Have a Masters or PhD level of education in mental health. Their services vary by jurisdiction, but always include talk therapy, and can sometimes offer diagnoses. Their services are covered by provincial or territorial healthcare if they are working as part of a provincially funded program, and they can also work in private practice and bill their patients or their private insurance directly.
Every practitioner is different. There are many types of talk therapy offered in Canada, and each therapist brings their own personality and approach to each one. So, don’t be afraid to shop around! Therapists are trained to provide referrals to programs that might be a better fit. For therpaists working in the private sector, most will have a biography and description of what therapy with them is like on their website, so Google their name beforehand.
Self-management, or self-help strategies, are often effective on their own at improving mental health symptoms, but are usually most effective in conjunction with other types of therapy.
However, there are lots of barriers to accessing mental health services in some communities, so starting with a self-management strategy is a great way to take action in the meantime while someone is waiting.
Some of the activities we often recommend include:
Stay tuned for upcoming courses on each of these at mindskills.ca
Other things that help promote positive mental health can be just about anything. If someone enjoys doing something, that is a way to support recovery. Some things that are common types of other supports are: