The holidays can be a stressful time for some people.
Hands Family Help Network in partnership with Ontario 211 is offering mental health services 24/7 this holiday season.
The mental health crisis line for the district has been active for nearly one year according to director of child and youth services, Michelle Dermenjian.
“There are family and child therapists are available Monday through Friday until 9:00 pm throughout the year but we have trained individuals who provide mental crisis support through Ontario 211, ” she said.
According to Dermenjian, over the holiday season there are a number of triggers that could affect an individual’s mental health.
“If a person is in crisis over the holiday’s, reach out to a crisis line. Another piece that is critically important is the ability to build a community and build a capacity to feel safe. This is where I would welcome the community to come to one of our walk-in counselling clinics to look at developing a safe and secure space, developing trust through confidentiality and continuing to build on that. There are times of crisis that will blindside us at a variety of times in our lives, and it’s important to develop a sense of capacity and community around us,” Dermenjian said.
Creating a safe space for a community is to simply listen to adults, youth and families who present issues with their mental health.
“Often, individuals just want someone to listen to them and have that sense of presence and not a sense of hurry, not necessarily fixing it or having a solution,” she added. “Somebody that we trust or have a sense of security while we walk through that. I think its a response that’s needed in the moment to reduce that presence of the crisis. Then it’s a process and a journey that we need to do as a community. Hands role would be twofold: being there and responding in a crisis.”
The mental health crisis line can be reached 24 hours per day at 1-844-287-9072 to provide confidential mental health services or by visiting the mental health crisis line website here.
