Wellness Resources
There are many services, programs, and resources available in Guelph and the surrounding area. Find one that is right for you from the list below!
Mental Health
| The University of Guelph's Employee and Family Assistance Program | Access to counselling is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week through the University's EFAP provider, Homewood Employee Health toll-free at 1-800-663-1142. Assistance to access EFAP can also be arranged through Occupational Health & Wellness at ext 52133. |
| A Guide for Staff & Faculty: Steps to Supporting a Colleague in Distress | This guide is intended for University of Guelph staff and faculty members to learn how to support a colleague who is in distress. Read through this guide to learn how to recognize signs of distress and how you can offer supportive assistance. |
| Not Myself Today |
In 2022 the University of Guelph is launched the Not Myself Today (NMT) initiative. NMT is an evidence-based initiative – offered by CMHA – that supports workplace mental health. Originating in the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Not Myself Today aligns with the National Standard of Psychological Health and Safety and has three main goals:
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| Bounce Back | BounceBack® is a free skill-building program managed by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). It is designed to help adults and youth 15+ manage low mood, mild to moderate depression and anxiety, stress or worry. Delivered over the phone with a coach and through online videos, you will get access to tools that will support you on your path to mental wellness. |
| Self-Assessment Tools | Links to credible organizations that provide questionnaires, information and tools to assist in self-assessment of mental health or addiction concerns. |
| National Indian Residential School Crisis Line |
Call 1-866-925-4419. Offers support to former residential school students and those affected. Available 24 hours. |
| Togetherall | Access a supportive online community available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Resources include artistic tools, guide programmes on a range of topics, different tests to help you determine how you're feeling and useful resources. |
| More Feet on the Ground | This online resource is intended to be a one-stop shop for any campus professional looking to understand more about mental health and refer a student to relevant programs or departments. It was developed to help faculty, administration and campus staff learn how to recognize, respond and refer students experiencing mental health issues on campus. |
| Check-up from the Neck Up | Use this site for a simple, online, private mental health check-up and for many resources to help you, your family members, or your friends. |
| Here 247 | Call 1-844-HERE247 (1-844-437-3247) anytime to access addictions, mental health, and crisis services. |
| Hope for Wellness Help Line | Call 1-855-242-3310. Offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples across Canada. Phone and chat counselling is available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut. |
| Distress and Crisis Ontario | Distress Centres (DC’s) across Ontario offer support and a variety of services to their communities. At a DC you can find a listening ear for lonely, depressed, and/or suicidal people, usually 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The website also offers a chat function. |
| LinkedIn Learning Videos and Training Courses | Log into LinkedIn Learning for a variety of free videos and courses on different topics, including Thriving @ Work, Happiness in the Workplace, Health and Wellbeing and more. |
| Compass Community Services | Access individual, family, couple, and credit and debt counselling. Walk-in counselling services are available Wednesdays from 1pm - 7pm. Fees apply. |
| Camino Wellbeing + Mental Health | Individual, couple, family, and group counselling options are available. A walk-in clinic is open on Thursdays from 12 pm - 6pm. Fees may apply, but no one is turned away based on an inability to pay for services. |
| Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington Dufferin | The Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington (CMHA WW) provides a full care system for those with addictions, mental health or developmental needs. They serve everyone from children to adults to seniors, all under one roof. |
| Mental Health Awareness Videos | Watch videos of people sharing their own experience of dealing with mental health issues including speaking to their manager about a mental health concern. |
| Connex | Free and confidential health services information for people experiencing problems with alcohol and drugs, mental health and/or gambling. Available 24/7. |
| University of Guelph Counselling Services' Mental Health Resources | While counselling services serves students at U of G, their website lists many mental health online resources, videos and apps that staff and faculty may find helpful as well. |
| Mood Disorders Association of Ontario | Access fact sheets, pamphlets, and program resources on anxiety, depression, seasonal affective disorder, bipolar disorder, and more. |
| TorchLight | Call 519-821-3760/1-888-821-3760 any time if you are experiencing distress about your circumstances. |
| Mental Health Works | Find resources for employees on mental health in the workplace, including how to talk about it, accommodations, and human rights resources. |
