Listed below are a number of resources to help both clients and clinicians in their quest to understand, treat, and cope with various mental health conditions and complaints. The resources themselves are hyperlinked through the blue underlined text. Topics include depression, stress, emotion regulation, ASD, transgender, non-binary, ADHD, and anxiety.
Suicide
If you, or someone you know is considering suicide, or harming themselves please call 911, go to the nearest emergency hospital, or contact your local emergency response services now.
Local Resources and Hotlines
Women's Crisis Services Waterloo Region - the women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region (WCSWR) empowers and supports women* and children to move beyond violence by providing safe shelter, education, transitional housing and outreach services. WCSWR operates two emergency shelters for women and children experiencing domestic violence: Anselma House in Kitchener and Haven House in Cambridge. Call 1(844) 437-3247
Crisis Text Line – Text CONNECT to 686868 and you’ll be connected to a volunteer crisis responder who can talk to you about any issue — big or small. You can end the conversation at any time by texting the word STOP.Â
Here24/7: a 24 hours a day, seven days a week phone line that provides intake, assessment, referral, crisis, waitlist and appointment booking to addictions, mental health and crisis services across Waterloo-Wellington-Dufferin.
Autism Response Team: Call 1-888-AUTISM2, and speak to a crisis support specialist. This response team is trained to deal specifically with people with autism.
Suicide Hotline: at 1-800-784-2433 or 1(833)-456-4566anytime of the day or night if you or someone you know is thinking about ending their own life, or needs someone to talk to about suicidal thoughts or ideas.
Call 1-800-SUICIDE at 1-800-784-2433 anytime of the day or night if you or someone you know is thinking about ending their own life, or needs someone to talk to about suicidal thoughts or ideas.
The Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate help to all Indigenous peoples across Canada. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to offer immediate support and crisis intervention. Call the toll-free Helpline at 1-855-242-3310
The Veterans Crisis Line is a free, confidential resource that’s available to anyone, even if you’re not registered with VA or enrolled in VA health care. The caring, qualified responders at the Veterans Crisis Line are specially trained and experienced in helping veterans of all ages and circumstances; many of the responders are veterans themselves. If you’re a veteran in crisis or concerned about one, there are caring, qualified VA responders standing by to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 988 and press 1 or text 83825
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25. The TrevorLifeline is a crisis intervention and suicide prevention phone service available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386.
The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 call or text 988or chat 988lifeline.org.
ConnexOntario provides free and confidential health services information for people experiencing problems with alcohol and drugs, mental illness or gambling. Call 1-866-531-2600Â
Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) provides free, anonymous and confidential professional phone counselling and online counselling, available 24/7 for kids and youth 20 years of age and younger.
Depression
This 5 minute video is a guide for partners and sufferers of depression. It advises those living with and caring for people with depression on what to do, what not to do, and where to go for help.
Check out this in-depthlectureconcerning the biological underpinnings of depression.
Thisfact sheet is intended for teens and young adults and presents information about how to recognize the symptoms of depression and how to get help.
Thisfact sheet provides information about the seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression. It includes a description of SAD, signs and symptoms, how SAD is diagnosed, causes, and treatment options.
Anxiety
Thisvideouses the bucket analogy to give you an understanding of the various sources and effects of stress, and coping skills you can use to better regulate stress.
Anxiety in Adolescents - an informational resource that quickly explains the origins, manifestations, and interventions for anxiety disorder. This Informative PDF and this social AnxietyBrochure both provide information on anxiety, and how to cope.Â
Here is a shortfilm on the science of what triggers panic attacks, how to recognize them, and the available treatments for panic disorder.
Black, Indigenous, People of Colour
Black Youth Helpline serves all youth and specifically responds to the need for a Black youth specific service, positioned and resourced to promote access to professional,culturally appropriate support for youth, families and schools.
Here is the link for indigenousculturally informed resource covering topics of indigenous people, suicide, history, and trauma. As well as the Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health SupportProgram, and a useful Brochure for Coping with Emotional Reactivity & Residential School Survivors.
