Morneau Shepell Ltd. is partnering with the Ontario government to provide its online cognitive behavioural therapy program to Ontarians aged 16 and over during the coronavirus pandemic. The program will be offered as part of a suite of mental-health supports now available to Ontarians for free. “During this time, people’s mental health and well-being are […]
The Empire Life Insurance Co. is including a mental-health navigator in all of its group benefits plans beginning May 1. Through the navigator, which is provided by Teledoc Health Inc.’s Best Doctors, plan members are guided by a registered nurse or social worker specializing in mental health. It draws on a care team of clinicians, […]
While physical well-being is vital during the coronavirus pandemic, the situation is raising multiple mental-health issues, including rising stress levels exacerbated by job uncertainty and social isolation. Looking at mental-health policies and tools, innovative practices and work-from-home protocols, Benefits Canada hosted a panel of experts in a webinar on March 31 to answer plan sponsor […]
When a person experiences a cancer diagnosis and undergoes treatment, it can be one of the most distressing experiences they can go through, so it’s important for employers to understand psychosocial oncology. “We’re now collecting evidence to show that proactive care — psychosocial oncology — is effective in helping people prepare and deal with psychological […]
Ontario’s new publicly funded cognitive behavioural therapy program is likely to complement, not replace, the CBT offerings that are currently available through group benefits plans, say experts. Last week, the Ontario government announced it will invest $20 million to launch Mindability, which it will roll out in the spring and further expand in the fall. The program will provide […]
While insomnia is a disorder, it’s just as commonly a symptom, which most people and physicians don’t grasp, said Dr. Atul Khullar, medical director at the Northern Alberta Sleep Clinic. A lot of times, not sleeping is essentially the body breaking down because of a separate disorder, risk factor or residual symptom of a mental-health […]
Mental-health symptomology — such as difficulty concentrating, feelings of isolation and lack of motivation — is incredibly impactful in the workplace and makes it difficult for people to function at or return to work. “There’s no question that anxiety and depression are very prevalent in the Canadian workplace and are very relevant to plan sponsors,” […]
In recent years, advancements in technology have led to the development and cost-effective delivery of sophisticated digital mental-health programs, with burgeoning resources for common mental-health problems. Today, a Google search for ‘digital therapies for anxiety’ yields more than 67 million results, while ‘digital therapies for depression’ brings up more than 80 million results, said Dr. […]
Over the last 40 years, the mortality morbidities of cancer, HIV and cardiovascular disease have dropped dramatically, but the mortality of suicide has gone up, according to Dr. Sam Ozersky, president and chief executive officer of FeelingBetterNow. “Ten people per day, mostly from the ages of 15 to 25, die from suicide,” he said during […]
Internet-based programs are the future of mental-health therapy, according to Peter Gove, the former innovation leader in health management at Green Shield Canada, speaking during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Toronto Mental Health Summit on Nov. 29. “Cognitive behavioural therapy is probably the most adaptable therapy to a digital environment because it’s very manualized — you […]