Promoting Mental Health for Disasters & Community Mental Health Promotion
A broad community-based approach is the best way to prepare and improve community member’s social and mental health needs. This approach includes all areas of a community to meet and improve the mental health of those that live in them. This can help to prepare, respond, and recover from disasters or emergencies.
These are resources and tools that can be printed or distributed electronically to improve the mental health well-being within families and communities:
- Preparing for a disaster or emergency
- Responding to a disaster or emergency
- Recovery from a disaster or emergency
These are learning opportunities that can help to build mental health well-being:
- D-Stress - Learn how to identify stress and build skills to coping during stressful times.
- Emergency Preparedness (E-Prep) - Learn ways to prepare emotionally, socially, and physically to help prepare for an emergency or a disaster.
- Psychological First Aid (PFA) - Learn ways to provide practical support to people during a disaster or emergency.
- Psychological First Aid for Supporting Indigenous Communities (PFAIC) - Learn ways to provide culturally safe and inclusive support in a disaster.
- Psychosocial Disaster Learning Series - A chance for existing PFA Responders to review skills prior to responding to a disaster.
- Relationship Skills - Learn ways to support healthy relationships with yourself and others.
- Wellness Exchange - Learn 5 ways to support your mental wellbeing.
Mental health promotion learning opportunities can help to improve or maintain mental health and well-being. If you are interested, please participate in some learning opportunities and consider becoming a facilitator to help others! You can also find these workshops on Help in Tough Times under Mental Health Workshops.
If you are a health professional and think some of our resources and learning opportunities might be helpful in your work, please visit the information available for health professionals.
Tell us about yourself and the resources you are using by taking our short survey!
Questions or concerns, email us at: hpdip.mh.earlyid@recoveryalberta.ca
A broad community-based approach is the best way to prepare and improve community member’s social and mental health needs. This approach includes all areas of a community to meet and improve the mental health of those that live in them. This can help to prepare, respond, and recover from disasters or emergencies.
These are resources and tools that can be printed or distributed electronically to improve the mental health well-being within families and communities:
- Preparing for a disaster or emergency
- Responding to a disaster or emergency
- Recovery from a disaster or emergency
These are learning opportunities that can help to build mental health well-being:
- D-Stress - Learn how to identify stress and build skills to coping during stressful times.
- Emergency Preparedness (E-Prep) - Learn ways to prepare emotionally, socially, and physically to help prepare for an emergency or a disaster.
- Psychological First Aid (PFA) - Learn ways to provide practical support to people during a disaster or emergency.
- Psychological First Aid for Supporting Indigenous Communities (PFAIC) - Learn ways to provide culturally safe and inclusive support in a disaster.
- Psychosocial Disaster Learning Series - A chance for existing PFA Responders to review skills prior to responding to a disaster.
- Relationship Skills - Learn ways to support healthy relationships with yourself and others.
- Wellness Exchange - Learn 5 ways to support your mental wellbeing.
Mental health promotion learning opportunities can help to improve or maintain mental health and well-being. If you are interested, please participate in some learning opportunities and consider becoming a facilitator to help others! You can also find these workshops on Help in Tough Times under Mental Health Workshops.
If you are a health professional and think some of our resources and learning opportunities might be helpful in your work, please visit the information available for health professionals.
Tell us about yourself and the resources you are using by taking our short survey!
Questions or concerns, email us at: hpdip.mh.earlyid@recoveryalberta.ca
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Wildfire & Mental Health
Exposure to wildfire smoke can have mental health effects. Individuals and communities who have been impacted by wildfires, smoky conditions may induce heightened awareness, concern, anxiety and fear. Healthy coping skills to overcome daily challenges in your life is an important step to maintaining good mental health. It’s these same skills that will help you cope better during emergencies. There is a resource for you that includes some helpful tips and a list of other helpful resources.If you are a health professional there are some key messages for your clients and patients, tips that you can offer, andContinue reading
Exposure to wildfire smoke can have mental health effects. Individuals and communities who have been impacted by wildfires, smoky conditions may induce heightened awareness, concern, anxiety and fear. Healthy coping skills to overcome daily challenges in your life is an important step to maintaining good mental health. It’s these same skills that will help you cope better during emergencies. There is a resource for you that includes some helpful tips and a list of other helpful resources.If you are a health professional there are some key messages for your clients and patients, tips that you can offer, and a list of helpful resources.
We would really like to hear how you're using these resources. Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
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Preparing for a Disaster or Emergency
- Preparing Emotionally for a Disaster or Emergency
- Preparing Emotionally for a Disaster or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Preparing Emotionally for a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Helping Children and Teens Prepare Emotionally for a Disasters or Emergency
- Helping Children and Teens Prepare Emotionally for a Disasters or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Helping Children and Teens Prepare Emotionally for a Disasters or Emergency-French
- Preparing Emotionally for a Disaster or Emergency: Information for Older Adults
- Disaster and Emergency Emotional Wellbeing Playing Cards
We would really like to hear how you're using these resources. Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
- Preparing Emotionally for a Disaster or Emergency
- Preparing Emotionally for a Disaster or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Preparing Emotionally for a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Helping Children and Teens Prepare Emotionally for a Disasters or Emergency
- Helping Children and Teens Prepare Emotionally for a Disasters or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Helping Children and Teens Prepare Emotionally for a Disasters or Emergency-French
- Preparing Emotionally for a Disaster or Emergency: Information for Older Adults
- Disaster and Emergency Emotional Wellbeing Playing Cards
We would really like to hear how you're using these resources. Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
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Responding to a Disaster or Emergency
Tips and resources for responding to a disaster or emergency including tools for self-care and managing stress.
