Ontario’s Centre for Innovation on Campus Mental Health (CICMH), which has a mission to help Ontario’s colleges and universities enhance capacity to help support student mental health and wellbeing, is gearing up for a full-day knowledge-exchange event on Monday, Nov. 11, 2013. Titled, Innovative Approaches in Campus Mental Health, participants will:
- Learn about CICMH, a partnership project of Colleges Ontario, the Council of Ontario Universities, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, the College Student Alliance, with support from the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division.
- Learn about projects funded by the Ministry of Training , Colleges and Universities’ Mental Health Innovation Fund
- Network and share with other Mental Health Innovation Fund recipients
- Identify potential areas for partnership building and collaboration
The Ontario government announced the creation of CICMH in the spring of 2013. The goals of this two-year project include:
Foster and Support Innovation:
CICMH will develop tools to support innovative approaches to address gaps and enhance practice in student mental health services and programs (i.e., prevention, promotion and treatment), encouraging collaborative partnerships across professional groups, institutions and sectors.
Facilitate a Community of Practice:
CICMH will establish and maintain a vibrant community of practice (CoP) to connect a broad cross-section of stakeholders in Ontario– from students to service providers to faculty, administrators and community agencies. The purpose of the CoP is to provide a space for Ontario post-secondary mental health stakeholders to interact, learn, share and support each other in their efforts to improve student mental health and wellness. Community of Practice members, through their interactions and relationships share knowledge and experiences, best and promising practices, address challenges, collaborate, and address gaps in knowledge, research and practice.
Coordinate access to expertise:
CICMH will identify models that will facilitate access to community-based expertise and provide professional development to help enhance capacity to meet the needs of students with complex mental health and addiction concerns.
For more information about the Centre for Innovation on Campus Mental Health, contact project coordinator Catherine Willinsky.