Good health includes mental health

Right now, Good Health and Well-Being (Sustainable Development Goal 3) is the most globally preoccupying SDG as each and every country grapples with the pandemic. Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is an essential component of sustainable development – and mental health, a struggle during the pandemic, is critical to well-being.

But if we’ve seen some success in raising awareness and addressing the stigma around mental health struggles, the urgency to do more is still present. We need more workers equipped to respond to mental health issues and emergencies, treat and prevent mental illness, and work with their communities to support individuals and organizations, and build resilience.

• At Douglas College, the Certificate in Emergency Mental Health is designed to help health care and public safety professionals (like emergency room staff, paramedics, firefighters, and other first responders) expand their skills in situations of mental health crises or emergencies.
  • In the college’s LPN Mental Health Nursing Certificate, nurses can learn more about caring for clients with mental health concerns. The program is self-paced, on-line, and instructor-supported.
• At JIBC, mental health and wellness is a hugely important aspect of training in community safety, emergency management, paramedicine and health sciences, and conflict resolution programs.
  • It’s also a priority research area at JIBC’s Centre for the Prevention and Reduction of Violence, where applied research projects tap into the knowledge of frontline practitioners to support the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities that witness and experience violence.
• NorQuest College’s Mental Health Recovery Practitioner program is a flexible post-graduate program designed to expand the knowledge and skills of health and human services professionals. The program emphasizes skills in direct client care, advocacy, ethics, and work with families and communities.
  • NorQuest’s Indigenous Studies program also includes courses related specifically to mental health, wellness, and overall health, in the context of systemic racism and intergenerational trauma.
• At Nova Scotia Community College, the Mental Health Recovery and Promotion program prepares students to be on the cutting edge of improved support strategies and service delivery for individuals and communities affected by mental health issues.
  • The program also explores strategies specific to mental health for diverse populations such as First Nations and Inuit, elderly, New Canadians, persons with disabilities, low-socio-economic groups, and homeless and incarcerated populations.
• Mental Health First Aid Canada for Northern Peoples at Yukon University is a course that reflects the experiences of First Nation, Inuit, and Métis in mental health. The course addresses the importance of holism and balance, considering the mental, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual aspects of mental health.
• At Aurora College in Nunavut, the Community Health Representative program focuses on community health education and promotion, community development, and the role of the community in promoting mental wellness and a healthy lifestyle. The program can be delivered in either a 6-month full-time program or in a part-time modular format!
• At the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies, students in the Mental Health & Wellness program learn how to apply both Indigenous and Western-based holistic approaches to healing and addictions counselling. The program emphasizes a deep understanding of self as essential to successfully counselling others.
• The Youth Worker program at Collège de l’Île on Prince Edward Island prepares students to identify and respond to the social and emotional needs of at-risk youth, including things like neurodevelopment and mental illness, medication and drug awareness and dependency, child welfare, and suicide prevention.
• At Collège la Cité, students in the Santé mentale et toxicomanie post-graduate program learn to work with, support, and care for those dealing with or at risk of substance abuse and addiction. Students also learn to collaborate with families and community groups to prevent and treat mental health issues related to addiction.
• In the Intervenir en santé mentale program at Collège Montmorency, students learn to promote positive mental health, prevent mental illness, identify and treat symptoms, and respond to those suffering from mental illness with support, understanding, and compassion.
  • The program is offered thanks to a partnership between Collège Montmorency and Cégep de Victoriaville!
• Humber College’s new microcredentials will help mental wellness and healthcare professionals reskill and upskill as the needs of the industry evolve. The new Excellence in Mental Health Leadership and Mental Wellness for Front-line Health-Care Professionals microcredentials will both be funded through a $15-million investment from the province of Ontario!

On campus, it’s been a year and a half since the Mental Health Commission of Canada and CSA Group launched the world’s first national standard on mental health and well-being for post-secondary students.

• Watch Perspectives LIVE for a look at how the past two years have changed what wellness means what mental health on campus looks like. Watch the video.
• And thanks to the Bell Let’s Talk Post-Secondary Fund, 16 institutions will now be receiving support to implement initiatives that align with the Standard (including seven CICan members: Cégep de Sherbrooke, Centennial College, George Brown College, Humber College, Seneca College, Sheridan College, Assiniboine Community College)!

January 26 is Bell Let’s Talk Day.

On Wednesday, Bell will donate to Canadian mental health programs each time you take action to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental health. You can participate by phone or text, and on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, or YouTube. Join the conversation and make our actions count.

Must read: Reflecting on 50 years of growth and the path ahead

Fifty years ago, colleges and institutes from across Canada decided to join forces and give themselves the means to speak with one voice at the national level. Though anchored in their communities, they knew they had much to gain by working together and ensuring the college system as a whole could make itself heard. Read more!

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