- Responding to a Disaster or Emergency
- Responding to a Disaster or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Responding to a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Helping Children and Teens Respond to a Disaster or Emergency
- Helping Children and Teens Respond to a Disaster or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Helping Children and Teens Respond to a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Responding to disasters- Tips for Health Professionals
- Tips for Interacting with Customers Affected by Disaster
- Disaster Stress and Self-care During a Disaster or Emergency
We would really like to hear how you're using these resources. Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
Tips and resources for responding to a disaster or emergency including tools for self-care and managing stress.
- Responding to a Disaster or Emergency
- Responding to a Disaster or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Responding to a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Helping Children and Teens Respond to a Disaster or Emergency
- Helping Children and Teens Respond to a Disaster or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Helping Children and Teens Respond to a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Responding to disasters- Tips for Health Professionals
- Tips for Interacting with Customers Affected by Disaster
- Disaster Stress and Self-care During a Disaster or Emergency
We would really like to hear how you're using these resources. Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
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Recovering from a Disaster or Emergency
After a disaster, recovery is different for different age groups and can be different when addressing the community as a whole.
- Recovering From a Disaster or Emergency
- Recovering From a Disaster or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Recovering From a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Helping Children and Teens Recover from a Disaster or Emergency
- Helping Children and Teens Recover from a Disaster or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Helping Children and Teens Recover from a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Helping Older Adults Recover after a Disaster: Tips for Families and Caregivers
- Having Trouble Coping After a Disaster or Emergency
- Supporting Families After a Disaster or Emergency
- Substance Use After a Disaster or Emergency
- Substance Use After a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Tips for Interacting with Customers Affected by Disaster
- Door-to-Door Outreach Toolkit: A Strategy for Building Community Connections & Wellness Post-Disaster
We would really like to hear how you're using these resources. Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
After a disaster, recovery is different for different age groups and can be different when addressing the community as a whole.
- Recovering From a Disaster or Emergency
- Recovering From a Disaster or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Recovering From a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Helping Children and Teens Recover from a Disaster or Emergency
- Helping Children and Teens Recover from a Disaster or Emergency-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree)
- Helping Children and Teens Recover from a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Helping Older Adults Recover after a Disaster: Tips for Families and Caregivers
- Having Trouble Coping After a Disaster or Emergency
- Supporting Families After a Disaster or Emergency
- Substance Use After a Disaster or Emergency
- Substance Use After a Disaster or Emergency-French
- Tips for Interacting with Customers Affected by Disaster
- Door-to-Door Outreach Toolkit: A Strategy for Building Community Connections & Wellness Post-Disaster
We would really like to hear how you're using these resources. Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
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Spiritual Care Practices to Support Your Well-being in a Disaster
The spiritual practices brochure can be used to support your resilience, well-being, and coping in a disaster or emergency. A supporting booklet of worksheets contains nine different spiritual practice worksheets to help you strengthen your relationships, improve social connections, and help you cope with change or loss.
We would really like to hear how you're using these resources. Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
The spiritual practices brochure can be used to support your resilience, well-being, and coping in a disaster or emergency. A supporting booklet of worksheets contains nine different spiritual practice worksheets to help you strengthen your relationships, improve social connections, and help you cope with change or loss.
We would really like to hear how you're using these resources. Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
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Community Mental Health: Social Isolation & Loneliness Toolkit
Social Isolation and Loneliness
Social Isolation happens when a persona has little or not contact with other people. Isolation may be over a short or long period. It’s a physical state of not being around others. Loneliness is a feeling of being alone, empty, or separated from others. It’s an emotional state. It can be felt even when we are surrounded by others. Additional general information is available through our poster.
A toolkit that explains more about social isolation and loneliness, who is at risk, impacts, community factors, and recommendations for organizations and communities canContinue reading
Social Isolation and Loneliness
Social Isolation happens when a persona has little or not contact with other people. Isolation may be over a short or long period. It’s a physical state of not being around others. Loneliness is a feeling of being alone, empty, or separated from others. It’s an emotional state. It can be felt even when we are surrounded by others. Additional general information is available through our poster.
A toolkit that explains more about social isolation and loneliness, who is at risk, impacts, community factors, and recommendations for organizations and communities can be accessed by contacting us for helpful toolkit.
Other resources that we have are to share and increase community action to address social isolation & loneliness. One way to do this is to host a screening of documentary and include panelists to have a discussion.
