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Need Help for Mental Health? Tool

The Need Help for Mental Health? Tool is a mental health navigation tool. There is a pre-made tool specific to Edmonton, but a customizable version of the Tool is also available for communities to edit based on the population they work with. This tool is a basic overview of the mental health services that are available. It can be used by anyone to help themselves or others connect to mental health and social services in their community by reading through the questions and seeing which services meet their needs.

The Need Help for Mental Health? Tool is available in several different languages:

2021-07-26T22:03:53+00:00Mental Health|

About the Action Plan in 6 Images

About the Action Plan in 6 Images

1. Easier Access to Services for Individuals and Families Struggling with Mental Health, Mental Illness, and Addiction

The purpose of the Community Mental Health Action Plan is to ensure that everyone involved in mental health and addiction in Alberta has the opportunity to maximize collective resources, leverage opportunities to respond to existing gaps, foster innovative approaches and identify a continuum of integrated supports and services. This will translate into easier access to services for individuals and families struggling with poor mental health, mental illness, and addiction.

2. A Focus on Prevention and Promotion

70% of adult Canadians living with a mental health problem or illness say their symptoms started in childhood.

Once mental illness is recognized, help makes a difference for 80% of the people who are affected

The Community Mental Health Action Plan works within this reality. We know there is much we can do at the community level to work together effectively and provide enhanced services for individuals and their families, focusing on:

  • The promotion of positive mental health
  • Prevention of mental illness through early identification and intervention

3. Strengthening the Capacity of Professionals and Non-traditional Supports

The Community Mental Health Action Plan builds the capacity of organizations and non-traditional allies to make practice shifts that can better support positive mental health of others. 

This capacity building work has brought together diverse government, community, and business stakeholders across sectors. As a result, organizations from different sectors can better integrate their work with each other.

An example of this is the Mental Health Training Framework. It is a guide that helps professionals identify training and resources to support the development of knowledge, behavioural, and activating competencies. The Training Framework leverages existing provincial investments made in training and professional development. 

4. Honouring and Learning from Lived / Living Experience

We regularly engage with individuals and families who have previous, current, or ongoing experience with the mental health system to ensure they are partners in creating practice shifts that will ultimately benefit them. We have done this through large group community meetings, focus groups, one-on-one consultations and outreach, and invitations to our Living Library Task Group. 

Their expertise and perspectives are highlighted in the Living Library, Shared Wisdom stories, and Navigation Findings

5. Supporting Albertans through COVID-19

The Community Mental Health Action Plan is collaborating with provincial organizations to develop a plan to ensure frontline supports are informed about, and have access to, psychosocial supports. 

Mental health is an issue that concerns all of us and it is not a concern specific to COVID-19.  However, during this time, mental health issues can be exacerbated by the stress of not working, conflicting information about how to navigate social distancing, parenting while working from home, and other situations. 

In order to help our community, we are highlighting COVID-19 resources for individuals, staff, and organizations on our home page. Each of the resources has been reviewed by our team to Our goal is not to have a comprehensive list of resources available (that would be overwhelming) but to provide a starting point for support. 

See 211 Alberta and our blog post for information about how 211 can help you during the pandemic. 211 is an essential service and can support government and social service agencies, along with people who need help or want to help. 

6. Many Ways to Use Our Website!

The website has six topic areas that you can find tools and resources under such as these:

  • A Mental Health Training Framework to create a training plan for your organization in the areas of trauma, mental health, suicide, workplace wellness, addictions, and brain development
  • The Need Help for Mental Health Tool, a mental health resource listing that comes in 8 languages. You can use the Edmonton version or customize your own! 
  • Compassion to Action, an innovative training for security guards about supporting vulnerable populations. 
  • Stories about extending mental health and addictions support in non-traditional settings and the Shared Wisdom Resource Guide on how to implement changes for the well-being of your staff and clients.  
  • 211 Alberta which is a 24/7 service available across the province, by phone, text, chat which conducts needs and risk assessments before connecting inquirers with the appropriate support. 
  • And more! 

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates on new content added to the website.  

2021-09-22T17:14:11+00:00Blog, Featured Content, Mental Health|
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