Tag Archives: Apps

Is There an App for Mental Health?

Posted by: Sherry Law on May 6, 2015 8:00 am
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As Canadians, one system that distinguishes us from other nations is our universal health care provision. Canada invests in its people, taking care of the sick or wounded displaying our values of equity and solidarity. Though our heart may be in the right place, the road to equitable provision of all facets of health care is difficult and complicated, with financial, political, and social barriers leaving many Canadians underserviced. In 2012, Statistics Canada revealed that 1.6million Canadians requiring mental health services found that help was unavailable or insufficient. A majority of this demographic indicated that failure of the health care system was due to budget cuts or lack of accessibility, or personal circumstances such as social stigma and scheduling conflicts.LawPost

As counsellors and therapists, we wish that all Canadians can access sufficient mental health services, but how can we satisfy the great demand of mental health needs when there are so many kinks in the system?

Information technology (IT) has captured every aspect of daily life. Shopping, banking, networking, research, and a multitude of other activities can be done online. Due to its ease of access, portability, and shrinking barrier of entry, people from all walks of life and social economic backgrounds can access these resources. Furthermore, IT has pushed the boundaries in all fields, leading to a global change in business, governance, and communication. Continue reading →




*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Healthy Minds AKA Yet Another App

Posted by: Dawn Schell on March 25, 2015 12:00 pm
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I know, I know. Yet another app.   This is no ordinary app though. The Royal[1], “one of Canada’s foremost mental health care and academic health sciences centres”, developed the Healthy Minds app[2]. Aimed at post-secondary students, Healthy Minds is “a problem-solving tool to help deal with emotions and cope with the stresses you encounter both on and off campus.”

healthy mindWhen you download Healthy Minds it opens with a short explanatory video showing you how to make best use of the app. The authors of the app ask that you do three things – think about one problem you want to focus on, write what led to the problem, what thoughts, feelings and behaviours this problem caused and what happened after the problem. Why? As Dr. Simon Hatcher says in the video, “So you can change how you react in the future”.

In the Mood section you are prompted with a “how are you feeling?” and you can choose from nine moods. When you click on the submit button you are then sent to a text box where you can write about “what happened before you felt this way”. You can even add a photo if you wish. Once you submit this text, depending on the emotion you chose, you there are helpful suggestions. For example, if you choose “angry” you will be asked if you want to take a moment to try the Breathe activity.

Continue reading →




*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA