October 10 marks World Mental Health Day, with the World Health Organization (WHO) launching a campaign with the theme of “Making Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of mental health, for individuals as well as communities. With children/youth and newcomers having been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the increase in burnout and staff shortages in the healthcare sector, there is heightened focus on the importance of supporting the mental health of these groups. One example of this is the recent additional funding from the Government of Canada for Kids Help Phone to expand mental health services for Afghan and Ukrainian youth.
The N4 platform offers a variety of resources around mental health:
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The N4 Resource Toolkit (accessible to all N4 members – become a member today) offers curated resources on mental health, with a special focus on the mental health of newcomers and the providers who work with them.
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N4’s Ukrainian Refugee Toolkit includes a variety of resources around trauma and trauma-informed care in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.
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The e-Learning section of the N4 platform offers online trainings on mental health from a variety of partner organizations, as well as trainings/webinars conducted by N4 – be sure watch the recent workshop led by Dr. Tanya Lentz on September 14, 2022, Professional Boundaries for Front-line Staff Working with Refugees and Other Newcomers to Canada.
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Many organizations offer webinars (including access to their past webinars) on newcomer mental health, such as the Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project (IRMHP) and the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI). Organizations like the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Canadian Psychological Association offer webinars on mental health more broadly.
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Be sure to mark your calendar for the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers’ upcoming mini conference on social justice and mental health on October 14.
Wondering how you can stay in the loop about what else N4 is working on, including our latest news and events?
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Sign up for the IEHPs RSS feed, an inventory of vetted knowledge-hubs of organizations involved in the recruitment and retention of IEHPs
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Download the new N4 mobile app – available for both Apple and Android devices
Questions or feedback? Let us know.