Sexual violence at the heart of mental health: La Traversée submits a brief to the Government of Quebec
As part of the government’s public consultation, Towards a renewed, integrated and coherent vision of mental health, homelessness and addiction, La Traversée has submitted a brief to the Government of Quebec.
This consultation, open from 17 March to 6 June 2026, aims to renew government policy on mental health, homelessness and addiction, as the three current action plans are due to expire. Executive Director Christine Vilcocq represented La Traversée at the regional consultation day held in Longueuil. La Traversée contributed from a unique position: that of a specialist clinical organisation which has been supporting victims of sexual violence for 42 years, at the precise intersection of the consultation’s three key areas.
Why La Traversée took part in this consultation
Sexual violence cannot be confined to a single service area. It has consequences that simultaneously affect mental health, housing stability and substance use.
In 2025–2026, La Traversée received 373 requests for help, a 42% increase in a single year. Nearly half of those supported had significant risk factors: homelessness, substance use or extreme precariousness. These figures are not abstract statistics. They reflect the complex realities our teams encounter on a daily basis.
Five recommendations to the Government of Quebec
The brief sets out five recommendations, presented in a logical order: from the general analytical framework to the specific funding conditions.
1. Recognising trauma as a cross-cutting determinant of mental health
The 2022–2026 Interministerial Mental Health Action Plan does not mention the word “trauma” even once. This omission represents a major blind spot in a document that sets out the framework for the work of ten ministries and a budget of over a billion dollars. La Traversée recommends that the next plan adopt the Trauma and Violence-Informed Care (TVIC) as a clinical and organisational framework, in line with work already carried out in the areas of addiction and homelessness.
2. Recognising sexual violence as a major public mental health issue
Sexual violence is not a social or legal issue separate from mental health. It is a key determinant of mental health. Its explicit recognition in the revised vision is essential if service pathways are to be truly coherent and integrated. The CIViS project, which has supported more than 700 people since 2023 with a complaint filing rate of 44% over three years — nearly ten times the Canadian average — concretely illustrates what an integrated, trauma-informed approach can achieve.
3. Roll out a provincial trauma-informed training programme
An intervention that is not trauma-informed may, without meaning to cause harm, re-traumatise the individual, break the bond of trust or lead to them dropping out of services. La Traversée recommends a structured roll-out of trauma-informed training across the health and social services network, drawing on tools already developed in Quebec.
4. Supporting clinical teams and preventing compassion fatigue
Supporting people who have experienced complex trauma requires robust clinical conditions: supervision, psychological support for teams, realistic staffing ratios, recognition of the invisible work involved, and recognition of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma as genuine organisational challenges. The stability of the therapeutic relationship is not merely a prerequisite for treatment; in complex trauma, it is the treatment. This reality must be reflected in the funding and support provided to teams.
5. Ensuring equitable funding for specialised mental health care
Organisations specialising in sexual violence and complex trauma play a vital clinical role within the continuum of services. However, their funding continues to be characterised by significant regional inequalities and a failure to recognise a significant proportion of the clinical work required. La Traversée recommends clear, consistent and transparent provincial criteria for the allocation of funding, as well as formal recognition of the expertise of specialist organisations.
A public brief
This brief draws on four decades of clinical experience, evidence-based data and best practices in trauma care. It represents La Traversée’s contribution to a collective discussion that will shape mental health services in Quebec for years to come.