Infosheets Archive

This infosheet is aimed specifically at students. Winter in Canada can bring many changes to the quality of our daily experience. The days get shorter and greyer. The weather is colder, and it may lead us to spend more time indoors. International students who have not experienced winter may find this time especially challenging to their mental wellness. Symptoms such as low energy, irritability, and low mood can arise. This infosheet provides valuable information on the difference between winter blues and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), as well as helpful tips to prevent and manage SAD or winter blues.

This infosheet is aimed specifically at students. Stress and Anxiety among post-secondary students has always been a prevalent issue on campus. In a 2019 survey, 87% of post-secondary students across Canada reported feeling overwhelming anxiety, and only 24% were receiving treatment for it. A 2021 survey showed international students were deeply impacted by the pandemic, where 50% of students from 84 countries responded that they were at risk of anxiety disorders with social isolation, mental exhaustion and panic attacks. This infosheet provides valuable information on the origins of stress and anxiety, how to manage them, and how to seek support.

This infosheet is aimed specifically at students. As a student, meeting deadlines, adjusting to new time zones, and feelings of stress, may lead you to struggle with sleep and rest. Data from the spring 2019 National College Health Assessment survey suggests that 29% of students have sleep difficulties that are affecting their academic studies. This infosheet provides valuable information on different kinds of sleep and rest, their benefits, and some tips for better sleep hygiene.

In this webinar, Dr. Philip Sullivan, Mishka Blacker, and Jenny Philavanh from Brock University, along with Heather Gillespie from CMHA Niagara and Alex Salomie from CMHA Ontario, will discuss a recent pilot of CMHA Ontario's sports mental health program, Talk Today. The pilot, implemented during the fall semester, involved over 50 athletes from Brock's women's rugby and men's soccer teams. These teams received mental health and suicide prevention education and were paired with on-campus and off-campus mental health coaches to provide support throughout the season.

This toolkit aims to provide information and practical tools to assist workers dealing with stressors and challenges from bearing witness to current and ongoing traumatic experiences. Developed by the Toronto Youth Equity Strategy (TYES) and updated by Chris Leonard.

In this webinar, we are joined by Tyler Twarowski of CMHA- Cochrane Timiskaming on what decolonizing and Indigenizing mental health care can look like within the post-secondary context. Informed by his current PhD work, profession and his Métis heritage, Tyler will discuss key elements of Indigenous worldview that could be incorporated into services and programs and how this would benefit Indigenous and non-Indigenous students alike.

In this infosheet, what health insurance can look like for international students is explained as most newcomer students may not be aware the extent they are covered by their post-secondary institution or what they are insured for. This infosheet addresses what health coverage looks like in Canada and the plans that are typically offered for International students enrolled in university or college. It also provides examples of alternate/added coverage and a checklist for international students for what they may need to know to make an informed decision. 

As numbers of international students increase within post-secondary institutions, learning shock or academic shock may be a prevalent phenomenon. Learning shock can occur among students when there is a notable change in the teaching or learning methods, depending on a change in geography, culture or situation (pandemic or war). You can learn more about what learning shock is, how learning and teaching methods can differ across cultures, how to support international students as they learn to navigate these changes and some resources to be better equip yourself.