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Accessing mental health services in the North is tough — these online tools can help

In a region where it can be hard to get psychotherapy service, Big White Wall and BounceBack are available 24/7

When Emily Zanini was a new student at the University of Western Ontario, living away from home for the first time became a trigger for an anxiety diagnosis.

“Being away from home for the first time, trying to get to know a new city, a new campus, make new friends, as well as perform well academically, it took a lot out of me,” she said. “I started to really criticize myself. My inner critic began to take over. Things became very negative, and I ended up developing a diagnosis of anxiety.”

Today, Zanini is a health promotion educator with the Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury-Manitoulin branch, a career choice she said was directly influenced by her experience with anxiety.

She was one of the speakers at a Dec. 4 press conference at Cambrian College where a pair of provincially funded online services to help youth and adults experiencing anxiety and depression were launched.

“If I had this type of service available to me at the time, maybe I wouldn't have gone down that road,” Zanini said. 

One of the services she's talking about is Big White Wall, a 24/7 online peer support service for people 16 years of age or older with symptoms of mild to moderate anxiety or depression.

No referral from a health care provider is required. Once logged in, people are free to interact with peers also experiencing anxiety or depression. 

Participants can add “bricks” to the wall – expressions of their thoughts or feelings using words and images. 

They also have access to self-guided courses and self-improvement resources.

Specially trained “wall guides” will moderate the online conversation to ensure the wall is anonymous, private, secure and supportive. People can check out the program at BigWhiteWall.ca.

BounceBack is also an online program, in this case for people aged 15 and older experiencing low mood, depression and anxiety that is not crisis in nature.

It offers online videos to provide practical tips on how to do things such as build confidence and manage moods, as well as telephone coaching to guide participants through a series of workbooks.

The telephone coaching sessions require a referral from a primary care provider. Visit BounceBackOntario.ca for more information.

The North East LHIN is working with the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Ontario Telemedicine Network to increase awareness of both programs in this part of the province.

The two online programs are “another tool in our toolbox” that widens access to mental health services, said Stephanie Paquette, mental health and addiction lead with the North East LHIN.

“If we can catch people when they're experiencing those mild symptoms of anxiety, those mild symptoms of depression, that will prevent it from becoming a serious mental illness,” she said.

Cambrian College will be referring students to these online services as appropriate, said Roni Sue Clement, student support adviser in the college's counselling department.

“When I meet with students, I see where they're at, see whether or not the programs or supports on campus are enough for them, see whether or not there's external programs or services (they could use),” she said.

“It's always nice to have all of these additional services in our basket of supports we can offer them. What's beautiful about these programs is they're available 24/7. 

“We're a college and we're obviously only open during school hours. It's nice to have programs that students can access after hours or on the weekend.” 


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