WELLNESS RESOURCES

Support centres and additional resources:

• National Overdose Response Service – No Judgement. Just Love. 1-888-688-NORS(6677)
• British Columbia’s directory of Mental Health & Substance Use Supports in BC (search by location, type of use, and/or audience).
• Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. 
• BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services provides specialized treatment, education, health promotion and more for British Columbians.
• Government of Canada: Get help with substance use. 
• Stop Overdose – The Ministry Of Mental Health and Addictions.

Articles about Pain Avoidance and Addiction:

• Language matters: speaking about substance use.
• CAMH: Talking About and Spotting Substance Abuse. 
• Canucks Alumni talk about stigma. 
• Where Can I Get a Naloxone Kit?
• Why addressing stigma around substance use matters by Jessica Werb (UBC)
• Stigma around drug use – Government of Canada.

Pain Avoidance and Addiction self-assessments and tools:

• The Brave app – Virtual overdose prevention in your pocket, so you don’t have to use alone.
• Here to Help‘s online screening for mental well-being, depression, anxiety, and substance use.
• The Next Step Toolkit – designed for people who are concerned about their loved one’s substance use.
• Mobile apps/virtual treatment for mental health and substance use.

Support centres and additional resources:

• Crisis Services Canada is a confidential place to talk or text in your own way. They can help understand thoughts and feelings, and connect with local support resources. 
• Indigenous crisis supports crisis lines
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention:
  • I’m Having Thoughts of Suicide
  • I’m Concerned About Someone 
  • How to Support a Suicide Attempt Survivor
• HereToHelp is a group of seven leading mental health and substance use non-profit agencies that have been working together to help people live well and better prevent and manage mental health and substance use problems.
• Suicide Attempt Follow-up, Education & Research (S.A.F.E.R.). 

Articles about Suicide Prevention:

• Everyone Has a Story by Brene Brown.
• You Can Help With Suicide Prevention. 
• Vocabulary: how to talk about suicide.
• An editorial Men and Suicide by the Centre of Suicide Prevention.
• What does successful recovery look like?
• Promoting Hope and Resiliency is Central to Suicide Prevention.
• Oil, Heartbreak, And Manhood: Behind The Mental Health Crisis Of Alberta’s Oil Workers by Omar Mouallem

Suicide prevention self-assessments and tools:

• Heads Up Guys Mental Health Self Check
• Here to Help‘s online screening for mental well-being, depression, anxiety, and substance use.
• Canadian Mental Health Association’s quick online assessment to measure your mental health.

Support centres and additional resources:

• Canadian Center for Diversity and Inclusion is a social organization helping Canadian employers move from diversity to inclusion.
• AMSSA (the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC) is BC’s province- wide umbrella association with over 70 member organizations who build culturally inclusive communities.
• Canadian Center for Gender + Sexual Diversity aspires to support communities in a shared vision of a discrimination-free gender and sexually diverse world.
• Government of Canada: Discover the significance of multiculturalism in Canada — ensuring that all citizens keep their identities, take pride in their ancestry and have a sense of belonging. 
• McKinsey’s Diversity and Inclusion insight centre

Articles about Diversity and Inclusion:

• The Dangers Of Mistaking Diversity For Inclusion In The Workplace by Dana Brownlee.
• Closing the Diversity Gap by ReNew Canada
• Building diversity: the value of inclusivity in the construction industry by Andrea Lee and Kaleigh DuVernet
• The value of diversity and inclusion in the Canadian construction industry: A business case by the Canadian Construction Association
• Embracing diversity in the workplace: A good business decision from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Pain Avoidance and Addiction self-assessments and tools:

• Harvard’s Project Implicit assessments which are designed to help you understand attitudes, stereotypes, and other hidden biases that can influence our perception, judgment, and action.
• Diversity and Inclusion Toolkits from the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
• The Diversity Toolkit, created for the US Utilities sector but useful to trades employers in Canada as well

Support centres and additional resources:

• Anxiety Canada offers great resources and support to help you understand and manage anxiety, and includes a list of local professionals who can help.
• The BounceBack program is a free service to help you improve your mental health and includes materials and resources that can all be customized to fit your needs
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Mental health support services from the Government of British Columbia
• Man Therapy is a US based site which offers self-assessments, resources and strategies specifically for men on things like anger and rage, substance abuse, depression and anxiety
• For information on suicide prevention and support in non-life threatening situations: Crisis Services Canada or Crisis Centre BC 

Articles about Depression and Anxiety:

• When Depression and Anxiety Occur Together By Sheryl Ankrom, MS, LCPC
• Canadians reporting more anxiety and depression than ever before, poll finds by Ryan Flanagan
• Canadian Mental Health Association: Mental Health Resources for the Construction Industry by Erin Stephenson
• Mental health — Construction’s silent epidemic by John Bleasby
• Mental Ill-Health Risk Factors in the Construction Industry: Systematic Review by Albert P. C. Chan, Janet M. Nwaogu, John A. Naslund, Ph.D.

Anxiety and Depression self-assessments and tools:

• Depression Hurts (by the Mood Disorders Society of Canada) has a depression symptoms checklist which you can complete, and then take to your doctor to discuss.
• Man Therapy has a scientifically validated 20 point head inspection, which gives you a run down of how you excel and where you can improve your mental health
• Here to Help BC offers information on mental wellness including self-assessments on anxiety and depression

Support centres and additional resources:

• The BounceBack program is a free service to help you improve your mental health and includes materials and resources that can all be customized to fit your needs
• Canadian Mental Health Association 
• HeretoHelp BC provides mental health and substance use information you can trust
• Mental health support services from the Government of British Columbia
• OpenMind BC provides information and resources for parents of youth who are struggling with their mental health
• For information on suicide prevention and support in non-life-threatening situations: Crisis Services Canada or Crisis Centre BC

Articles about Emotional Intelligence:

• The importance of emotional intelligence in construction by Jill Pennington
• How Emotional Intelligence Can Transform Construction’s Hypermasculine Culture by Brent Darnell
• Emotional intelligence is bettering the construction industry by Bryan Dixon
• 12 Signs of Low Emotional Intelligence — Plus Tips for Building It by Crystal Raypole
• Emotional intelligence: 6 tips to apply it in everyday conversation by Stephanie Overby

Emotional Intelligence self-assessments and tools:

• MindTools’ How Emotionally Intelligent Are You? Assessment
• UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine’s Emotional Intelligence quiz to determine how well you are able to read facial expressions, a key sign of emotion
• Verywellmind’s How Emotionally Intelligent Are You? Quiz
• The Other Kind of Smart – Emotional Intelligence quiz 

Support centres and additional resources:

• Your Employee and Family Assistance Program if you have access to one. Employees on an eligible ICBA benefits plan have access to Lifeworks either through their website or through their 24/7 toll-free helpline on 1-877-207-8833
• Canada Life’s Workplace Strategies for Mental Health website has a fantastic set of resources for employees (and people leaders) which include a lot of information on psychological safety, bullying and harassment
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• HeretoHelp BC provides mental health information you can trust
• Mental health support services from the Government of British Columbia
• For information on suicide prevention and support in non-life threatening situations: Crisis Services Canada or Crisis Centre BC
  

Articles about Psychological Safety:

• What is psychological health and safety and why is it important? by Guarding Minds at Work
• Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace Strategy by Safe Work Manitoba (while this article does contain Manitoba-specific references, the statistics and stories are very valuable for all)
• True psychological safety in the workplace depends on employees knowing what it is by Bill Howatt
• Does Your Airplane Have Psychological Safety? By Romeo Vitelli (this article, while not directly tied to construction, applies the concept of psychological safety to aviation, to show the potentially catastrophic consequences that a lack of psychological safety can have)
• The Value of a Psychologically Healthy Workplace by Allison Abrams

Psychological Safety self-assessments and tools:

• HRInsider’s Anti-Harassment & Bullying Quiz
• Does Your Team Have Psychological Safety, the Most Important Quality for Success? Just 5 Questions Will Tell You

Support centres and additional resources:

