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Canada's First · By Registration · 200 Guests

THE TurningBlack Church & Mental Health Conference

From Stigma to Support — A national conversation the Black Church has been waiting to have.

DateNovember 26, 2026
Time9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
VenueHoliday Inn Toronto Airport
Early Bird$125 — Open Now

Why This Conference Cannot Wait

1 in 3
Black Canadians told their mental health struggles were a lack of faith
Mental Health Commission of Canada
39%
Of Black North Americans receive any mental health services at all
SAMHSA / Statistics Canada
60%
With faith-related mental health struggles turned to the church first — not a clinician
Flourishing Congregations Institute, 2024
Higher depression & anxiety rates in Black congregants vs. the general population
PubMed, 2024
The Conversation

The Black Church has always been a site of liberation.

  • Faith and therapy are not enemies.
  • Spiritual care and clinical care can coexist.
  • Prayer and treatment are not mutually exclusive.
  • Faith should not silence suffering.
  • Healing should not require secrecy.
  • Wholeness is sacred work.

For generations, the Black Church has been a cornerstone of survival, resistance, and spiritual grounding. But alongside that powerful legacy, a difficult conversation has gone largely unspoken — the ways in which mental health struggles have been minimized, spiritualized, or silenced within faith spaces.

The Turning is not about blame. It is about accountability, reflection, and course correction — asking honestly: what messages about mental health have we inherited? And what would it look like for the Black Church to become a fully informed partner in healing?

"If anything truly needs to happen, that conversation needs to happen in the church — realistically speaking."

— Black Canadian Youth Participant · Springer Nature, 2023

This is Canada's first national conference at this intersection. Designed for pastors, elders, faith leaders, clinicians, survivors, students — and everyone who believes the Church can and must do better.


November 26, 2026

Day at a Glance

9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
9:30
Registration & Welcome
Doors open · Networking · Continental breakfast
10:00
Opening Ceremony & Land Acknowledgement Plenary
Welcome from Black Mental Health Canada · Opening prayer · Conference vision
10:30
Keynote Address — The Turning Moment Keynote
Canada's first national address at the intersection of Black faith and mental health
11:30
Panel 1 — Spiritual Bypassing & Delayed Care
When "pray harder" becomes a barrier · Faith leaders & clinicians in conversation
12:30
Lunch & Networking
Plated lunch · Sponsored tables available · Exhibitor space open
1:30
Breakout Sessions — Choose 1 of 3
Pastoral Care & MH First Aid · Black Women & Invisible Suffering · Youth & the Next Generation
2:30
Panel 2 — Faith, Medication & the Stigma of Treatment
Theological frameworks · Clinical perspectives · Survivor testimony
3:30
Closing Address & Community Covenant
Collective commitment · Next steps for churches · Closing reflection
4:00
Closing Networking & Farewell
Light reception · Sponsor recognition
4:30
Conference Closes
Thank you for being part of The Turning
Featured Voices

Speakers Who Have Lived This

Our lineup brings together pastors, clinicians, theologians, survivors and community leaders. Full announcements coming Fall 2026.

K
Keynote Speaker
To Be Announced
A nationally recognized voice at the intersection of Black faith and mental wellness. Announcement coming Fall 2026.
P
Featured Pastor
Senior Pastor · TBA
A pastor who has walked alongside congregation members in crisis and built mental health ministry within their church.
C
Clinical Panelist
Registered Psychotherapist · TBA
A Black clinician who holds deep clinical training and lived faith experience — bridging both worlds.
T
Theologian / Scholar
Divinity Scholar · TBA
A theologian who has wrestled honestly with what scripture says — and doesn't say — about mental illness.
S
Survivor & Advocate
Community Voice · TBA
Someone who was told to pray harder when what they needed was care — and now leads the conversation on change.
+
Your Voice Belongs Here
Speaker Applications Open
A faith leader, clinician, or survivor who has lived this? Apply to speak →

Eight
Conversations

Building a program around what the Black Church and the mental health community must say to each other — and to the world.

01
Spiritual Bypassing & Delayed Care
02
Theology, Scripture & Mental Health
03
Trauma, Grief & the Black Faith Experience
04
Pastoral Care & Mental Health First Aid
05
Black Women, the Church & Invisible Suffering
06
Youth, Mental Health & the Next Generation
07
Building Church-Based Mental Health Ministries
08
Faith, Medication & the Stigma of Treatment

Location

Holiday Inn
Toronto
Airport

Date
Thursday, Nov 26, 20269:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Address
970 Dixon Rd, EtobicokeToronto, ON · M9W 1J9
Access
TTC Accessible · Parking On-SiteMinutes from Toronto Pearson Airport
Capacity
200 Guests MaximumRegister early — limited space
Rooms
Hotel Room Block AvailableSpecial conference rate — contact us
Coming from out of town? A room block is available at the Holiday Inn at a special conference rate. Contact info@blackmentalhealth.ca for details.
📍
Holiday Inn Toronto Airport
970 Dixon Road
Etobicoke, Toronto ON
M9W 1J9
Open in Google Maps →

The Church Has Always Led

LEAD
HERE.

200 seats. One conversation. Canada's first.
Pastors, elders, clinicians, survivors — this seat is yours.

info@blackmentalhealth.ca  ·  blackmentalhealth.ca/theturning