May is Mental Health Awareness Month

With the start of the spring semester, and summer on the horizon, it's important to take some time to care for your mental health. SABVC has free mental health resources open to students to take advantage of here at our office. Stop by anytime to pickup any of these resources. Visit our site to learn about all the resources that SABVC offers, including mywellnessplan, included in students' healthcare coverage. Coming up on May 13, SABVC is hosting Wellness Wednesday, a chance for students to unwind and connect with others while decorating their own bags.

This year's theme is "Come Together, Canada." The focus is small connections to those around us, which are important to our wellbeing. The Canadian Mental Health Association finds more than 10 per cent of Canadians say they feel lonely, and social media only adds to the problem, so make sure to take some time to connect with friends or family!

BVC Mental Health and Wellness also offers support for students, both in-person, online, and by phone. Call 403-410-1440, or email counselling@bowvalleycollege.ca, or complete this form to book an appointment or learn more about their services. They have also created self-care toolkits for students to use.

There are many other resources available across Calgary and Alberta:

• IN CASE OF EMERGENCY CALL 911

• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 988 

• Distress Centre: (403) 266-4357 or www.distresscentre.com 

• Talk Suicide Canada- 1-833-456-4566

• First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness helpline – 1-855-242-3310

• National trans lifeline - 1-877-330-6366

• Urgent Mental Health

• Mental Health Helpline: 1-877-303-2642 

• Social Resources: 211

• Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence- 1-866-403-8000 

• Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter family violence helpline – 403-234-7233

• Kids help phone - 1-800-668-6868

• Child abuse program- 403-943-7886