Hotlines include the Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate help to all Indigenous peoples across Canada. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to offer immediate support and crisis intervention. Call the toll-free Helpline, the National 24-Hour Crisis line for Residential School Trauma, or the 24-Hour Emotional Supports Crisis Line.Â
This animation seeks to preempt misconceptions among young audiences by shedding light on the real challenges dyslexic children face whilst also acknowledging their strengths and potential.
This resource touches on the experience and treatment of learning disabilities, as well as informational resources that may help.
OpenDyslexic is an open sourced font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. This Chrome extension overrides all fonts on web pages with the OpenDyslexic font, and formats pages to be more easily readable.
What is Dyslexia? Learn about this neurological difference through this informational graphic video.Â
What is Dysgraphia? Learn about this neurological difference through this short video.Â
The gifts of having a dyslexic mind are detailed in this compelling video discussing this difference, surprising statistics, the unique challenges and benefits of having this difference and practical changes that can be made to support their success.Â
ADHD
If you are interested in ADHD Group Therapy checkout the group led by Bernadette Street.
Along with this resourcehub, national websites such as CADDAC,CADDRA, ADDA (USA), the UK ADHD Foundation all provide detailed, accurate, and useful resources for education, concerns, and advocacy for ADHD.
If you are interested in learning more about the biological basis of ADHD, and how it affects the nervous system we suggest checking out this short film or thislecture.Â
Detailedlecture on the effectiveness of different medications used to address impairing ADHD symptoms.
If you’re interested in learning how to thrive in a neurotypical world, checkout this lecture on the 5 executive functions. Or if you’re interested in learning more about ADHD emotional dysregulation and how to cope checkout this short film.
There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding OCD, resources like this infographic, video, and informational booklet.
The OCD Challenge is a program built to interact with the user in a way that is interesting, useful, and moves the user towards change and managing OCD symptoms.
Apps such as Liveocdfree and NOCD focus on exposure and response prevention treatment to help users manage OCD. Additionally, this Anxiety map resource is an anxiety management program based on cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), an evidence-based psychological treatment and can be beneficial for individuals with OCD.
The Trevor Projectis the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25. The TrevorLifeline is a crisis intervention and suicide prevention phone service available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386.
Trans Lifeline is a resource hub and hotline whose goal is to work toward a world where trans people have the connection, economic security, and care everyone needs and deserves – free of prisons and police. Additional Trans resources include: the Autistic Women & Non-binaryNetwork, some trans studentEducational Resources, and a guide for coming out in the Workplace asTransgender.
Thisresource has a multitude of short films, educational resources, and treatment directories helpful for parents and youths alike. Additionally, this Children’s stress catcher outlines how to develop coping strategies addressing stress and other difficult emotions.
This series of animateddocumentaries, produced for the BBC uses personal testimony to explore mental health issues from the perspective of children.
Thisshort film explores the experiences of children who live with illnesses like Cancer, HIV, Epilepsy, severe allergies, and Cystic Fibrosis. Often absent from school, these children sometimes struggle to deal with day-to-day issues that many may take for granted.
A shortfilm about what happens in the brain after children face traumatic experiences, like abuse and neglect.
My Troubled Mind is a 6 part series that explores teenage mental health through real testimonies. It covers a variety of topics, from self harm, eating disorders, anxiety, depression and addiction.
Parents, Parenting, and Family Resources
You can use these evidence-based resources to spark important conversations and teach your kids a set of essential mental health skills.
If you're looking for a great guide for caretaker/ parenting resources, check out the following link. As well as the Parenting Survival Guide by Ann Douglas (from Children’s Mental Health Ontario and Parents for Children’s Mental Health). This resources acknowledges that parenting kids is tough, but it is even more difficult when your child is struggling with mental illness, and offers great support.
For parents of children up to age 25 facing mental health challenges Pelo offers a 8-week online a support group.
