Programs
| Community Living Program Friendship Club Employment Programs Mental Health First Aid safeTALK Changing Minds Community Support Groups |
COMMUNITY LIVING PROGRAM
25 Revere St. Truro
Canadian Mental Health Association, Colchester East Hants Branch 25 Revere Street, Truro
The Community Living Program helps people live in the community while offering support to help them achieve their highest level of functioning. The amount of support provided is dependent on the individual client's needs.
Services provided by this program may include:
- A home like environment
- Support staff that provide one-on-one work with clients
- Enhancement of clients’ capacity for independent living
- Help for clients to identify and achieve long and short term goals
- Encouragement for clients to access other community supports.
- Help in finding safe and affordable housing.
- Support and direction in daily living.
- Encouragement for participation in meaningful community activities.
- Education on, and monitoring of medication.
FRIENDSHIP CLUB
25 Revere St. Truro
The Friendship Club opened its doors in 1995 and now has over 130 members with a daily attendance of around 28 people. The club provides a safe and supportive environment for mental health consumers, following the Clubhouse Model of rehabilitation. It helps people to feel safe from the stigma of mental illness while in the company of supportive peers and professionals.
Rehabilitation from mental illness is achieved through therapeutic work programs and by participation in social recreational activities. The therapeutic work programs include food services, business, maintenance and reception/clerical. The recreational activities include, bingo, dances, bowling, skating, yoga, crafts and games nights. Affordable meals are prepared four times a week.
Membership is free and is available to adults who have a diagnosis of mental illness.
EMPLOYMENT
557 Prince Street Truro
Routes to Work Program – funded by CMHA National partnership with the Social Development Canada Opportunities Fund.
TREES Project – An extension of the Lakecity Employment Services in Halifax Regional Municipality.
Both the Routes to Work Program and the TREES Project are employment support programs targeted to assist, individuals diagnosed with a mental illness, to secure employment and/or return to school. They help people to develop resumes, cover letters, interview skills and other employment readiness skills. They can assist people to develop vocational skills through training, can secure wage subsidies and job coaches to increase success for the client and employer. Employers can depend on these employment programs for support and we will recommend people meet industry standards and fit employer needs.
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID COURSE
Mental Health First Aid Canada teaches first aid skills to help someone who is developing mental health problems or is experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based course developed in Australia by Betty Kitchener and Professor Tony Jorm. To maintain the quality of the course and consistency in delivery, only qualified Mental Health First Aid instructors may deliver the course. The course has been formally evaluated and shows a number of benefits:
- Better recognition of mental health problems
- Increased knowledge about appropriate treatments
- Reduced stigma
- Increased confidence in providing help to others
Anyone can benefit from learning Mental Health First Aid.
Course Format:
Mental Health First Aid is a 12-hour training course delivered in two days (6 hours each day NOT including breaks). This is an interactive course that is provided in a supportive group learning environment. Practical skills are taught using a five-step model that is easy to remember and apply in real-life settings.
After completing the course participants will receive a certificate of attendance and a copy of the first aid manual, which covers the course content and provides other resources.
Participants must attend all 12 hours of the course to receive a certificate of attendance.
Course Cost and Registration:
The cost for taking the course is $120.00 per participant with a minimum of 12 participants per course. Payments should be made to CMHA, Colchester East Hants Branch at the address above. Providing this course to areas outside of the Colchester County area would be contingent on you providing a location with adequate amenities available to the group. Please allow a minimum of 5 weeks for booking a course.
To register for a Mental Health First Aid Course contact:
Crystal Hill, BSW, RSW
MHFA Canada Instructor
CMHA, Colchester East Hants Branch
PO Box 1413
25 Revere Street
Truro, NS B2N 5V2
Ph: (902) 895-4211
Fax: (902) 895-4027
CMHA Colchester East Hants Branch
CHANGING MINDS
Changing Minds is an innovative, multi-use mental illness education tool. Changing Minds was created in order to address a community need for mental health education, stigma reduction and to promote better understanding of mental health and mental illness. It features personal stories and insightful communication exercises to help understand the experience of mental illness. The program is based on the premise that we can learn to understand mental illness better when we get to know the individual and learn how the illness affects him or her. Changing Minds will be of particular interest to front line responders such as police officers, crisis response workers, paramedics and correctional workers.
Changing Minds is aimed at addressing the educational needs of service providers as recommended by Judge Donald Luther in his report into the deaths of Norman Reid of Little Catalina and Darryl Power of Corner Brook, NFLD. Both men, who were diagnosed with mental illnesses, were fatally shot in 2000 in separate confrontations with police officers outside their homes. Reid was shot by an RCMP officer while Power was shot by a member of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC)
The New Brunswick Judicial Inquest regarding the death of Kevin Geldart, May 5, 2005, made the following recommendations in support of Changing Minds:
· Seminars regarding mental health issues be implemented in their yearly training (police, EMT, hospital staff).
· Hold annual education sessions for ER physicians, registered nurses, psychiatrists and attendances on non-violent crisis intervention and mental health issues.
Course Format: The Changing Minds program consists of 8 instructional modules delivered by a team of two facilitators as a comprehensive 2-day workshop. Each module contains video stories of people, who have major mental illness or complex mental health problems, group exercises and easy to follow PowerPoint presentations and individual workbooks.
Course Cost and Registration:
Course cost is $150.00 per person, delivered by a team of two facilitators.
To register for a Changing Minds course contact:
Canadian Mental Health Association, Colchester East Hants Bramch
25 Revere St P.O. Box 1314
Truro,
Nova Scotia B2N 5V2
Phone: (902) 895-4211
Fax: (902) 895-4027
E-mail CMHA Colchester East Hants Branch
safeTALK
safeTALK, about three hours in duration, is a training that prepares anyone over the age of 15 to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources. Most people with thoughts of suicide invite help to stay safe. Alert helpers know how to use these opportunities to support that desire for safety. As a safeTALK-trained suicide alert helper, you will be better able to:
- move beyond common tendencies to miss, dismiss or avoid suicide;
- identify people who have thoughts of suicide;
- apply the TALK steps (Tell, Ask, Listen and KeepSafe) to connect a person with suicide thoughts to suicide first aid, intervention caregivers.
Powerful video clips illustrate both non-alert and alert responses. Discussion and practice help stimulate learning. Learn steps that contribute to saving lives.
To register for a Mental Health First Aid Course contact:
Angela Bearisto
CMHA, Colchester East Hants Branch
PO Box 1413
25 Revere Street
Truro, NS B2N 5V2
Ph: (902) 895-4211
Fax: (902) 895-4027
E-mail Angela Beairsto
COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROUP
25 Revere Street
Peer led support groups provide an opportunity for people with mental illness to share their experiences and learn coping skills. Self -help groups meet on a regular basis. No pre-registration required, just drop in.
Depression and Bipolar self-help groups
Truro - Wednesdays at 7:00 pm.
Auricular Accupuncture
Truro - Wednesdays at 8:00 pm.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Canadian Mental Health Association Colchester East Hants Branch is a non-profit organization. We depend upon community support to make our programs and services available. You can help us by:
- Becoming a member of our organization
- Making a donation
- Volunteering
To obtain more information regarding availability and eligibility for any of these programs call Canadian Mental Health Association Colchester East Hants Branch at (902) 895-4211