Mental health support for faculty

Employee supports: initiatives and resources at Waterloo

• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP).

• Human Resources’ Employee Benefits Program booklet (PDF)

• Healthy Workplace Steering Committee

• Policy 14 – Pregnancy and Parental Leaves (Including Adoption)

• Our Leaves page and blog posts on leaves

Community supports

• The Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo-Wellington provides recovery-focused programs and services for people of all ages and their families.

• Grand River Hospital offers Emergency Mental Health Care and an inpatient mental health unit, as well as outpatient and withdrawal services.

• Find more community resources on the EFAP website.

• Conversations with Occupational Health are confidential. You don't need to disclose your situation to your department.

• What the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provides. Currently provided by Homewood Health, the EFAP offers preventative resources and support for short-term, goal-based concerns, through in-person, online, and phone appointments. They do not provide support for chronic, long-term issues. Your family members can also access this program.

• What your benefits cover. Our benefits for paramedical services don’t apply to all types of therapy and practitioners. You can claim treatments by psychologists, and by counsellors who are registered social workers with a Master’s degree in Social Work. Psychotherapy, for example, is not covered.

• Counselling Services is a student service. Faculty in distress should contact Grand River Hospital, Homewood Health, or 911.

• You are entitled to a leave of absence, should you need one. You are also entitled to your 180 days of sick leave.

• Homewood Health for short-term counselling and resources. Read the FAQ for information about how to access services. 
• Occupational Health for accommodations and leaves.
• FAUW for help addressing the impacts on your professional life.
• Grand River Hospital, Homewood Health, or 911 for crisis situations.

• Remember that you have options if your situation is impacting your ability to work, including therapy, accommodations, and leaves.

• Seek help: Talk to someone who can help you navigate the situation.

• Take preventative measures to protect your wellbeing at work. We often tell people to be their own health advocates; the same goes for mental health and well being. But unlike many health conditions, we have ample evidence for changes we can make in our daily lives that can have an immediate impact on our mental health.

  • Proactive measures: Meditation and physical activity—even 10 minutes a day—can make a significant difference.

  • Protective measures: Try not to get caught up in comparing yourself to others; collegial, friendly relationships at work lead to job satisfaction.

• Homewood Health’s Homeweb, an extensive library of resources and articles on everything from fitness and career development to parenting and family finances.

• Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, an online resource from the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace.

• “Promoting Supportive Academic Environments for Faculty with Mental Illnesses: Resource Guide and Suggestions for Practice” from Temple University.

• The Okanagan Charter is an international charter that calls upon post-secondary institutions to embed health into all aspects of campus culture and to lead health promotion action and collaboration locally and globally. The Charter was an important framing document for the work of the President's Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health (PAC-SMH).