Learn more about internet addiction, and how you can manage it here.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
These films focus on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as experienced by War Veterans, precipitated by an experience, or set of experiences, in armed conflicts in the UK’s recent history. Veterans Affair Canada provides resources for both Veterans and their families.
Trauma informed body movement can be a great technique for alleviating the symptoms of PTSD. Click here to learn more about Trauma-Informed Body Movement.
This resource offers ways to support and help someone you love, that has PTSD.
Rapid Access Addiction Clinics (RAAC): provides assistance regardless of substance used. Services include: assessment of substance use concerns, review of treatment options including harm reduction and abstinence, education and support related to withdrawal, brief individual counselling and peer support, education on overdose prevention and the use of Naloxone, referral to longer-term supports for ongoing care. Locations in Kitchener and Cambridge.Â
Stonehenge Therapeutic Community is a non-profit addiction agency providing long-term residential care to men and women with a history of chronic drug and/or alcohol abuse.
Local resources include: KW AA meetings, KW NA meetings, Withdrawal Management program at Grand River Hospital, and House of Friendship which is a Waterloo Region-based nonprofit organization that provides food, housing, addiction treatment and neighbourhood support to individuals and families.
Eating Disorders
NEDIC offers resources, and community programs for individuals struggling with eating disorders. NEDIC offers a live chat feature on their website, as well as a helpline.
F.E.A.S.T is a global organization that help parents navigate their children's eating disorders, support you in helping them get appropriate treatment, and get you the information you need to help them recover and thrive.
Resources for marginalized communities include FEDUP a collective of trans+, intersex, and gender diverse people who believe eating disorders are social justice issues, and Nalgona Positivity Pride is a resource that runs support groups, and events for Black, Indigenous, people of colour.
This informative article, provides useful information on eating disorders, how to get help, and where.
Chronic Pain and Health
Pain Canada is made up of people living with pain and pain organizations from coast to coast, on their website you can find resources and conferences on chronic pain. This infographic does a great job at explaining chronic pain, and the stigmas surrounding it.
The Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI) has developed modules and activities for health and pain management. Check them out at Pain U Online.
The App Mindbeacon is a CBT app that offers programs for a wide range of issues including chronic paint, health, and wellness. Similarly, BounceBack is a free skill-building program managed by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).
Checkout this free Chronic Pain Self-Management Adult Resource Booklet.
Local Resources include Grand River Hospital’s Pain Management Centre which can help offer you assessment and treatment for chronic pain. The Waterloo Wellington Self Managed Program is a free 6 week workshop that was developed for people who experience persistent or chronic pain. Additionally, HopeSpring gives the patient and their family the tools to navigate through the system with the support of the Cancer Care Counsellor.
Mindfulness
Apps such as Mindshift,Daylio,and BeSafe can be great resources to add to your daily screen time.Â
In thisvideo, learn how paying attention to the present moment can increase self-awareness, improve decision-making and make it easier to deal with uncomfortable emotions.
Thisshort video explains a number of ways to recognize and manage intense emotions without giving in to the urge to act in impulsive ways that can make problems bigger.
Here2help offers resources for a vast array of mental health and self care concerns. Checkout their resources here.
Checkout this GuidedVisualizationfor Stress Reduction
Throughthis video, learn specific relaxation skills, such as paced breathing, that they can use when experiencing intense or uncomfortable emotions.
Additionally, if you are looking for a resource that isn’t listed on this page you can also check out the General Mental Healthplatform. Which allows users to access call centers near them.
Please note...
We check the list of resources periodically and try to maintain it to the best of our knowledge. We always want to hear directly from our clients and friends so If you feel that we have to update the list, please feel free to use the contact form to let us know. Please note that we take our client's privacy very seriously so if you have a question or a concern please direct it to us so we can help you or understand your experience. We cannot provide a general response that will be open to the public because we do not want to risk your privacy. Thank you​ for contributing to growth and being a valuable part of our community.
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