The Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington and Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis are pleased to announce a new partnership

Press Release

For Immediate Release:

The Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington and

Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis Begin New Partnership

To Support Mental Health Concerns of Women

The Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington and Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis are pleased to announce a new partnership. A CMHA WW mental health worker is spending one day a week at Marianne’s Place shelter to provide clinical support to women.

At the shelter, women can sign up for appointments or drop-in to see the mental health worker. The sessions provide an opportunity for women to speak confidentially about their mental health concerns with a seasoned clinician in the field. Having a mental health worker embedded in the shelter allows CMHA to meet clients where they are at and when they need the most support.

“Most women in the shelter are juggling several significant stressors already and navigating the mental health care system can be one of those stressors. The partnership allows for more seamless care by increasing ease of access to support at a very critical time,” says Michelle Hazlett, Mental Health Worker.

Mental health interventions are most effective when an individual feels safe, and although women may have attempted to access services in the past, their environment may have forced them to focus first and foremost on survival. Living in a space that feels safer, women are in a better place to begin working on their own mental health recovery. To add to this, having services available in the place of residence reduces stigma and normalizes mental health talk. There is also the additional benefit of working with some of the women who are also mothers. When a parent’s mental health improves, it affects the well-being of their children as well.

The partnership began at the end of February and has been well received by women in the shelter. It takes time to build trust and rapport; several women are checking in and learning more about programs while building a trusting therapeutic alliance with the mental health worker.

“It is important that the women can direct the pace of the service, they can either dip a toe in and meet for a brief chat or can dive right in and begin accessing counselling sessions and CMHA programs right away,” says Hazlett.

On May 5th CMHA WW will participate in the Shopper’s Run for Women. The new partnership between Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis and CMHA WW will benefit from the funds raised at the run. To sign up or learn more visit: runforwomen.ca. We are extremely grateful for this funding opportunity for these kinds of innovative programming.

About the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington

CMHA WW is Canada’s largest CMHA chapter and provides a full care system for those with addictions, mental health or developmental needs. CMHA WW serves everyone from children to adults to seniors, all under one roof. It is also the lead partner in Here 24/7, the single access point to the entire mental health, addictions and crisis sector in Waterloo Region and Wellington County.

About Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis

Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis is a feminist community-based organization providing services to women and their children on woman abuse and sexual violence. We believe our services must be inclusive and equitable for all individuals accessing our programs while being responsive to issues of race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic status and/or abilities.

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For further information or to arrange an interview, contact:

Megan Brady, Communications Specialist

Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington

1-844-264-2993 Ext. 2106 (office) / 226-979-4578 (cell)

mbrady@cmhaww.ca

or

Justine Morgan

Fundraising and Marketing Coordinator

Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis

1-519-836-1110 Ext. 244

justine@gwwomenincrisis.org