Campus Wellness offers a broad range of mental health training programs. Our goals are to raise campus mental health awareness, reduce mental health stigma, and support early intervention for those in need within our Waterloo campus community.
Training Opportunities for Students
Recognizing and Responding to a Person in Distress | NEW | Virtual
Mental health impacts us all. Each of us has a role in supporting the mental health of those within our communities. In this workshop, Recognizing and Responding to a Person in Distress, we aim to give the University of Waterloo students and employees the skills and confidence to support others (students and colleagues) who may be in distress. We will focus on recognizing the signals of a person in distress, effectively responding with care and empathy and understand how to refer to resources within the community. It can be challenging to find the words to support a person in distress. This workshop aims to equip participants with tools, strategies, and resources that increase our capacity to help in challenging situations.
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural reactions that signal a person in distress
- Assess personal strengths and limitations when supporting others in distress
- Identify and practice key elements of being a helpful responder including the most effective and supportive responses
- Identify resources and networks of support available within the University and broader community
Time Commitment: 2.5 hours
Upcoming dates:
Wednesday May 11, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST | Microsoft Teams | Register on GoSignMeUp.
Question, Persuade, Respond (QPR) | Virtual
This training teaches participants how to recognize and support someone who may be having thoughts of suicide. It is an education and awareness program that provides direction as to how to Question a person with thoughts of suicide, how to Persuade them to get help, and how to Refer the person to appropriate professional resources.
Training content:
- How to Question, Persuade and Refer someone who may be having thoughts of suicide
- How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide
- Common causes and warning signs
- How to get help for someone in crisis
Duration: 1.5 hours
Upcoming dates:
- Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST | Microsoft Teams | Register on GoSignMeUp.
More Feet on the Ground | Self-guided
This is a free online mental health education program that teaches participants to Recognize, Respond, and Refer individuals experiencing mental health problems on campus. The program was developed by the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) in partnership with Brock University and the Ontario Government’s Mental Health Innovation Fund and has been adapted and branded for all participating post-secondary institutions across Ontario.
Training content:
- Comprehensive information about common mental health and addiction concerns
- Overview of signs/symptoms, treatment options, mental health stigma
- Facts, statistics, and stories of lived experience
- Campus and community resource information
- Opportunity to receive a certificate following successful completion of a brief on-line assessment of learning
Training dates:
- Anytime, anywhere at More Feet on the Ground.
Training Opportunities for Faculty, Staff and CUPE
Mental Health Literacy Program | Virtual
The Mental Health Literacy Program is designed to support and address mental health within the University of Waterloo community. It is a six-module program with synchronous and asynchronous components that encourages discussions and reflections of mental health through an equity-focused lens. Its purpose is to create employees who see themselves as natural helpers, within a supportive community of care, concern and compassion.
