Why Minds Connected?
Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community (World Health Organization, 2004). We think of mental health as a positive concept, something that everyone can achieve, regardless of whether they have a mental illness. In Lambton, we are generally mentally healthy, resilient and have access to a number of resources that foster good mental health. And yet, some of us continue to struggle so we can do better. We must do better. Minds Connected encourages everyone to take action to fill gaps in mental health support, to evaluate the impact of the actions we do take, and to share those evaluations so we can learn from each other.
Mental health promotion is about empowering individuals, families and communities to maintain their own positive mental health. Minds Connected encourages everyone to take action to fill the gaps in mental health support. In particular, the interventions and resources for educators, employers and health care providers are intended to equip these professionals with the tools needed to promote positive mental health among students, employees and the broader community.
40%
of students said there was not one adult staff member at their school that they would be comfortable going to for help or support
53%
of parents think that their child’s school would have the resources to help if they had concerns about their child’s mental health
54%
of adults are comfortable talking to their employer about mental health
63%
of adults would first turn to their primary care provider for mental health supports or services
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Minds Connected?
Minds Connected is an internet-based platform that provides access to evidence-based interventions and resources for organizations and individuals to use in our community. It is also a centralized location for all community members to access information about mental health services in Lambton County.
Who should join Minds Connected?
Any employer or educator who wants to improve mental health in their workplace or school should sign up. Whether you want to implement a new program or just share some valuable information, we’ve got ideas for you.
In the future, we will have interventions for other settings so even more people can participate in creating a mentally healthy Lambton.
Why do I need to sign up to see interventions?
We want to help! When you sign up, we can offer support, answer any questions, and provide encouragement along the way. You will also be able to provide feedback this way by commenting on the interventions for other users and letting us know the impact you saw from the intervention. Eventually, we’ll be able to see the impact across all of Lambton.
What is expected of me if I join Minds Connected?
Sign up. Pick an intervention. Let us know how it went! We want to know which programs are having the biggest impact here in Lambton so others can join in. We’ll support you to implement an intervention and evaluate its impact. You’ll also be able to provide feedback for other employers and educators who may be interested in that intervention.
How were the interventions chosen to be included on this website
All interventions come from a systematic literature search and review of best practices databases from Canada and the US for universal mental health interventions that had been shown through rigorous research to improve outcomes. Interventions were further identified based on a program’s availability or accessibility and in the case of school boards, consultation with Mental Health Leads. If you want access to the full list of interventions from the review and databases, contact us!
The Goals of Minds Connected
Minds Connected uses a whole-of-community, multi-sectoral approach to promote mental health and to improve access to mental health services through an internet-based platform.
Our goals include:
- For individuals and families:
- Increase self-reported mental wellbeing
- Increase individual knowledge and skills for mental health
- Decrease perceived mental health stigma and discrimination
- Increase access and appropriate use of mental health services
- For organizations
- Increase use of evidence-informed interventions for mental health
- Increase evidence for effectiveness of interventions for mental health
- Build capacity for mental health action
- Improve coordination of mental health services
- For Communities
- Increase public awareness of mental health services
- Continue to build supportive community culture for mental health
- Increase public and community awareness of interventions implemented and their impact
- Increase action for mental health promotion across all community settings
