All About Your Mental Health and Well-being

As family doctors, we see and treat a wide array of conditions for our patients. Mental health makes up a significant portion of the conditions that we see and treat regularly. We understand the pivotal role that counselling can play in building the skills that we need to manage our day to day.

Below, we have put together a list of mental health resources that offer counselling services including by virtual means, as well as other resources such as apps and books that we feel will benefit our patients. Please check them out!

• Mental Health Resources Offering Online Care
• Wellness Together Canada – This is a free, online platform for youth and adults that offers access to mental health tools and resources, self-assessment, and an opportunity to connect directly with mental health professionals by video, phone or text.
• https://ca.portal.gs 
• Big White Wall – Online peer support community. Anonymous and 24/7. BWW includes an online community, resources and self-help courses covering topics such as anxiety, sleep, weight management, depression and many more. Available for anyone 16+.
• www.bigwhitewall.com
• BounceBack Ontario – Free skill-building course offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association that helps adults and youth (15+) address areas of low mood, mild to moderate depression and anxiety, stress or worry. It is delivered over the phone and through online videos.
• https://bouncebackontario.ca
• Greenspace Mental Health – Greenspace’s Matching Program connects individuals to direct one-on-one counselling / therapy with a therapist in private practice (by phone and video during COVID). These services are generally covered by third-party insurance companies. For all ages.
• https://www.greenspacehealth.ca/patients/

• Counseling services in York Region
• https://www.centralhealthline.ca/listServices.aspx?id=10232&region=YorkRegion

• National Mental Health Organizations
• CAMH: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-health-and-covid-19
• CMHA: https://cmha-yr.on.ca/learn/covid-19/
• Anxiety Canada: https://www.anxietycanada.com/
• Centre for Clinical Intervention: https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Overview

• Podcasts
• Happiness lab: https://www.happinesslab.fm/

• Mindfulness and Meditation
• Headspace app: https://www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app
• Calm app: https://www.calm.com/
• Breathr app: https://keltymentalhealth.ca/breathr

• Insomnia
• CBT for insomnia: https://www.cbtforinsomnia.com/

• Online Cognitive-Behavior Therapy
• TruReach app: quick CBT app – http://www.trureachhealth.com/index.html
• CBT-i Coach: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/cbt-i-coach/id655918660
• Moodgym: https://moodgym.com.au/
• E-couch: https://ecouch.anu.edu.au/welcome

• Marriage Counseling
• The Gottman Method: https://www.gottman.com/
• Emotionally focused therapy: https://www.drsuejohnson.com/books/

• Workbooks (Google These)
• Anxiety and phobia workbook
• Mind over mood workbook

• Children’s Mental Health Books
• What to Do When You Worry Too Much by Dawn Huebner (kids book)
• What to Do When You Dread Your Bed by Huebner (kids book)
• What to do When Your Brain Gets Stuck by Dawn Huebner (kids book)
• Parent Effectiveness Training (Gordon Model): Dr. Thomas Gordon (for parents)
• Parenting your Anxious Child by K Manassis (for parents)
• The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook by Jennifer Shannon & Christine Padesky (teens)
• The Anxiety Workbook for Teens by Lisa Schab (teens)
• My Anxious Mind: A Teens Guide for Managing Anxiety and Panic by Tompkins (teens)
• Talking Back to OCD by John S. March (kids & teens)
• When my Worries Get Too Big by Kari Dunn Buron (kids)
• What to do When Mistakes Make You Quake by Claire Freeland (kids)