Who Ya’gonna Call?

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This is a list of community resources that can offer mental health help and support including suicide intervention and crisis support.

If you are with someone who needs mental health help: Actively listen, affirm and paraphrase what you are hearing them say, and decide:

• If this is an emergency call 911 immediately or go to local emergency department.
• Call the direct suicide support line at 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645 if you or another person is in crisis and suicidal.
  • This is available for anyone (not veterinary specific) in Canada. This is a crisis line for immediate help. It connects people to their local crisis centre.
  • A list of all crisis centers is available at suicideprevention.ca.

Western/CVMA Insurance Group

During these unprecedented times, the Green Shield Canada (GSC) team has been working hard to bring visibility to the high-quality mental health care solutions available to plan members. Click here for a recap of GSC’s digital health offerings, including BEACON mental health therapy and a free, custom-made mindfulness program.

As we announced last month, we are also proud to be sponsoring Stronger Minds, a no-cost health program that provides crucial mental health support for all Canadians. Click here to access the program.

If your policy includes Long Term Disability coverage, you have access to the Acumin Business Assistance Program. Acumin includes a counselling referral component for employees and human resource guidance for managers.

If your policy includes the Arive EAP coverage, employees and dependents have access to additional support through a self-referral counselling process.

University Support for Students

There are a variety of wellness resources offered at each University to support student veterinarians.

• University of Calgary: Mental Health Services
• University of Guelph: Student Wellness
• University of Montreal: Student Services
• University of Prince Edward Island: Health and Wellness
• University of Saskatchewan: Student Wellness Centre

Veterinary Provincial Employee Family Assistance Plan (EFAP) Providers

Check with your association to ensure you have the most up to date information. As of June 25, 2019, the information is as follows:

View Support Services by Province

This list was written by Dr. Kathy Keil. Dr. Keil studied cognitive and neuropsychology in her undergraduate and graduate psychology degrees prior to attending veterinary school. She is not a licensed psychologist. She has training in Mental Health First Aid, safeTALK suicide awareness, ASIST suicide intervention, and is licensed to teach safeTALK. She regularly teaches suicide awareness and basic intervention skills to veterinary professionals and ways for them to take care of their own mental well-being. She is a member of the ABVMA Member Wellness Committee and a technical services veterinarian with Merck Animal Health. She is the leading force behind the Merck-CVMA “It’s Time to Talk about Mental Health in Vet Med” Awareness Campaign.