Our Why
OUR COMMUNITIES ARE IN CRISIS.
Newcomers and immigrants are less likely to seek mental health support than their Canadian born counterparts, despite reporting higher levels of mental health symptoms.
Youth report the highest rates of mental health disorders in comparison with adults, with a 20% increase for young women although they are least likely to engage with mental health services. Language barriers, cultural stigma, and systemic discrimination contribute to underutilization.
Immigrants arrive to Canada with better health that deteriorates over time, underscoring the urgent need for accessible, culturally competent mental health care.
Barriers to Care
CANADA'S MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM WASN'T BUILT FOR EVERYONE.
For newcomers, refugees and racialized youth:
Mental health needs are high, but access is low. Fewer than 20% of newcomer youth receive adequate mental health care.
Language, stigma, racism and lack of culturally appropriate services create deep and persistent barriers.
Traditional models often fail to reach communities living at the intersection of trauma, displacement and systemic inequity.
Youth from Afghan, Sudanese, Arab, Haitian, and other newcomer communities carry the compound weight of war, migration, isolation, and discrimination—yet services rarely speak their language, reflect their culture, or earn their trust.
Youth Are Left Behind
Youth are left behind.
Research shows that newcomers and immigrants are less likely to seek mental health support than their Canadian born counterparts, despite reporting higher levels of mental health symptoms. Refugee and newcomer youth in Canada experience disproportionate rates of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety because of pre-migration trauma, displacement, and settlement related stressors. Canada’s mental health system wasn’t built for everyone. Barriers to care including language barriers, cultural stigma around mental health, a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate services and practitioners with lived experience, are contributing to youth being left behind.
Over 60,000 refugees settled in Canada in 2021, many of them children and youth, intensifying the demand for culturally responsive mental health services.
ABRAR Trauma & Mental Health is the solution to providing culturally competent, community-led interventions.
Our Model of Care
Responsive Care That Works for Everyone.
Established in 2020, ABRAR Trauma & Mental Health is dedicated to creating human-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally safe spaces that foster healing, growth, and resilience for newcomers and immigrants across Canada.
Our mission is to ensure that all Canadians have access to affordable mental health support, enabling them to heal and fully participate in society.
Uniquely Positioned to Deliver Transformational Care
With a compassionate and committed team of practitioners, staff, and volunteers, our effectiveness stems from not only how we do our work - but why we do our work.
Founded and staffed by individuals with lived experience as newcomers and immigrants, we understand the unique challenges faced by those we serve. We believe that language matters and we offer services in our clients' native languages, incorporating cultural practices into therapy to ensure accessibility and relevance at all times.
We understand what is possible when partnering with aligned organizations to deepen our impact and expand our reach. Together with organizations like the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Kids Help Phone, Sick Kids, and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), we are ensuring that everyone has a chance to heal and fully participate in society.
Backed by community and rooted in collaboration, cultural competency, lived experience, and innovation, we are known as a trusted partner in community and the go-to organization for individuals seeking support.
Our Impact
In just five years, ABRAR Trauma & Mental Health Services has achieved significant milestones that demonstrate what culturally grounded care can make possible.
Service Expansion
We offer services in multiple languages - including Arabic, English, Persian, Hindi, Urdu, and more - and provide free one-to-one counseling and therapy, particularly focusing on women, youth, and families.
Community Engagement
We conduct workshops and healing circles on the topics communities ask for most, creating peer-based spaces for learning, support, and shared recovery.
Physical Presence
We established two office spaces in Hamilton - One James St for youth support and 423 King St E for women's programs - while building a national programming footprint.
Innovative Projects
We piloted initiatives like "Needles and Narratives," a 12-week program combining art, sewing, and storytelling, and "Dil Ba Dil," a support group for Afghan newcomer women.
Advocacy Campaigns
We initiated the "In This Together" campaign, advocating for a national post-pandemic mental health recovery plan for marginalized youth in Canada and lobbied on parliament in partnership with other mental health providers to advance quality, accessible care for
all Canadians.
Community Voices
Meet Seba…
At 17, Seba arrived in Canada carrying more than just luggage. She carried loneliness, fear, and a quiet pain she didn’t know how to name. She stopped going to school. She stopped eating. Most days, she stayed in bed, overwhelmed and unseen. “I was in a dark place,” she said. “I didn’t want to be here.”
When she joined ABRAR Trauma & Mental Health, something shifted. Through one-on-one therapy and creative group programs like The Giving Art, she found a space that felt safe—where she didn’t need to explain herself or pretend to be okay. “Here, I could take the mask off. It felt like coming home.”
ABRAR helped Seba understand that healing takes time, and that her pain was real. For the first time, she felt heard, supported, and held without judgment.
Now, Seba speaks openly about her journey. She gives presentations. She challenges the silence around mental health in her community. “In our culture, we don’t talk about depression. But I do now. Because what I went through is not shameful.”
She has found her voice. She has built lasting friendships. She has chosen to stay—and to live fully.
Meet Seba...
“ABRAR Trauma & Mental Health is family, love, and support,” she said.
“If you’re struggling, come here. You are not alone.”
Founder Spotlight: Abrar Mechmechia
President & CEO, ABRAR Trauma & Mental Health Services
“I didn’t find the mental health support I needed when I came to Canada, so I built it. I built it for myself, and for the thousands of others who just need a space to be heard, to feel safe, and to start healing.”
Abrar Mechmechia, President & CEO, ABRAR Trauma & Mental Health Services
ABRAR was founded by Abrar Mechmechia, a Syrian-Canadian refugee, activist, and mental health advocate who arrived in Canada after fleeing war and trauma in her home country. Her personal journey—from surviving conflict to navigating newcomer life in Canada—inspired a deep commitment to creating spaces for others to heal with dignity, care, and cultural understanding.
After witnessing the gaps in mental health services available to newcomers, especially youth and women, Abrar transformed her lived experience into leadership. In 2020, she founded ABRAR Trauma & Mental Health Services, building a grassroots movement rooted in representation, trauma-informed care, and cultural safety.
Under her leadership, ABRAR Trauma & Mental Health has become a lifeline to thousands of newcomers across Canada, redefining what mental health support looks like when it is community-led, multilingual, and unapologetically inclusive.
Join Us in Making Healing Happen
The Healing Happens Here campaign is our commitment to building a future where every Canadian has access to culturally responsive mental health care.