May 3-9 is the Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) Mental Health Week.
No matter the day, though, Niagara College staff and students are encouraged to connect with resources to help and support their mental health and wellbeing, particularly during these times of extreme anxiety and isolation.
Confidential counselling services are available through the College’s Health, Wellness and Accessibility Services. Appointments can be booked by emailing [email protected], or by calling 905-735-2211, ext. 7778 (Welland Campus) or 905-641-2252, ext. 4409 (Daniel J. Patterson Campus at Niagara-on-the-Lake).
Counselling services is available to help with resolving academic difficulties, relationship difficulties, mental health and wellness, peer tutoring services, personal crises, substance use/abuse, anxiety, educational planning, finances and transition to community services.
The CMHA Niagara Branch is also hosting free virtual classes to help people refresh, rejuvenate and recharge their mental health. Topics include eating to optimize brain health, gut health and mental health, and discover peace stress relief.
More information about Mental Health Week, the focus of which is helping people name and express emotions, is available at mentalhealthweek.ca.
Additional resources for international students
Additional resources for international students
keep.meSAFE by guard.me offers a Mental Wellness Student Support program available to international students which provides counselling support in multiple languages any time, day or night. This program also offers a wide-range of other key supports on topics including: being successful at school; relationships with friends and family; language and cultural barriers; anxiety and stress; balancing work and school; and adapting to new cultures.
Niagara College also offers a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Basic training which was developed to help people provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. MHFA Basic teaches participants to recognize the signs and symptoms of common mental health problems and to refer people to appropriate supports. This opportunity is open to all students, but students must be in Canada to complete the training as required by the Canadian Commission of Mental Health. Available intakes are posted on Homeroom with the next upcoming sessions being offered in May and June.
NC Housing & Settlement and International Student Advisement teams host an online drop-in session via Zoom each Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. (EST) in May and June. All students are invited to join the conversation with a housing advisor and a registered counselor on staying healthy and well, finding a permanent place to live following quarantine, managing settlement needs in the community especially while isolating and any Immigration, Refugees Citizenship Canada or academic questions. To view upcoming sessions, click here.