Loneliness: who to see and what helps

Loneliness · Kitchener, Waterloo & Cambridge

Loneliness is the painful feeling that comes from a gap between the social connection you want and the connection you have. It is not a diagnosis, and it is not the same as being alone. Programs designed to reduce it help by a moderate amount in trials, although the evidence is rated low in certainty, and psychological approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy appear to do the most. At CARESPACE the service for this is counselling, with a Registered Psychotherapist or Registered Social Worker.

Loneliness and being alone are different things

The World Health Organization separates two ideas. Social isolation is objective: having too few social connections. Loneliness is subjective: the painful feeling that your connections fall short of the ones you want. One can exist without the other: in the Canadian survey below, most people who lived alone were not often lonely, and some married people were.

Who is lonely

Statistics Canada asked people aged 15 and over how often they feel lonely, in August and September 2021, during the pandemic. Thirteen percent said always or often, and about three in ten said sometimes. The figures by group:

• Age. Highest among those aged 15 to 24 (23%), lowest at 65 to 74 (9%), and higher again at 75 and over (14%).
• Living alone. 24% of people who lived alone, against 11% of those living with others.
• Gender. 15% of women and 11% of men.

That youngest group is the one that arrives in Waterloo Region each September to start at the universities and the college, often knowing nobody. Worldwide, about one person in six is affected.

What to notice

• You feel lonely often or always, not only now and then
• You have fewer relationships than you want, or the ones you have are not close
• Most of your contact with friends happens through a screen
• Your mood is lower or you are more anxious than you used to be
• You are less satisfied with life overall

What leads to it

The WHO’s list of causes has more to do with circumstances than with character: poor health, low income and education, living alone, communities with few places to meet, and digital technology, meaning too much screen time or negative experiences online. People with disabilities, refugees and migrants, LGBTQ+ people and Indigenous and ethnic minority groups can face added barriers to connection. Changes in life circumstances raise the risk as well. Canadian guidance on loneliness in older adults asks clinicians to anticipate them, and names the loss of family members or friends, retirement and recent moves. If yours was a death, our Grief & Loss page may be closer to what you need.

What it does to health

According to the WHO, loneliness and social isolation raise the risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cognitive decline and early death, and lonely people are twice as likely to become depressed. In the Statistics Canada survey, 49% of people who were always or often lonely rated their mental health as fair or poor, compared with 7% of those who rarely or never were; the survey cannot say which causes which.

One local study cuts against the link with early death. University of Waterloo researchers who followed more than 380,000 home care recipients aged 65 and over in Canada, Finland and New Zealand reported in 2025 that the lonely ones had a lower risk of dying within a year, a result they say contradicts much of the existing research on the general population. They still called loneliness a serious threat to psychological well-being.

How it is identified

By asking. No diagnosis exists and no test is needed; clinicians sometimes use evidence-based screening tools to gauge how severe it is and to follow change. What may need a diagnosis is depression, which loneliness makes more likely. In Ontario that comes from a physician, nurse practitioner, psychiatrist or psychologist, not from a counsellor.

When to get help right away

Loneliness can contribute to thoughts of self-harm or suicide. Low mood on most days for more than two weeks is a reason to see a physician or nurse practitioner.

If you are thinking about suicide, or you do not feel safe, do not wait for an appointment: use the numbers below.

If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, help is available right now.

• Call or text 9-8-8, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, at any hour.
• Call Here 24/7 at 1-844-437-3247 for addictions, mental health and crisis services in Waterloo Region, at any hour. here247.ca
• Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if you or someone else is in immediate danger.

The emergency departments in Waterloo Region are:

• WRHN @ Midtown (formerly Grand River Hospital), 835 King St. W., Kitchener
• WRHN @ Queen’s Blvd. (formerly St. Mary’s General Hospital), 911 Queen’s Blvd., Kitchener
• Cambridge Memorial Hospital, 700 Coronation Blvd., Cambridge

If you cannot get there safely, call 911.

What the evidence says about easing loneliness

• Programs help, moderately. A 2025 review covered 280 studies and 30,929 people. In its 122 randomized trials, programs reduced loneliness by a moderate amount. The authors rate the certainty of that evidence as low and urge caution about the size of the effect.
• Psychological approaches came out ahead. Psychological programs, tested in 48 randomized trials, appeared to be the most effective strategy. An earlier review of 28 studies found a small-to-medium benefit. CBT was the most common type of program, most were delivered weekly, face to face and in groups, and their quality was mixed.
• Other strategies also worked. Building a social network, training in social and emotional skills, and social support each reduced loneliness, by somewhat less.
• The benefit lasted months. In 33 trials that followed people for one to six months, the effect was somewhat smaller than straight after the program, and still there.
• Age made no clear difference. The review found no significant differences between children, adults and older adults.
• Canadian guidance exists for older adults. Written in 2024 for health and social service professionals, it says psychological therapies should be considered for some lonely older adults, that connecting people to community activities (social prescribing) should be considered, and that professionals should encourage physical activity, in a group or individually. All three are strong recommendations based on moderate evidence. “Strong” describes how confident the panel was; the evidence is graded separately. The guideline adds that pets and animal-assisted programs may help some people, on low-quality evidence.
• Medicine is not a treatment for loneliness. The same guideline says medicines should not be used to treat loneliness or isolation in older adults (a strong recommendation, low-quality evidence). They have a place only for an underlying illness.
• In-person contact seems to count for more. In a 2025 Statistics Canada survey, 24% of people who kept up with friends only virtually were always or often lonely, against 15% of those who also met in person. That is an association, not proof of cause.

