Mental health programs and resources for Defence Team members: yours to access 365 days a year

May 4, 2021 - Defence Stories

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Mental health programs and resources for Defence Team members: yours to access 365 days a year

The Canadian Forces Member Assistance Program (CFMAP) and The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) are here to help public service employees and CAF personnel, families and veterans cope with professional or personal challenges that may be impacting their health and well-being.

If you find yourself needing a helping hand or simply wanting to talk to someone, the CAF/DND have resources available to help.

DND public service employees and their families have access to:

• EAP Peer Advisors (link accessible only on the National Defence network) – DND civilian employees provide confidential active-listening skills and resources to employees in need. Email the EAP positional mailbox or call HR Connect at 1-833-747-6363 to be connected with a readily available colleague from 0800-1600 hours Mon to Friday. You will be contacted within 24 hours. 
• Health Canada - Employee Assistance Services (EAS) – Provides short-term professional counselling services. This service is available 24/7, 365 days a year, by calling 1-800-268-7708 or 1-800-567-5803 (TTY). 
• LifeSpeak (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website) – Web-based service that offers free confidential access to hundreds of short videos by experts on everyday issues.
  • Username: canada
  • Password: canada

CAF members and their families have access to:

• Canadian Forces Member Assistance Program (CFMAP) – Members of the CAF, veterans, and their families can access free, confidential counseling, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-268-7708 or TDD 1-800-567-5803 (TTY).
• The Family Information Line (FIL) (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website) – FIL counsellors are available to handle calls in confidence 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To speak with a FIL counsellor, call 1-800-866-4546 (toll-free in North America) or 1-613-995-5234 (collect calls accepted). 
• Military Family Resource Centres (MFRCs) (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website) – CAF members and their families have access to dedicated, frontline service providers, responsible for connecting military families to a wide range of programs and services. 
• Military Medical Centres – Locate a centre anywhere in Canada. 
• Crisis Texting Service for Kids of CAF Families (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website) – Children, youth and young adults from military families can access free mental health and wellbeing support by texting the keyword CAFKIDS at 686868 for service in English. For service in French, text the keyword JEUNESFAC at 686868. 
• LifeSpeak (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website) – Web-based service that offers free confidential access to hundreds of short videos by experts on everyday issues.
  • Username: canada
  • Password: canada

Additional Resources

• The Office of Disability Management (link accessible only on the National Defence network) was created to be an impartial, collaborative and inclusive group that supports employees and supervisors/managers dealing with disability-related matter due to illness, impairment and injury.
• The Mental Health and Well-being Corporate Office (link accessible only on the National Defence network) supports the mental health and well-being of employees by providing access to educational tools and resources to assist in building a safe, supportive and respectful work environment.
• Defence Team COVID-19 – Mental Health and Wellness Hub
• Assess your own mental health using the Mental Health Continuum tool (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website)
• Resource Catalogue (link accessible only on the National Defence network) – A repository of resources for individuals themselves, managers and many more.