Bracebridge students and families can continue to access free mental health help every Monday through the summer, even though local school buildings have closed for the break. The Trillium Lakelands District School Board is running its Mental Health Mondays program from June 29 to August 10, 2026, skipping the Civic Holiday, to provide ongoing support during the vacation months.
With the Bracebridge Public School and all other TLDSB buildings closed for students starting July 6 and not reopening for students until September 8, the program bridges a gap for students who rely on school-based services. Any student or parent in the board can book a session with a mental health counsellor for help with individual counselling, check-ins, back-to-school transitions, or navigating community resources.
Appointments are available online or in person at the Lindsay Education Centre. A calendar link on the board’s website lets families pick a time slot that works for them. The local Muskoka Education Centre in Bracebridge remains closed to the public, so in-person visits mean traveling to Lindsay.
The need for such services is clear: more than half of Ontario students report moderate-to-serious psychological distress, a number that has doubled in the last decade, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Children’s Mental Health Ontario adds that 1 in 5 young people will face a mental health problem, and 5 out of 6 of them won’t get the treatment they need.
Mental Health Mondays first ran in summer 2025 as a pilot program in each TLDSB region. Its return for 2026 is part of the board’s broader Mental Health and Addictions Strategy 2023-2027. Superintendent Tanya Fraser, who oversees mental health services for the board, helped lead the initiative to give students consistent support when regular school counsellors aren’t available.