• BC Cancer’s Services and Support page provides a list of both their own resources and resources available in the community
• The Canadian Cancer Society’s Resources page includes a range of helpful information through cancer information videos, publications, recipes and webinars
• The Canadian Cancer Society has another helpful page which lists support services available including providers of wigs and prosthetics, and transport to treatment, as well as a community where you can connect with people who have cancer, have survived cancer and caregivers
• Inspire Health offers free programs and classes to support the complete wellbeing of anyone with a cancer diagnosis and their support people, both in person in BC and online.
• Receiving a cancer diagnosis, or having a loved one diagnosed with cancer can have a significant impact on our mental health. For information on suicide prevention and support in non-life threatening situations, visit https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/ or https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/

Articles about Cancer:

• Reduce your risk by the Canadian Cancer Society
• Work-related skin cancer among construction workers set to double by 2060 by Grant Cameron
• How you can support a friend through cancer by Suleika Jaouad
• Lung Cancer Myths and Facts by Lung Cancer Canada
• For Patients and Caregivers: Coping and Emotional Support by Lung Cancer Canada
• What kind of changes in my body should I report to my doctor? by the Canadian Cancer Society
• Listen First: And 9 other ways to support someone with cancer by Canadian Cancer Society

Cancer self-assessments and tools:

• It’s my life!  Interactive tool to learn how you can reduce your personal risk of cancer.
• My CancerIQ by Cancer Care Ontario offers a series of assessments to determine your risk factor for 6 common cancers.
• Teva Canada’s Caregiver Self-Assessment to help you identify whether you are experiencing burnout while caring for a loved one who may be going through cancer treatment.

Support centres and additional resources:

• Credit Counselling Society  is a free service which provides financial advice for people who are struggling with debt and/or making ends meet
• Planswell  is a Canadian tech company offering free financial plans through their app to support anyone to be financially better off
• The  BounceBack program  is a free service to help you improve your mental health and includes materials and resources that can all be customized to fit your needs
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Financial stress can have a significant impact on our mental health. For information on suicide prevention and support in non-life threatening situations, visit https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/ or https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/

Articles about financial fitness:

• What the pandemic taught us about our money by Credit Counselling Society
• 25 ways to stay on top of your budget by Elyce Mankewich
• How Working On Your Mental Health Can Help Fix Your Finances by Richard Eisenberg
• 7 Bankruptcy Myths, Misconceptions & Facts in Canada by Julie Jaggernath
• 3 tips to get family finances back on track by Sophie Nicholls Jones
• Money the biggest source of stress for Canadians: FP Canada by Advisor’s Edge
• Financial Stress: How to Cope By Elizabeth Scott, PhD

Financial fitness assessments and tools:

• Government of Canada’s Budget Planner is a great online budgeting tool which helps you create a budget in a clear way that is easy to refer back to
• Government of Canada’s Financial Goal Calculator, which is a helpful tool to plan your saving goals or create a pathway to get out of debt.
• The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada has a financial literacy self-assessment quiz to find out how your financial literacy skills and knowledge measure up compared to other Canadians.

Support centres and additional resources:

If, after reflecting, you feel like you could use some support with your mental health, here are some support centres and additional resources to help:

• Canadian Mental Health Association
• The BounceBack program is a free service to help you improve your mental health and includes materials and resources that can all be customized to fit your needs
• HeretoHelp BC provides mental health and substance use information you can trust.
• Credit Counselling Society is a free service which provides financial advice for people who are struggling with debt and/or making ends meet.
• Mental health support services from the Government of British Columbia
• For information on suicide prevention and support in non-life threatening situations:
  https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/
  https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/

Articles about reflection:

• What Is Self-Reflection and Why It Matters For Wellness by Tchiki Davis, Ph.D.
• Here’s How Self-Reflection Can Strengthen Your Emotional Intelligence by Juli Fraga
• How to practise self-reflection by Calmer
• How Self-Reflection Gives You a Happier and More Successful Life by Tracy Kennedy

Reflection tools:

• reflection.app guided annual review to help you reflect on the year that was, to set goals for a better 2022
• The Power of Self-Reflection: 10 Questions You Should Ask Yourself by Michael Woronko
• Goal Setting Tool from The Reality Slap by Dr Russ Harris