Self Referral Form for Local Support
The Canadian Mental Health Association – Sudbury/Manitoulin (CMHA-S/M) is committed to the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community. Please complete this form and a trained mental health professional will respond to you within 1 business day. We are Here 2 Help.
Access Immediate Virtual Care
BounceBack® is a free skill-building program managed by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). It is designed to help adults and youth 15+ manage low mood, mild to moderate depression and anxiety, stress or worry. Delivered over the phone with a coach and through online videos, you will get access to tools that will support you on your path to mental wellness.
Big White Wall is a free online mental health support network for Ontarians 16+. Connect with others and share how you’re feeling. Whether facing daily challenges or major events, help is available. Learn new ways to take on life’s challenges.
Online Resouces
Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) Crisis Training for Essential Workers
In response to added pressures on essential workers during COVID-19, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) has developed a trio of free crisis response training programs designed to help front-line workers deal with the stress of these exceptional circumstances. READ MORE
Psychological First Aid Pocket Guide
First aid for the mind and our social networks is just as important as first aid for the body. Learning psychological first aid skills for mental health crisis could save a life. READ MORE
Mental Health Works Free Webinars
In this time of uncertainty and stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mental Health Works is providing a free webinar series to help employees and employers address the impact these circumstances may have on our work and well-being. READ MORE
Mental Health First Aid: COVID-19 Self-Care & Resilience Guide
When life gets busy and our sense of well-being and balance is affected, we often forget to take care of ourselves or we look for quick fixes or solutions to problems. Building self-care into your daily or weekly routine can greatly improve resilience and prevent burnout. READ MORE
Social Connection is the Cure
Long before there was COVID-19, there was loneliness. In recent years, loneliness has been considered a growing public health problem. Even an epidemic. Researchers started sounding the alarm, and some governments started to take action. In 2018, for instance, the United Kingdom appointed a Minister of Loneliness. So, what exactly is loneliness? READ MORE
Your Social Distancing Survival Guide
We are used to having built-in ways to connect. We connect at school and at work, at events and social activities, even with our neighbours in the grocery store. We have visited and we have socialized. And maybe, until now, we’ve seen all of that connection as simply a part of our everyday life. We can’t any longer. For the time being, it’s not a built-in feature of our lives. We have to go looking for connection and we have to be creative. We need to make an effort to reach out to each other. READ MORE
Caring for Children in the COVID-19 Crisis
This is a time of uncertainty, and may provoke anxiety, not only in adults, but also in our children. If you are a parent, you may be looking for ways to help your child(ren) cope in this public health crisis. Here are some guidelines. READ MORE
Tips on how to really listen
Sharing is caring, but so is listening! Building real connection with other people in your life can take some getting used to—especially when it’s so normal in our society to go through the motions and have surface conversations. READ MORE
Kindness is contagious. Not just fear
Some say that fear of the COVID-19 pandemic is as contagious as the virus. Yes, scientists have studied social networks and brain imaging and have found that fear can be passed from person to person. When people say fear is contagious, they mean that we respond to the emotions we see in others. But if fear is contagious, other emotions may be too. That’s where positive, supportive social connection comes in. READ MORE
Listing: how to make your social interactions real?
Why do we answer “I’m fine, thanks” even when it isn’t true? Why do we answer superficially when someone asks us how we’re doing? It’s partly because we aren’t sure the other person is really listening. READ MORE
Screens and you child: the inside scoop
Schools are closed, activities and play dates are cancelled, and children are at home. Meanwhile, many parents are at home now, too, often busy with their day jobs. It’s a perfect storm for increased screen time for children. READ MORE
7 ways to #GetReal about how you feel
We’re learning that we need each other now more than ever. It is precisely the time, during and in recovery from the pandemic, to lean on each other. Even if we can’t be close physically with one another, we need to stay close emotionally. READ MORE
More than simply “fine”
It happens every time we say hello. In person, in text, on the phone. Someone asks us how we’re doing. It’s politeness. It’s a social convention. And it’s a way to find out how we’re all doing and connect with each other. But, more often than not, do you find yourself answering, automatically, with “fine, thanks?” You are not alone. Most of us do. But maybe, just maybe, if we said more than just “I’m fine,” we would connect a little more, and have more meaningful connections. READ MORE
Mental Health and COVID-19 (series of videos)
Topics include mentally preparing to go back to work, mental fitness, managing alcohol consumption, acts of kindness, anger and frustration and much more! READ MORE
Basic Needs Supports for the Homeless in Sudbury during COVID-19
Sudbury Community Arena is open daily from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and again from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm to provide access to washrooms and a safe place out of the elements to eat meals or just rest.
YMCA is open daily from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm to provide access to washrooms, phones and computers. They are adding chairs for people who want to rest out of the elements.
Samaritan Centre offers access to showers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm ( no appointment necessary). Access to free laundry services is also available during these times.
Community Outreach Team can provide free clothing to people.
Blue Door Soup Kitchen provides free take out lunch Monday to Friday between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm
Elgin Street Mission provides free take out lunch Saturday and Sunday between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm and free take our dinner seven days per week between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm.
Salvation Army’s Cedar Place shelter remains open for women and families experiencing homelessness
CMHA’s Off the Street Shelter remains open for people any gender aged 16 and older experiencing homelessness. Shuttle bus service start pick up in front of 200 Larch st every evening at 9:30 pm.