| Healthy Minds @ Work | Resources available through the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. |
| Guarding Minds at Work | This tool is designed to support organizations protect psychological safety and promote psychological health in the workplace. Learn how psychological health and safety is defined and resources to enhance the 13 psychosocial factors. |
| Health Canada | Information about mental health, protective and risk factors and strategies for promoting positive mental health. |
| Think Mental Health | A resource developed by Ontario’s health and safety system partners, to provide informative and actionable mental health resources, with the goal of helping you create a psychologically safe and healthy workplace. |
| Assembling the Pieces Toolkit | This toolkit is designed to support organizations working to implement the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard). This course is delivered as an on-line e-learning course. |
| Mental Health Apps | Mental health apps for your Windows, IOS, and Android devices. |
| Take your Break Activities | Take Your Break activities are focused on helping to improve the mental health of employees, including those who may experience depression, anxiety-related disorders or excessive stress at work. |
| I Matter | A resource developed by the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, which is your guide to life as a veterinarian. The website provides a lot of practical strategies for enhancing your wellness, particularly if you are working as a vet. |
| Compassion Resilience Project | An internal U of G initiative for the animal care and use community, providing virtual and in-person resources to reduce emotional distress, fatigue and burn-out. Attend one of their Compassionate Chat Circles! |
Stress Reduction and Relaxation
| Stress Management and High Performance Clinic | Join a program on campus on relaxation, anxiety, sleep, worry, headaches and more. Sign up online. |
| Workplace Strategies for Mental Health- Stress Reduction | Exercises for stress reduction and deep relaxation, including free video resources. |
| Workplace Strategies for Mental Health- Personal Development | Emotional intelligence enables us to monitor our impact on others, manage our own stress, and respond more effectively to others in the workplace. |
| Plan for Resilience | This resource can help improve your ability to bounce back after a set-back and identify effective strategies. |
| Stress Management Tool | Stress Strategies is a free online tool that uses practical methods to identify and address the source of our stress. |
Grief and Loss
| The University of Guelph's Employee and Family Assistance Program | Access to counselling is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week through the University's EFAP provider, Homewood Employee Health toll-free at 1-800-663-1142. Assistance to access EFAP can also be arranged through Occupational Health & Wellness at ext 52133. |
| Multi-Faith Resource Team | Call 519-824-4120, Ext. 58909. |
| Hospice Wellington | Hospice Wellington coordinates all grief support groups in Guelph. Call 519-822-6660 (Residence Level/Main Line) or 519-836-3921 (Community Level) for a referral. |
| Hospice Waterloo Region | Call 519-743-4114 for more information on free professional counselling and supports for adults, children, and teens. |
| Bereaved Families of Ontario - Midwestern Region | Participate in free peer grief support to individuals and families grieving the death of a loved one. The Midwest Chapter serves KW and Wellington County, but support groups are available in other locations. |
| Parents Without Partners | Join a support group for single parents. Canadian chapters exist in Guelph and Burlington. |
| Pregnancy & Infant Loss (PAIL) Network | Pregnancy and Infant Loss Network is an organization families turn to for support and hope in dealing with pregnancy and infant loss. |
Physical Activity
| University of Guelph Athletics Fitness and Recreation | Learn about fitness opportunities on campus. Employees and staff get reduced NRG and membership. Check out the NRG drop-in hours. For information regarding memberships, click here! |
| Gryphons Fitness Work from Home Stretching Tips | Have you been sitting at your desk for too long? Maybe working from home has you sitting on a hard chair or awkwardly set-up causing aches and pains. This quick 10-minute stretching routine will help! |
| City of Guelph Programs and Activities Guide | Learn about an array of local programs designed to help people of all ages get active, learn new skills, and meet new people. Not from Guelph? Go to your City or Municipality website to find activities closer to home. |
| Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines | How much should you move to achieve health benefits? Find out through the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology's Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. |
Nutrition
| Unlock Food Ontario | Browse this website for answers to your nutrition questions and recipes. In Ontario, can you can now call Telehealth Ontario toll-free at 1-866-797-0000 to speak to a dietitian for free, evidence-based nutrition and healthy eating information. |
| Dietitians of Canada | Access recipes and browse through nutritional research, healthy eating tips, and an online food log to track your eating patterns. |
