Mental Health Resources

This page is where you can find resources to support your emotional, psychological and mental health. During this Covid-19 pandemic, it is being updated with relevant staff support information from our partners. Numerous tools, resources and phone numbers are provided for you to access.

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Immediate Support 24/7:

Boots on the Ground: this is a peer support hotline which provides anonymous services to first responders. 1-833-677-2668. Click here to learn more.

Here 24/7 Hotline: Mental health supports for Waterloo Wellington 1-844-437-3247 Click here to learn more.

Crisis Services Canada

If you, or someone you know, is in crisis, Crisis Services Canada is here to help. Its structure and focus is geared to strengthen regional service delivery and ensuring gaps in mental health and suicide prevention and support nationwide are addressed. If you feel you need help, please call

1-833-456-4566 (available 24/7)

Or text: 45645 (available 4pm – 12am. Standard text messaging rates apply).

Please click here: “Get Help” to learn more (or the “Get Help” tab at the top of the page).

Wellness Together Canada

We recognize the significant strain that COVID-19 has placed on individuals and families across the country. Many people are concerned about their physical and mental well being. Canadians are being challenged in a number of ways because of isolation, financial and employment uncertainty and disruptions to daily life. Wellness Together Canada provides tools and resources to help get Canadians back on track. These include modules for addressing low mood, worry, substance use, social isolation and relationship issues. Click here to start: Wellness Together Canada. Or, try out the new PocketWell App, recently released to merge seamlessly with the Wellness Together Canada platform, and is available through Google Play and the App Store.

Our EFAP Program provider Homewood Health has a lot of tools and resources for you: Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP Homewood Health): 1-800-663-1142

If you feel stress, fear, anxiety or simply want someone to talk to, Homewood are there for you 24/7/365. They will help get you the tools, resources and/or support you’re looking for. They have also provided a number of handout resources for you:

Homewood Health have published a COVID-19 Pandemic Toolkit. The toolkit is a consolidation of content, both directly and indirectly related to COVID-19. They’ve put together a package of valuable and informative materials with information to support you and your family. The toolkit includes resources and addresses key and frequently asked questions. Homewood wants you to know they are here to help. Please don’t hesitate to reach out should you wish to discuss any components of the toolkit, or if there is anything they can do to provide support to you.

Homewood have released a recording of their webinar: Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on your Mental Health, details below.

COVID-19 poses unique challenges for all individuals. For those who experience common mental health challenges, anxiety and depression the pandemic may be an additional stressor that contributes to these issues. The uncertainty, social isolation and sometimes sudden and unexpected changes to normal routines, relationships with others, and work and home environments can be especially triggering and difficult to manage. In the face of a pandemic like COVID-19, it is more important than ever to exercise vigilance around our mental well-being and the mental well-being of those around us.
This session helped participants understand anxiety and depression, typical reactions, and equipped participants with strategies, tips and tools for regulating managing their own emotions as well as tips for supporting others who may be experiencing difficulties.

To access the webinar, click here.

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Ongoing Support:

Greenshield Canada

The ongoing impact of COVID-19 has brought uncertainty and anxiety for many Canadians. In response, Green Shield Canada (GSC) understands that it’s more important than ever to put high-quality mental health care solutions within easy reach. Please remember to check your benefits plan for more information on mental health supports through Greenshield.
What you need to know: GSC is proud to be sponsoring Stronger Minds, a free digital program from MindBeacon that provides crucial mental health support for all Canadians. The program is available now at mindbeacon.com/strongerminds, and offers guidance in the form of short expert Q&A videos, quick reads, and resilience-building activities – all focused on protecting your emotional well-being as the COVID-19 crisis progresses. Click here for an overview that covers all the details you’ll need to determine whether this program is the right fit for you. Check it out today.

BounceBack Ontario:

BounceBack is a free, guided self-help program that’s effective in helping people aged 15 and up who are experiencing mild-to-moderate anxiety or depression, or may be feeling low, stressed, worried, irritable or angry.

Participants receive telephone coaching, skill-building workbooks and online videos to help them overcome these symptoms and gain new skills to regain positive mental health. To receive telephone coaching support, clients must either be referred by their primary care provider (family doctor, nurse practitioner) or psychiatrist, or they may self-refer as long as they’re connected with a primary care provider. BounceBack is not a crisis service or counselling, but a life-skills program that participants work with to develop coping techniques so they can overcome challenges now or in the future. Typically, participants take three to six months to complete the program. Click here for more information.

