Mental Health Support

News and information about COVID-19 is coming at us quickly. It can be hard to keep up and it can be even harder to remain calm given all that is going on. Stress, anxiety, and depression are not unusual for people of all ages. But there are things we can do to deal with stress and support one another during these challenging times.

Here are some resources that can help:

• Your Monday Mental Health Moment is a series of articles by CLAC Representative Quentin Steen, who is a certified mental health first aid instructor for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Quentin will be writing weekly to help navigate through the emotional turmoil of the pandemic.
  
  
  • April 27, 2020 - Pots, Pans,and Puppies!
  • May 4, 2020 - You'd Come Over, Right?
  • May 11, 2020 - The One We Do Not Speak Of
  • May 18, 2020 - My Postpandemic Peeps
  • May 25, 2020 – Everything Is Better When You Listen
  • June 1, 2020 –  Sesame Street and Social Isolation
  • June 8, 2020 – The End of Mental Illness? (Part 1 of 2)
  • June 15, 2020 - The End of Mental Illness? (Part 2 of 2)
  • June 22, 2020 -  Canada’s Most Unwanted (Part 1 of 2)
  • June 29, 2020 - Canada’s Most Unwanted (Part 2 of 2)
  • July 13, 2020 - The Anxiety-Panic Sequence (Part 1 of 3)
  • July 27, 2020 - The Anxiety-Panic Sequence (Part 2 of 3)
  • August 19, 2020 - The Anxiety-Panic Sequence (Part 3 of 3)
  • August 24, 2020 - What I learned from Madonna about COVID-19
  • September 7, 2020 - Habits and Their Connection to Getting Our Brains Right
  • September 21, 2020 - I’ve Got an ANT Problem—and It’s Wrecking My Life!
  • October 5, 2020 - American Idol and Your Mental Health
  • November 9, 2020 - The Stories We Tell Ourselves
  • December 14, 2020 - The Echo . . .
• Stronger Minds features videos and quick reads from mental health experts, activities to help you gain resilience, and ask-an-expert videos in response to questions.
• WellCan offers free well-being resources to help Canadians develop coping strategies and build resilience to help deal with uncertainty, mental health, and substance abuse concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support provides free online resources, tools, apps, and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals.
• The Canadian Association of Mental Health provides answers to many frequently asked questions about the emotional impact of the pandemic.

British Columbia

The province has allocated $5 million to expand existing mental health programs and services and launch new services to support residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enhanced virtual services will help all British Columbians with mental health needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on adults, youth and front-line health care workers. The funding will also increase access for Indigenous communities and those living in rural and remote parts of the province. 

View tips and access resources from BC’s Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions.

Alberta

The government has allocated $21.4 million to improve access to phone and online supports with existing helplines, including the Addiction Helpline, the Mental Health Helpline, the Kids Help Phone and the Community and Social Services Helpline (Alberta 211).

Saskatchewan

The province’s website provides links to many mental health support services for Saskatchewan residents.

Manitoba

The province is helping Manitobans deal with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic by offering a free Virtual Therapy program to all residents age 16 or older, experiencing mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety.

Ontario

The province has launched a Roadmap to Wellness: A Plan to Build Ontario's Mental Health and Addictions System, which provides a clear path forward toward offering Ontarians easier access to standardized, high-quality mental health care and supports.

Part of this plan is a new initiative called Mindability, a first-of-its-kind in Canada program that will provide evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy to equip Ontarians aged 10 and up with the lifelong skills they need to manage their mental health and overall well-being.

Many other mental health support services, including a free Virtual Therapy program, are available in Ontario free of charge at this time.