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EnglishWhat Is Children's Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) and What Does It Offer?
Updated
Children's Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) is a member-based association representing Ontario's publicly-funded Child and Youth Mental Health Centres. If you are a parent or caregiver worried about a child, or a young person looking for help, CMHO's network connects you to centres with roughly 4,000 professionals offering free counselling and treatment — in person, by phone, or virtually. The main practical action the site supports is finding a child and youth mental health centre in your area.
Who CMHO is
CMHO describes itself as representing Ontario's publicly-funded Child and Youth Mental Health Centres. It advocates for investments, policies, and programs for children, youth, and families seeking mental health services in Ontario. Its stated goal is to promote a coordinated, high-quality system of care that puts infants, children, youth, and families first.
Two things follow from this:
- CMHO is an association and advocacy body, not a direct walk-in clinic. The care itself is delivered through its network of member centres across Ontario.
- The services described are publicly funded. The site states the network provides free counselling and treatment.
What services the network offers
According to the site, the network of child and youth mental health centres has 4,000 professionals ready to help children, youth, and families. Key features:
| Feature | What the site states |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free counselling and treatment |
| Who it serves | Children, youth, and families |
| How care is delivered | In person, on the phone, and virtually |
| Scope | "No problem is too big or small" |
| How to access | Find a child and youth mental health centre in your area |
The site's core message to families is direct: "You Don't Have to Do This Alone." If you are a parent or caregiver worried about your child, or a young person looking for help yourself, the site asks you to reach out.
Resources on the site
Beyond finding a centre, cmho.org organizes resources by audience:
- Family Care Centre — support aimed at parents and caregivers.
- Parent Survival Guide — a guide for parents navigating their child's mental health.
- School mental health resources — materials relevant to school settings.
- Teacher resources and professional resources — for people working with children and youth.
- Youth resources — for young people seeking help themselves.
- More kids mental health resources — an additional general collection.
Advocacy and data: the "Kids Can't Wait" campaign
CMHO also publishes advocacy content. Its "Kids Can't Wait" campaign states that 28,000 Ontario children and youth are waiting for mental health services, with some families waiting up to two and a half years. The site cites the longest wait for service reaching 919 days and urges the Ontario government to end the wait.
Related publications include:
- Feature report — news on wait times and other issues affecting kids' mental health in Ontario.
- Advocacy report — identifies challenges and solutions to policy issues.
- Facts & figures — a regularly published collection of statistics on child and youth mental health in Ontario.
Who this site is for
- Parents and caregivers worried about a child's mental health who want to find a local centre and read practical guidance.
- Young people looking for help themselves.
- Teachers, school staff, and professionals seeking sector resources.
- Advocates, journalists, and policymakers looking for statistics and advocacy reports on Ontario's child and youth mental health system.
How to get started
- Go to cmho.org and use the "Find a child and youth mental health centre in your area" option to locate a centre near you.
- If you are a parent or caregiver, explore the Family Care Centre and Parent Survival Guide for context while you wait or before you reach out.
- If you are a young person, start with the youth resources section.
- If you want the system-level picture, read the feature report, advocacy report, and facts & figures pages.
One thing to keep in mind: because CMHO is an association rather than a single service, the specific intake process, hours, and availability will depend on the individual centre you contact. The site's role is to point you to that centre and to make the case for shortening wait times across the system.