How CARESPACE helps with loneliness

Counselling & Psychotherapy

A counsellor cannot hand you a social circle, and it is fair to say so. What counselling can do is the kind of work the trials tested. CARESPACE counsellors offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), the most common approach among the psychological programs studied. Sessions may work on the thoughts and habits that keep you from contact, practise social and emotional skills, and plan specific steps toward a group, a neighbour or an old friend. If fear of being judged is what keeps you away from people, our Social Anxiety page describes that pattern. A counsellor can also notice signs of depression and tell you when to see a physician.

See our counselling team →

More about cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) →

Other services people ask about

Personal training. The Canadian guideline encourages physical activity for lonely older adults, in a group or individually, and notes that the small benefit for social interaction showed up with group activity and not with individual activity. One-to-one training with a personal trainer has not been tested for loneliness in anything we read. Exercise is worth doing for its own sake. If loneliness is the target, choose activity you do with other people.

Where most people start

With a counsellor. Loneliness is mainly a one-service concern here, and much of the change happens outside the appointment, in the places where you meet people.

How your team works together

One practitioner, usually. The exception is when loneliness sits alongside depression or a health problem that keeps you at home; then a physician or nurse practitioner looks after that side.

Browse by service: counselling.

What to expect at your first visit

The counsellor’s aim at a first visit is to understand your concern. You choose what to talk about. Some things you may be asked, or may want to think over first:

1. How long you have felt this way, and whether something set it off: a move, a breakup, a death, retirement, a new school or job.
2. Who is in your life now, and which relationships you miss or wish were closer.
3. What has got in the way when you have tried to connect.
4. Your mood, sleep and health in recent weeks.

You should come away from the visit with a plan.

What you can do yourself

• Reach out to one person: a friend you have lost touch with, or someone who may be struggling too.
• Be fully present when you are with people. Put the phone away.
• Say hello to a neighbour.
• Join a local group built around something you like doing.
• Volunteer.
• Where you can, see friends in person as well as online.
• Pick physical activity you can do with others.

The first five are the WHO’s suggestions for individuals. It adds that when loneliness is serious, it is time to look for support and services.

How long does loneliness last?

None of what we read gives a typical course. In the trials, people who took part in a program were still less lonely one to six months later, the longest follow-up the review pooled.

Help with loneliness in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge

Kitchener. Counselling in Kitchener. Locations: Victoria North, Fischer-Hallman, Westmount East and Deer Ridge.

Waterloo. Counselling in Waterloo. Locations: Weber North, Uptown Waterloo and Waterloo GoodLife.

Cambridge. Counselling in Cambridge. Location: Hespeler Road.

The city pages linked above show the locations and practitioners for each service, with their next availability.

Common questions

Is loneliness a mental illness?

No. It is a feeling, and a common one: 13% of people aged 15 and over in Canada said they were always or often lonely in a 2021 survey. It raises the risk of depression, which is a health condition.

Can loneliness affect physical health?

It is linked to a higher risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and cognitive decline. Whether it shortens life is less certain; a large University of Waterloo study of older home care recipients did not find that it did.

Is there medication for loneliness?

No. Canadian guidance for older adults says medicines should not be used to treat loneliness itself. If depression or another illness is part of the picture, treating that is a matter for a physician or nurse practitioner.

Can I see a counsellor about loneliness in Waterloo?

Yes. Counselling in Waterloo lists the counsellors and locations there. You can also call 519-208-2273 and our Central Reception Team will find the closest location with an opening.

Do I need a referral?

No. Book online or call 519-208-2273. You pay at each visit and receive a receipt for your extended health plan. More on fees and insurance →

Sources

• World Health Organization. Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death (release of the report of the WHO Commission on Social Connection), June 2025.
• Conn DK, Billard T, Dupuis-Blanchard S, et al.; Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health. Canadian Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults, 2024 (digital edition, April 2025).
• Lasgaard M, Qualter P, Løvschall C, et al. Are loneliness interventions effective for reducing loneliness? A meta-analytic review of 280 studies. American Psychologist, 2026 (online October 2025).
• Hickin N, Käll A, Shafran R, Sutcliffe S, Manzotti G, Langan D. The effectiveness of psychological interventions for loneliness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 2021 (summary read).
• Statistics Canada. Canadian Social Survey: Loneliness in Canada. The Daily, November 24, 2021.
• Statistics Canada. Disconnect to reconnect? How technology is reshaping how Canadians connect with friends, 2025. The Daily, October 24, 2025.
• University of Waterloo, School of Public Health Sciences. Study: Loneliness doesn’t raise mortality risk (news release), June 2025.
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Depression.
• 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline. 988.ca.
• Here 24/7 (addictions, mental health and crisis services, Waterloo Wellington). here247.ca.

Related conditions

• Depression
• Social Anxiety
• Grief & Loss
• Feeling Stuck

Ready to book?

Book online with a counsellor, or call 519-208-2273 and our Central Reception Team will match you with the right person and the closest location.

Online booking