Mental Health
Mental health is like physical health or emotional health: it can be good, poor, or somewhere in between. We feel best when our mental health is consistently good.
When our mental health is poor, we may experience lots of different symptoms - fatigue, extreme sadness, rage, irritability, intrusive thoughts, etc. One way to measure our mental health is to look at our mood over time. How do we feel, generally, compared with six months ago? Two years ago? Are we feeling better or worse over time? Are we preoccupied with something - maybe our weight or a partner or our grades - so much that we can't focus on anything else? These might be signs that our mental health has become a problem.
When our symptoms meet a doctor's threshold, we might be diagnosed with a mental illness. Many of us will experience mental illness over some part of our lives. Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. It's like any other physical illness. Talking with someone about it is the first step toward wellness. If you have been feeling unwell, talk with a teacher or your guidance counsellor. Woburn also has a School Social Worker who can help to ensure that you get the support that you need
Which tree best describes how you feel most days?
If you are in terrible pain or just surviving,
please know there is support available right now.
You do not have to live in daily struggle.
When you seek help you will take a step toward changing your life for the better.
Kids Help Phone is a free, confidential, 24/7 mental health service that helps kids and teens get help and advice for mental health and well-being issues, such as bullying and abuse, friends and family, emotional well-being, and more. Kids Help Phone doesn't give legal or medical advice but it does help kids and teens find legal or medical advice. It offers services by phone, text and chat.
Call 1-800-668-6868
Strides Toronto is located just across the street from Woburn C.I. Strides Toronto offers lots of different counselling programs for students and parents. Reach out to Strides Toronto at (416) 321-5464 or via email at contactus@stridestoronto.ca
Someone will get back to you within two (2) business days. Please note they do not provide counselling services over email.
What's Up Walk-In provides free Virtual Mental Health Counselling
Immediate mental health counselling for children, youth, young adults and their families is available at the What’s Up Walk-In Clinic.
To be connected to a counsellor for a telephone or video session please call MHTO at 1-866-585-6486 Monday to Friday 9AM – 7PM, Saturday 10AM — 4PM (last sessions at 3PM).
Mental Health and Wellbeing - TDSB Resource Page: Every resource that you might need in one place
More Resources:
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health: www.camh.ca
Canadian Mental Health Association: www.cmha.ca
Crisis Centers in Ontario: http://www.siec.ca/siec/provinces/ontario.htm
Anxiety and Depression Association of America: www.adaa.org
Anxiety and Depression Support Group: Facebook
Anxiety and Depression Resources: www.taking care.knowledge.ca
TEDxKidsTalk: 19 Year Old Talks about Depression (11 min)
Some of us might experience a mental health crisis.
A mental health crisis is when we decide to seriously hurt or kill ourselves or someone else.
If you are in crisis, please visit your local hospital or call 911
If our friends experience a mental health crisis, we should tell an adult and/or call 911.
Even if our friends have asked us not to tell anybody, this is a secret that we cannot keep.