Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario reached over 210,000 Ontario residents with information about a free resource that can help people fight back against mild to moderate anxiety or depression. Campaign areas included Sarnia, Chatham, Peterborough, Lindsay, Port Hope, Cobourg, Kingston, Alliston and Newmarket. In partnership with CMHA Lambton-Kent, CMHA Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge, CMHA Kingston and CMHA York and South Simcoe, CMHA Ontario Division reached nearly every household in these areas by distributing through the mail brochures about BounceBack.
BounceBack is a free self-help program grounded in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) that uses telephone coaching, skill-building workbooks and online videos to help Ontarians aged 15 and up battling mild to moderate anxiety or depression gain new skills to manage their symptoms and regain positive mental health. To receive telephone coaching, clients must be referred, either by a health care practitioner (family doctor, nurse practitioner) or self referral, so long as they’re connected with a primary care provider.
BounceBack coaches are extensively trained in the delivery of the program and are overseen by clinical psychologists. It’s important that primary care providers maintain responsibility for their clients’ overall well-being during their time in the program as BounceBack coaches are not counsellors or therapists. The main responsibilities of BounceBack coaches are to foster skill development, provide motivation and monitor progress. BounceBack telephone coaching is available in more than 15 languages.
The BounceBack Today online videos are free, open to anyone and don’t require a referral. The videos offer practical tips on managing mood, sleeping better, building confidence, increasing activity, problem solving and healthy living. They’re available in multiple languages, including English, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Punjabi, Arabic and Farsi, and can be viewed any time at bouncebackvideo.ca using access code “bbtodayon”.
Another BounceBack direct mail campaign is planned for May, which will reach thousands more households in the Ottawa and Toronto areas.
To learn more about BounceBack, visit bouncebackontario.ca or ask your doctor for a referral.