Free provincial program now available to help manage depression and anxiety

Are you a new mom? Just starting post-secondary school? Recovering from drug or alcohol addiction? Recently lost your job? Going through a divorce? Dealing with chronic pain or a chronic illness? Suffering from the loss of a loved one? This list goes on and on of the types of situations people find themselves in that can lead to feelings of low mood, worry, and stress.

But, with the right type of mental health supports – if received in a timely fashion – people can learn skills to help them better manage symptoms of anxiety and depression. The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is pleased to offer a new program to Ontarians called BounceBack^®.

“My biggest learnings from the program would be how to problem-solve more effectively, how to adjust my attitude, and it also reminded me that what I’m feeling is normal.”

– BounceBack client

BounceBack is a free skill-building program designed to help adults and youth aged 15+ manage symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The program offers two types of support:

1. One-on-one telephone coaching and workbooks that participants can do from the comfort of their home.
2. A series of online videos that offer practical tips on managing mood, sleeping better, building confidence, and more.

The program has proven effective in helping participants reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve overall health and quality of life.

To participate in telephone coaching, a referral is required. This can be done by a primary care provider (family doctor, nurse practitioner, or psychiatrist), who knows the participant’s health care needs best and can match their needs with the right support. In addition, participants can also self-refer, but must provide the contact information of their primary care provider so that they can be informed of their client’s participation and progress in the program, as well as any risk issues that may arise during any of the telephone coaching sessions.

Once a referral is submitted, participants are contacted within five business days to schedule a telephone appointment. The BounceBack program usually involves three to six telephone sessions with a coach. The first session lasts about 45 minutes, where the coach does a risk assessment, reviews the program objectives with the participant, and helps the participant select the workbooks that are most relevant to their current needs.

Subsequent telephone sessions last 15-20 minutes. During these sessions, the coach – similar to a trainer at a gym – will provide motivation, and support the participant in working through the workbooks at their own pace. Coaches are extensively trained in the BounceBack program and are overseen by clinical psychologists. What the coaches are not – are counsellors. That is why it’s important that primary care providers maintain primary clinical responsibility for their clients’ overall well-being during their time in the program. BounceBack telephone coaching is currently available to participants in 17 languages.*

Participants can also watch a series of BounceBack Today online videos at any time at: bouncebackvideo.ca. No referral is necessary. All that’s needed is their email address and the following access code: bbtodayon. The videos are available in English, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Punjabi, Arabic, and Farsi.

To print a referral form and to get started with the BounceBack program, visit: bouncebackontario.ca

*BounceBack telephone coaching offered in: English, French, Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Croatian, Farsi, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Tamil, and Urdu.