Monday, April 3, 2017

Let’s Talk about Mental Health

By Carla Brink, Local 301 Representative

Chances are, you know someone who struggles with their mental health. Maybe you struggle with this yourself, or maybe you have supported a family member or friend through their struggle. One in five Canadians will suffer from a form of mental illness at some point in their life, so this is obviously a prevalent and important issue.

May 1-7, 2017, was the Canadian Mental Health Association’s 66th annual Mental Health Week. This year, the focus was on ending wait times for mental healthcare. While wait times are an important issue, often the first problem people encounter is simply not knowing where to turn to get the support they need to deal with mental health struggles.

Your workplace employee and family assistance program (EFAP) is a great place to start. It provides free, confidential counselling and other resources to CLAC members and their immediate family.

If your workplace is covered by a CLAC benefits plan, these resources are provided through Morneau Shepell. Their contact information can be found on myCLAC.ca and on your union bulletin board. If you have a benefits plan through your employer, you are also covered by an EFAP program through your plan.

If you are unsure of where to find your EFAP’s contact information, please ask your representative, and they will pass the information along to you. Also, keep in mind that you don’t have to currently qualify for benefits to access these services.

We can all do our part to support each other and build healthy workplaces. Listen, avoid passing judgment, let others know that help is available, and access that help yourself. For more information about mental health, please visit, mentalhealthcommission.ca.

Let’s Talk about Mental Health

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