lockheart

    • The Spirituality of Dreaming – Kelly Bulkeley

    • Man and His Symbols – Carl Jung

    • Anam Cara – John O'Donohue

    • Women Who Run with the Wolves – Clarissa Pinkola Estés

    • All About Love – bell hooks

    • The Art of Loving – Erich Fromm

    • Nonviolent Communication – Marshall Rosenberg

    • Hold Me Tight – Sue Johnson

    • Escape from Freedom – Erich Fromm

    • Regarding the Pain of Others – Susan Sontag

    • The Wretched of the Earth – Frantz Fanon

    • Pedagogy of the Oppressed – Paulo Freire

    • Orientalism – Edward Said

    • In the Name of Identity – Amin Maalouf

    • Out of Place – Edward Said

    • Teta, Mother and Me – Jean Said Makdisi

    • I Was Born There, I Was Born Here – Mourid Barghouti

    • My Childhood – Maxim Gorky

crisis & support lines

GENERAL

  • Canada-wide, 24/7 support for anyone dealing with thoughts of suicide or worried about someone else. Call or text 988.

  • Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, text-based mental health support and crisis intervention. Text HOME to 741741.

  • 24/7 support to those experiencing emotional distress or needing crisis intervention and/or suicide prevention. TDC also provides face-to-face support and counselling to people dealing with the effects of suicide and homicide.

  • TRCC provides 24/7 support to survivors of sexual violence, of all genders and identities. Call 416-597-8808.

  • 24/7 support for seniors in Ontario who have experienced any type of abuse or neglect. Call 1-866-299-1011.

  • Trans Lifeline’s Hotline is a peer support phone service run by trans people for our trans and questioning peers. Call (877) 330-6366 (1 - 9 PM EST).

YOUTH & KIDS

  • 24/7 e-mental health service offering free, multilingual and confidential support to young people. Call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868.

  •  Black Youth Helpline serves all youth and specifically responds to the need for a Black youth specific service. Call 1-833-294-8650 (9AM–10PM).

  • YouthLine provides Ontario-wide 2SLGBTQ+ peer-support HelpLine. Call 1-800-268-9688 or text 647-694-4275 (4:00 pm - 9:30 pm).

  • We Matter is an Indigenous youth-led and nationally registered organization dedicated to Indigenous youth support, hope and life promotion.

BIPOC

  • Across Boundaries provides mental health and addiction services for racialized people across the GTA. Languages include African, Central & South Asian languages, and Caribbean Dialects.

  • The Hope for Wellness Helpline is available 24/7 to all Indigenous people across Canada. Call 1-855-242-3310.

  • Naseeha is a 24/7 confidential mental health helpline offering culturally and spiritually informed support, primarily for Muslims but open to all. Languages include Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, Somali, Turkish, and French. Call 1-866-627-3342.

  • 24/7 support for Métis individuals. Call 1‑877‑767‑7572.

MEN

  • CCMF provides therapy and counselling, peer support, a legal clinic, fathering programs, mentorship, and support services for male victims of trauma and violence.

  • HeadsUpGuys offers practical self-care tips, screening tools, self-guided courses, and guidance on how to support the men in our lives.

  • Men & provides mental health support, education, and resources for men across Canada through a 24/7 helpline, self-guided tools, and community-based programs that promote emotional well-being, healthy relationships, and violence prevention.

WOMEN

  • AWHL is a free, anonymous, and confidential 24-hour telephone and TTY crisis telephone line to all women in the province of Ontario who have experienced any form of abuse. Call 1-866-863-7868.

  • Nisa Foundation provides culturally responsive shelters for women of color, Muslim women, immigrants, refugees, and those without status, as well as a confidential helpline and educational programs.

  • RIWC is a Toronto-based charity that supports racialized, immigrant, and refugee women through anti-violence, settlement, and employment programs.

  • ONSADVTC delivers immediate and long-term trauma-specific medical, forensic, and psychosocial care to survivors of sexual and domestic violence response across Ontario.

  • Domestic Shelters offers a searchable shelter directory and educational and healing resources to survivors of domestic violence.

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.”

— Henry David Thoreau