While taking care of others, often one’s on personal wellbeing practices fall to the wayside. The Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario have created a Self-Care Hub where there are a number of helpful resources on Mental, Emotional and Physical well-being. There are also practical tools, such as a Self-Care Inventory, a list of recommended Self-Care apps, as well as resources to help with behaviour change. Although this resource is designed for nurses, the tools would likely be applicable to anyone. This article from Harvard Health Publishing also provides helpful self-care tips for the caregiver.

Mindfulness is a good strategy that helps to calm the mind. There are many mindfulness apps out there that you’re encouraged to explore – The Centre for Mindfulness Studies located in Toronto has its own wonderful free app (found where you download your apps), or its guided mindfulness sessions can also be found on the free app Insight Timer. When it comes to mindfulness, the important thing is to find the one that works best for you! Click here for more recommendations.

Pause 4 Providers supports the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare providers during the pandemic by providing nightly 30-minute drop-in mindfulness sessions.

Each session offers short mindfulness practices to help participants to unwind, revitalize and to learn ways to find calm in the midst of the pandemic. The program is open to all healthcare providers, trainees, hospital workers, leaders and researchers.

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Other Resources:

PocketWell

In January 2022, the Canadian Goverment creeated a new free app that works with their Wellness Together Canada program. Through PocketWell, people across Canada can access new resources, including a self-assessment tool and tracker that monitors mood and mental well-being

CAMH

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health offers information and suggestions about how best to cope during this difficult time on their COVID-19 Resource Page.

CAMH also developed ECHO Coping with COVID, designed for Hospital-Based Healthcare Providers and Residents responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants are invited to join ECHO sessions virtually through multi-point videoconference technology to share and learn about ways to build resilience and overall wellness through didactic lectures and case-based discussions.

New resource hub for health care workers: A new hub that will house a growing list of evidence-based resources for health care workers and other frontline responders to manage their own mental health, and support their patients and families at this time can be found here health care worker hub or visit www.camh.ca/covid19HCW

CMHA Waterloo Wellington is offering a number of free webinars with health topics such as Challenging Negative Thinking, Coping with Isolation and Loneliness, and Understanding Mental Health. Click here to learn about how you can register and when the sessions are offered.

Frontline Resilience Resources:

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre: “Your Health Matters” 

Sunnybrook has published a number of positive, brief articles related to COVID19 that include:

“Finding hope and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic“ 
“Simple ways of finding happiness in challenging times“ 
“COVID-19: Practical cognitive behavioural strategies to manage your mental health“
“Tips for health-care workers: Coping at work and at home during COVID-19“ 
“Tips for health-care workers: How to get better sleep during COVID-19″

Canadian Psychological Association

The Canadian Psychological Association would like to help and has called on all registered psychology practitioners to consider donating some of their time to provide psychological services to front line health care providers who may be feeling stressed, overwhelmed or distressed by being on the front lines of this health crisis. Please click here for more information and to find a psychologist in Ontario to obtain support.

Ementalhealth.ca

Ementalhealth.ca  is a non-profit initiative of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) dedicated to improving the mental health of children, youth and families. It provides anonymous, confidential and trustworthy information, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Features include:

Mental Health Help (i.e. directory of mental health services and organizations)
Info Sheets: Information about a variety of mental health conditions and topics.
Screening Tools: Find out if you or a loved one has a mental health concern with our free, online screening tools.
Events Calendar: Information about mental health events in your area.
News Feed: Information about the latest mental health news.
Research directory: Information about research studies in your area.

The Wellness Society

The Wellness Society has created a Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook for adults to work through. Plus, they have shared a children’s story book to use with your children.

Other Links:

Check-up from the Neck-up

Mental Health Meter

Pandemic Pushing Your Anxiety Buttons

5 Tips to Support Mental Health

Talking to Your Anxious Child About Covid-19

Resiliency During Covid-19

Tips to Manage Anxiety

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e-Learning Courses by Homewood Health

You must register first. Your information is kept entirely confidential and is only used for eligibility confirmation or statistical purposes by Homewood Health.

Click here for access to self-paced, interactive and confidential e-Courses.

Taking Control of Stress Embracing Workplace Change Taking Control of Job Loss and Transition Resilience Resolving Conflict in Intimate Relationship Taking Control of Your Career Taking Control of Your Money Preparing for Your Retirement	Taking Control of Mood Responsible Optimism Taking Control of Alcohol Use Foundations of Effective Parenting Taking Control of Anger Stop Smoking: Get Your Life Back Respect in the Workplace

Disclaimer: This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Contact your physician or health care provider with any questions about your mental health, treatment or care.