News

CMHA recognizes PTSD Awareness Day

CMHA Champlain East joins individuals and organizations around the world in recognizing PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) Awareness Day.

PTSD Awareness Day was officially recognized for the first time in Ontario by the provincial government in 2019. PTSD is an anxiety disorder involving exposure to a traumatic event which could include crimes, natural disasters, accidents, war or conflict, or other threats to life. A person with PTSD could experience the event themselves or witness it happening to others.

While post-traumatic stress can affect anyone, healthcare workers, police officers, paramedics, firefighters and corrections staff are particularly at risk. The unique workplace stress for first responders can lead to operational stress injuries, which include PTSD. Women, refugees and Aboriginal people are also statistically at higher risk.

To show support, members of the public are encouraged to share their stories and use the #PTSDAwarenessDay hashtag on social media.

Don’t stress it! Join us for a webinar to learn tips to manage stress and anxiety for return-to-the-office or other reasons

Are you stressed or anxious about world events or other things happening in your lives, like returning to the office?

Join us for a one-hour webinar presentation with the Canadian Mental Health Association.

You’ll hear from the BounceBack team, as well as receive our Back-to-the-office guide and other tips to help you better manage life’s stresses.

English session: Tuesday, June 28th 2-3pm

French session: Wednesday, June 29th 2-3pm

To register: Click here

About BounceBack:

BounceBack is a free, skill-building program for adults and youth 15+. Through one-on-one telephone coaching, workbooks, and online videos that participants can do from the comfort of their home, they learn lifelong skills to help them better manage their symptoms of low mood, mild to moderate depression and anxiety, stress, or worry. The program is available in multiple languages.

CMHA celebrates Pride

CMHA Champlain East joins individuals and organizations worldwide to celebrate the history, courage and diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2S+) individuals for Pride Month in June.

While Pride festivals across the province recognize Ontario’s vibrant and creative LGBTQ2S+ communities, it’s important to note that LGBTQ individuals continue to face specific mental health issues and barriers for accessing supports.

LGBTQ2S+ people are as diverse as the general Canadian population in their experiences of mental health and well-being but they face higher risks for some mental health issues due to the effects of discrimination and the social determinants of health.

Additional factors that may impact on mental health and well-being for LGBTQ2S+ people include the process of “coming out” (sharing one’s LGBTQ2S+ identity with others), gender transition, internalized oppression, isolation and alienation and loss of family or social supports. LGBTQ2S+ people may also experience other forms of marginalization – such as racism, sexism, poverty or other factors – alongside homophobia or transphobia that negatively impact on mental health.

For more on LGBTQ2S+ communities and mental health, visit the Rainbow Health Ontario website.

Living life to the Full Program 55+  (Program available in English only)

Are you 55 years and older? Then this program is for you!

Registration: Living Life to the Full for Seniors | Cornwall Public Library

Want to know how to feel happier, more confident, and worry less right now? Would you like to learn new ways of dealing with what life throws at you? Living Life to the Full is a fun and interactive course that will help you understand your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, and what to do about them!

Congratulations, you’re about to change your life!

Too much to do? Is someone close to you ill? Can’t sleep? Feeling lonely? The way you feel is affected by things that happen to you, and you feel bad because you’re in a vicious cycle. Learn how to stop the cycle!

Living Life to the Full is a mental health promotion course designed to help people deal with everyday life challenges and learn self-management skills using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principles. Course content and materials are practical and easily applied to everyday life situations. The course is suitable for people of all ages – from youth to seniors.

What you learn:

✔ Self-confidence

✔ Problem-solving

✔ Stress management

✔ Motivation

✔ Dealing with unhelpful thoughts

✔ Anger management

The program materials are generously sponsored by YourTV Cornwall.

Living Life to the Full

CMHA Champlain East is working in collaboration with CMHA Ontario to pilot the “Living Life to the Full” 8 week program to local schools. Over 150 students have participated in the skill building program since October 2021. Living Life to the Full is a fun and engaging eight-week course that provides people from all walks of life with effective tools to maximize their ability to manage life’s challenges. The group-oriented course is based on the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which focuses on understanding how thoughts, feelings and behaviours work together to impact well-being. See what some of the youth participants had to say: https://www.cmha-east.on.ca/index.php/en/our-services/mental-health-promotion-2