Connecting Canada while Supporting Individuals’ Emotional and Mental Health
The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) invites you to attend Connecting Canada while Supporting Individuals’ Emotional and Mental Health, the seventh in a free webinar series on suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.
This prerecorded webinar is taking place at a special time and date — September 10 at 2:00 p.m. ET — in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD). The national theme for WSPD is “Connecting Canada”. More details about WSPD activities happening in your community can be found here.
What: MHCC Suicide Prevention Webinar Series: Webinar #7
When: Wednesday, September 10, 2014, 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. ET, World Suicide Prevention Day
Title: Connecting Canada while Supporting Individuals’ Emotional and Mental Health
Speaker(s): Elizabeth (Liz) Fisk, Executive Director, Distress Centres of Ontario; Executive Team – Canadian Distress Line Centre; Representatives from other Canadian Distress Line Centres (TBD).
According to the Canadian Community Health Survey (2012), 10 per cent of Canadians have reported mental health problems or substance dependence in the last 12 months. However, individuals who accessed distress line services (e.g., 1-800 crisis lines), had a significantly higher number of discussions about mental health problems and mental illnesses than the national average, with calls of this nature reflecting 20 per cent of all topics of conversation.*
Distress lines also provide psycho-social support to individuals through compassionate call-takers who respond to everything from distress to a need for emotional support, and from crisis intervention to active interventions of suicides in progress.
However, significant gaps exist in this service provision across the country, and the quality of response is not always consistent.
The Canadian Distress Line Network (CDLN) is dedicated to strengthening organizations across Canada through a connected network and a national suicide prevention line that all Canadians can reach 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The CDLN focuses on a community-development model rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Knowledge of, and integration with, local mental health and social service networks is important to a caller-centred support model.
The intended audience for this webinar are service providers, policy makers, people with lived experience of mental health problems and mental illnesses, family members, and clinicians. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in conversation with the panelists following the presentation.
*Distress Centres Ontario 2013 Annual Report
More information:
The Mental Health Commission of Canada recognizes the importance of talking and working together to reduce the number of deaths by suicide in Canada. In an effort to share knowledge, resources, and lessons learned, the Commission invites you to participate in its webinar series, focused on suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.
Normally suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention webinars take place at 1:00 p.m. ET, on the second Tuesday of each month. Webinars are hosted by people with lived experience, researchers, and service providers: experts who are dedicated to saving lives and preventing deaths by suicide. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage in conversation with the presenter or share their thoughts through Collaborative Spaces. The MHCC is always looking for new speakers. If you would like to suggest a speaker, please email, [email protected].
For more information, please visit the MHCC website or join the conversation on social media:
#MHspaces and #suicideprevention
Suicide prevention is possible. Learn more by registering for this webinar.
Mental Health Commission of Canada
320-110 Quarry Park Blvd SE
Calgary, Alberta T2C 3G3
Canada