We would really like to hear how you're using these resources. Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
Who's Listening
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Manager
Mental Health Promotion & Illness Prevention, Mental Health & Addiction Services, Recovery Alberta
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Resource and Project Development Coordinator
Mental Health Promotion & Illness Prevention, Mental Health & Addiction Services, Recovery Alberta
SD
Resources
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Free Psychosocial Skill-building Workshops (700 KB) (pdf)
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Preparing emotionally for disasters (132 KB) (pdf)
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Preparing emotionally for disasters-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree) (113 KB) (pdf)
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Preparing emotionally for disasters-French (105 KB) (pdf)
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Helping children and teens prepare emotionally for disasters (110 KB) (pdf)
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Helping children and teens prepare emotionally for disasters-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree) (98.3 KB) (pdf)
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Helping children and teens prepare emotionally for disasters-French (87 KB) (pdf)
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Preparing emotionally for disasters-Information for older adults (128 KB) (pdf)
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Responding to disasters (113 KB) (pdf)
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Responding to disasters-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree) (84.3 KB) (pdf)
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Responding to disasters- French (93 KB) (pdf)
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Helping children and teens respond to disasters (111 KB) (pdf)
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Helping children and teens respond to disasters-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree) (87.9 KB) (pdf)
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Helping children and teens respond to disasters-French (84.4 KB) (pdf)
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Responding to disasters- Tips for health professionals (114 KB) (pdf)
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Tips for interacting with customers affected by a disaster (86.3 KB) (pdf)
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Recovering from a disaster (111 KB) (pdf)
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Recovering from a disaster-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree) (84.1 KB) (pdf)
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Recovering from a disaster-French (93.4 KB) (pdf)
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Helping children and teens recover from a disaster (115 KB) (pdf)
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Helping children and teens recover from a disaster-nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree) (113 KB) (pdf)
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Helping children and teens recover from a disaster-French (95.6 KB) (pdf)
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Helping you recover and stay well after a disaster (96 KB) (pdf)
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Helping older adults recover from a disaster- Tips for families and caregivers (109 KB) (pdf)
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Substance use after a disaster (266 KB) (pdf)
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Substance use after a disaster-French (79.4 KB) (pdf)
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Trouble coping after a disaster-postcard (640 KB) (pdf)
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Emotional wellbeing in a disaster- playing cards (3.51 MB) (pdf)
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Wildfire Smoke and your mental health (83.7 KB) (pdf)
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Wildfire Smoke and your mental health for health professionals (84.2 KB) (pdf)
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Spiritual Care to Support Well-being in a Disaster (165 KB) (pdf)
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Spiritual Practices to Well-being in a Disaster Worksheets (647 KB) (pdf)
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E-Prep Emergency Preparedness
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Self-care Toolkit
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Self-Care Toolkit Guide for Individuals (5.21 MB) (pdf)
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Self-care for Personal Wellness PowerPoint (5.38 MB) (pptx)
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Self-Care Workbook for Individuals (2.56 MB) (pdf)
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Self-Care Toolkit Guide for Organizations (5.21 MB) (pdf)
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Self-care for Organizational Wellness PowerPoint (8.41 MB) (pptx)
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Self-Care Workbook for Organizations (2.81 MB) (pdf)
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Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit
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Post Disaster Door-to-door Outreach Toolkit (3.07 MB) (pdf)
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Mental Health Promotion Theories and Evidence (477 KB) (pdf)
Recovery Alberta D-Stress Box Breathing Video
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Click here to play video Recovery Alberta D-Stress Box Breathing Video <b>Instructions</b> - click 'Read more' for full instructions<br> - Begin by letting all of the air out of your lungs. <br> - Breathe in for 4 seconds as you follow the green dot up the left side of the box.<br> - Hold or pause for 4 seconds as you follow the green dot along the top of the box. <br> - Breathe out for 4 seconds as you follow the green dot down the right side of the box.<br> - Hold or pause for 4 seconds as you follow the green dot along the bottom of the box.<br> - Repeat 5 times. <br> <br> <b>Tips</b><br> - Breathe in and out through your nose.<br> - During the pause, you may wish to keep a slight lifting sensation at the back of the throat, rather than clamping down. <br> - Try not to clench the jaw or tense your body.<br> - If you feel light-headed or it doesn’t feel right, go back to the natural rhythm of your breath, or find a pace that feels comfortable for you.
Contact Us
Questions or concerns, email us at: hpdip.mh.earlyid@recoveryalberta.ca
To order printed resources, go to: https://dol.datacm.com/
User ID: mentalhealthresources
Password: mh2016
About Us
Mental Health Promotion & Illness Prevention (MHPIP) works with Recovery Alberta, Acute Care Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, Assisted Living Alberta, and AHS staff as well as community partners and other stakeholders to develop tools and resources intended to promote mental health and help prevent mental illness across the lifespan. The goal of these resources is to:
- increase mental health literacy;
- improve and maintain positive mental health through healthy life-style practices;
- identify and reduce the risk factors associated with the development of poor mental health or a mental illness;
- reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and poor mental health.
There are several theories and evidence that guide the work of MHPIP. Many health professionals use our resources in their practice to support their patients and clients. We have developed several resources that can be helpful for health professionals in the promotion of positive mental health.