| University of Guelph Health and Performance Centre | Consult with a registered dietitian. |
| The University of Guelph's Employee and Family Assistance Program | Receive nutritional coaching by phone from a registered dietitian. |
| Canada's Food Guide | Find out what you should be eating and how much |
| Guelph Family Health Study - Family Friendly Cookbooks | A recipe book focused on preventing food waste, while helping parents and children eat lots of fruits and vegetables. |
Ergonomics and Back Health
| University of Guelph Occupational Health and Wellness Ergonomics Program | Learn about U of G's ergonomics awareness program and view helpful videos to help improve your ergonomic positioning at work. |
| Lap Top Ergonomics for Working Remotely | A blog article written by Occupational Health and Wellness at U of G. |
Safety
| Campus Community Police | For emergencies on campus, call ext 52000 or dial 519-840-5000. For non-emergencies, call ext 52245 |
| Safe Gryphon App | Download a free campus safety app for your smartphone. Access a real time security feed, emergency contact, support resources, and more. |
| Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis | A community organization that provides free services to women and their children on woman abuse and sexual violence. Reach their 24-hour crisis line at 519-836-5710 or 1-800 265-SAFE. |
Smoking Cessation
| Cessation Resources | View a list of compiled resources, supports and services available on the Smoke-Free U of G website. |
| How to Quit Smoking | Resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
Drugs, Alcohol, and Gambling
| Connex Ontario | Access 24/7 confidential and free information about drug and alcohol addition services in Ontario. |
| Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) | Find information about this international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem. |
| Narcotics Anonymous (N.A.) | Group support for recovery from the effects of addiction through working a twelve-step program. |
| SMART Recovery Self-Management and Recovery Training | A science-based addiction recovery support group, where participants learn self-empowering techniques to aid recovery through mutual-help face-to-face and online meetings and services. Local meetings are held Thursday 5:30 - 7:00 PM in the Community Room at the Guelph Community Health Centre, 176 Wyndham St. N. |
| Al-Anon Family Groups | A community resource providing fellowship and support to spouses, adult children, partners, relatives, co-workers and friends of alcoholics who meeting anonymously to share their experience, strength and hope in order to solve common problems. Call their Family Groups Meeting Information Line at 1-888-425-2666 or receive 24-hour help by calling 519-836-1522. |
| Homewood Health's Community Addiction Services | CADS provides assessment, outpatient treatment, and referral to community resources for people coping with problem gambling behaviours. In addition, the CADS clinical team has specialized training to deliver treatment for video-gaming/internet problematic behaviours. Call 519-836-5733 ext 2396 for more information. |
| Homewood Health Family Services |
Addiction affects every family member. Homewood's family program delivers education, support, and discussion with people who are going through the same issues. Individual counselling is also available for family members. For access to this service, call 519.836.5733, ext 2396. |
Adult Caregiving
| Caregiver Connections Waterloo-Wellington | An online community for caregivers of adults in Waterloo-Wellington to share and connect. |
Parenting
| Let's Talk Parenting | Dial 1-800-265-7293 ext 7006 to talk to a nurse about questions related to pregnancy, infant and child health, parenting, and community supports. |
| Caring for Kids | Information for parents from Canada's pediatricians. |
| Healthy Habits Happy Homes Podcast | The podcast, Healthy Habits, Happy Homes provides evidence-based advice, tips, tools, and interviews with experts to help your family develop healthy home routines. |
Travel Health
| Health Canada Travel Health and Safety Page | Find information on travel health risks and how to prevent them. |
Retiring Well
| U of G's Retirement Planning Resources | View the retirement checklist and useful links to help you plan for the retirement you want. |
| Workplace Strategies for Mental Health | Download the questionnaire to reflect and proactively plan for the quality of life you desire in retirement. |
Resources to Help Students
| Guide to Mental Health Supports for Students | The Mental Health and Wellness Resource Guide is designed to provide practical resources to assist our faculty and staff with supporting student well-being and mental health, it provides contact information for resources related to students' academics, health, and well-being. |
| SHINE This Year | A one-stop-shop for campus resources for students, including year-round programs, supports groups, trainings, advising and more. |
| Student Wellness Services | Student Wellness Services provides health and wellbeing supports and services to students and to the campus community. |
| Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health | The Centre identifies and compiles best and promising programs, practices and resources to help Ontario's post-secondary institutions enhance their capacity to support student mental health and well-being. |