Our COVID-19 Response

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every single person in our city, and in an era of physical distancing it may also affect one’s mental health. While as a community we have been instructed to physically distance from each other, we want to make sure not to mentally distancing from our loved ones and the Calgary community. 

CMHA Calgary’s first and foremost concern is to keep our clients and staff healthy and safe. We closed our doors to the public on March 12, but quickly moved services to be accessed virtually through phone and email. We are currently offering Peer Support, Counselling services and Recovery College Classes and Educational Sessions for corporations and community groups virtually.

Peer Support:

Peer Support service provides the opportunity for anyone – individual, family member or professional – the chance to speak with someone with lived experience of mental health or substance use concern. By connecting with our peers you can make a connection with someone with lived experience, increase engagement and belonging, and move through the recovery journey to develop skills and build resiliency to stay well in community. 

If you feel the need at all to reach out for support, please do, and leave a message – a friendly voice will phone you back!
Contact our Peer Support team: (403) 297-1402 | peer@cmha.calgary.ab.ca

Counselling Services: 

CMHA Calgary offers counselling to family members or friends living and coping with a relative or significant other who is suffering from a mental health issue. We also offer suicide bereavement counselling for those individual survivors, families and couples to develop an enhanced understanding of their own grief process.

If you feel the need at all to reach out for support, please do, and leave a message – a friendly voice will phone you back!
Contact the Counselling team: (403) 297-1708 | counsellingintake@cmha.calgary.ab.ca

Recovery College Classes:

Recovery College classes will be delivered online to continue group education and resiliency skill building.  At Recovery College we use an educational-based approach to help people recognize and develop their own resourcefulness and awareness in order to become experts in their own self-care, make informed choices and do the things that they want to do in life. We will inspire optimism, encourage students to consider their future opportunities, and move towards a culture of personal empowerment and feelings of hope. All of our classes are developed and delivered in partnership with our peer supporters and students who are experts by experience: they have their own personal story of a mental health or substance use concern, or are supporting a loved one.

Available classes include:

Peer Led Virtual Discussion

Confront the Discomfort

Building Better Boundaries

Rethinking our Thoughts

Register for a Recovery College Class 
Contact the Recovery College team: recovery.college@cmha.calgary.ab.ca

Educational Workshops:

Adapted to support the many Calgary and area employees who are now working remotely from home, our top-quality, interactive workshops have been re-designed for engaging virtual delivery. These flexible workshops can be offered in 15 – 60 minute sessions, and are tailored to meet the unique needs of diverse schedules and work structures.

Available workshops include:

Stress Management and Healthy Coping:
Attainment of a healthy mind and body begins with understanding how to balance the ever changing demands of life. This interactive workshop provides an overview of what the stress response is, and how it impacts our lives. Through this workshop, participants will develop an awareness of their own particular stressors, and how to cope with COVID-19 and our “new normal” in healthy ways.

Mental Health Awareness:
Mental health is about achieving personal balance, and finding this balance can be an ongoing learning process, especially during a pandemic. This workshop breaks down common misconceptions surrounding mental health, mental illness, and stigma, while providing a preventative approach in adapting to COVID-19 and social isolation. Sessions are delivered on CMHA Calgary’s Online Learning Platform.

Contact the Education team to book a workshop: education@cmha.calgary.ab.ca

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