Discover the importance of Mental Health Week

Mental Health Week is an annual event to celebrate and raise awareness about the importance of mental health.

This year’s theme is Healing Through Compassion because #CompassionConnects.

Participate in activities and events

By participating in Mental Health Week, Defence Team members can contribute to creating a supportive and psychologically healthy environment which is essential for the well-being and effectiveness of the team as a whole. It's an opportunity to learn, share experiences, and take advantage of the resources provided to improve mental health and resilience.

Here is what’s going on:

May 8: Attend the in-person or virtual edition of the Mental Health Week Wellness Fair

Are you looking for ways to improve your mental health and overall wellness? Do you want to learn about the programs and services available to you as a military member or public service employee? If so, then be sure to check out the Defence Team’s Mental Health Week Wellness Fair.

Attend in-person in the National Capital Region

Program representatives will be on-site at National Defence Headquarters (Carling) and available to discuss the programs and supports they offer. Stop by to meet program representatives, explore the various resources available to you and ask questions.

• Date: May 8, 2024
• Time: Noon to 2 p.m.
• Location: National Defence Headquarters (Carling) Building 5 (Atrium and East Cafeteria)

Attend virtually

Take a virtual tour of the various wellness resources, programs and supports available to you, with multimedia presentations from kiosk representatives, downloadable resources, and much more!

Register for the upcoming webinar: Self-Compassion: A Healing Tool

Practicing self-compassion enables us to evaluate our experiences more rationally and helps us develop more effective solutions for making things better. Self-compassion is a powerful tool for motivation and is strongly related to psychological well-being, including increased life satisfaction and resilience, and decreased anxiety and depression.

In this webinar you will:

• Explore the concept of self-compassion.
• Self-assess your own level of self-compassion.
• Learn how self-compassion relates to psychological well-being.
• Understand how self-compassion can have a positive impact on your personal and career goals.
• Gain strategies to develop self-compassion.

English Session

Date: May 9, 2024
Time: 1-2:30 p.m. (EDT)
Speaker: Tami Murray, M.S.W.

French Session

Date: May 10, 2024
Time: 1-2:30 p.m. (EDT)
Speaker: Samantha Lantagne, Language Coach & Facilitator

Register here! (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website, for internal audiences only.)

All Defence Team members are invited to attend. A link to the virtual presentation will be provided to registered participants.

Find Support

Department of National Defence employees and their family members who require support can call the Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-663-1142 (24/7).

Canadian Armed Forces members and their families can call the Member Assistance Program at 1-800-268-7708. Family members in need of support and resources can reach out to the Family Information Line at 1-800-866-4546, (24/7).