Truth and Reconciliation Day and Mental Health: Honoring Truth, Supporting Healing

September 26, 2025

By: Cassandra Villavicencio

Every year on September 30th, Canadians observe National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It’s a day to reflect on the legacy of residential schools, honor the survivors, remember the children who never returned home, and recognize the ongoing impacts of colonialism on Indigenous communities.

While this day is about truth, acknowledgment, and collective responsibility, it is also deeply connected to mental health—both at the community and individual level.

Why Mental Health Matters in Reconciliation

Mental health is inseparable from reconciliation. True reconciliation is not only about government apologies or public education; it’s about creating conditions where Indigenous peoples can thrive—mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Supporting Indigenous mental health means:

Listening to truth: making space for stories, even when they’re painful.
Valuing cultural practices: recognizing that healing may look different, with ceremony, land, and language playing key roles.
Challenging stigma: understanding that trauma-related struggles are not personal failings, but responses to systemic harm.
Investing in services: ensuring equitable access to culturally safe, community-led mental health care.
Advocating for indigenous organizations, creatives, community leaders.

Reflection for Non-Indigenous Allies

For those who are not Indigenous, Truth and Reconciliation Day is also an invitation to reflect on our role in supporting healing. This includes:

Educating ourselves about the legacy of residential schools.
Recognizing that “truth” is not always comfortable, but it is necessary.
Supporting Indigenous-led organizations and mental health initiatives.
Engaging in conversations about colonialism’s ongoing impact on well being.

Below, we have compiled a list of resources, including Indigenous-led peer support.

CMHA- Mental Health and Wellness Services for Indigenous Children and Youth
PeerWorks member organization, True Self- Debwewendizwen
Métis Nation of Ontario Mental Wellness Programs