Learning Outcomes:
Module 1: Mental Health Language and Anti-Stigma
- Describe how social determinants of health impact mental health and wellbeing on an individual and community level
- Identify barriers to mental health
- Define mental health stigma and how it is expressed internally, externally and structurally
- Identify ways to address mental health stigma through language and inclusion
Module 2: Equity and Mental Health
- Describe how intersecting social determinants of health impact mental health and wellbeing
- Identify the barriers to equitable access to mental health services
- Understand how our social location impact our help-seeking behaviours and how others see us as a helper
- Examine our community context to identify the barriers and opportunities for equitable access to mental health supports
- Apply the principles of trauma-informed care in our role as community supporters
Module 3: Recognizing and Responding to a Person in Distress
- Describe physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural reactions that signal a person in distress
- Assess personal strengths and limitations when supporting others in distress
- Identify key components of being an effective responder including effective and supportive responses
- Identify resources and networks of support available within the University and broader community
Module 4: Building and Maintaining Resiliency
- Identify internal and external resources that contribute to resilience
- Describe the importance of resilience in supporting yourself and others
- Understand how to build and maintain their self-resilience Understand how to support others’ resilience
- Outline resources and materials that support further learning around topics related to resiliency
Module 5: Compassionate Care: Caring for Self While Caring for Others
- Understand the qualities and behaviours of the over-expression and the under-expression of compassion
- Develop an early warning system to evaluate your state of wellness
- Explore mental and physical health and wellness actions to assist you in staying well while helping others
- Identify the importance of boundaries in caring for yourself while caring for others
Module 6: Capstone: Pathways to Support and Accommodations (asynchronous)
- Explain the importance and role of community in supporting mental health
- Outline barriers to accessing resources/supports based on social determinants of health
- Describe skills and expectations of community supporters in navigating pathways to support
- Identify ways we can better support ourselves and others in supporting mental health
- Identify resources and networks of support available within the University and broader community to support a person seeking help
Time Commitment: 12 hours
Upcoming dates:
Module 1: Wednesday July 13, 2022 at 9:00 am – 11:00 am EST Microsoft Teams
Module 2: Wednesday July 20, 2022 at 9:00 am – 11:00 am EST Microsoft Teams
Module 3: Wednesday July 27, 2022 at 9:00 am - 11:30 am EST Microsoft Teams
Module 4: Wednesday August 3, 2022 at 9:00 am – 11:00 am EST Microsoft Teams
Module 5: Wednesday August 10, 2022 at 9:00 am – 11:00 am EST Microsoft Teams
Module 6: Asynchronous LEARN
Register on GoSignMeUp.
Recognizing and Responding to a Person in Distress | NEW | Virtual
Mental health impacts us all. Each of us has a role in supporting the mental health of those within our communities. In this workshop, Recognizing and Responding to a Person in Distress, we aim to give the University of Waterloo students and employees the skills and confidence to support others (students and colleagues) who may be in distress. We will focus on recognizing the signals of a person in distress, effectively responding with care and empathy and understand how to refer to resources within the community. It can be challenging to find the words to support a person in distress. This workshop aims to equip participants with tools, strategies, and resources that increase our capacity to help in challenging situations.
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural reactions that signal a person in distress
- Assess personal strengths and limitations when supporting others in distress
- Identify and practice key elements of being a helpful responder including the most effective and supportive responses
- Identify resources and networks of support available within the University and broader community
Time Commitment: 2.5 hours
Upcoming dates:
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST | Microsoft Teams | Register on GoSignMeUp.
Question, Persuade, Respond (QPR) | Virtual
This training teaches participants how to recognize and support someone who may be having thoughts of suicide. It is an education and awareness program that provides direction as to how to Question a person with thoughts of suicide, how to Persuade them to get help, and how to Refer the person to appropriate professional resources.
Training content:
- How to Question, Persuade and Refer someone who may be having thoughts of suicide
- How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide
- Common causes and warning signs
- How to get help for someone in crisis
Duration: 1.5 hours
Upcoming dates:
- Tuesday May 24, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST | Microsoft Teams | Register on GoSignMeUp.
More Feet on the Ground | Self-guided
This is a free online mental health education program that teaches participants to Recognize, Respond, and Refer individuals experiencing mental health problems on campus. The program was developed by the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) in partnership with Brock University and the Ontario Government’s Mental Health Innovation Fund and has been adapted and branded for all participating post-secondary institutions across Ontario.
Training content:
- Comprehensive information about common mental health and addiction concerns
- Overview of signs/symptoms, treatment options, mental health stigma
- Facts, statistics, and stories of lived experience
- Campus and community resource information
- Opportunity to receive a certificate following successful completion of a brief on-line assessment of learning
Training dates:
- Anytime, anywhere at More Feet on the Ground.
Self-cancellation
If you would like to cancel your registration, please log in to GoSignMeUp and select the course. Then, click Drop/ Unregister.
Registering for future trainings: If you have unregistered and wish to re-enroll at a later date, please revisit this page for the training schedule. This page will be updated once a new schedule is available.
If you have any questions, please contact Meaghan Sinker.
