Back at it again, this is sort of like a yearly checkpoint! First semester is over, second term is fully underway and the January blues are starting to flow away. The days are getting longer and now we have reading week and hopefully you’ll be able to use this as a chance to recuperate and rest before the next wave of midterms is upon us. In lieu of this, I hope to once again bring attention to some of the mental health and academic resources available to students of the university all free of charge!
In recent years the public eye has turned to mental health and begun to acknowledge the importance of taking care of your own mental health but there is still a disconnect between the services available to people. A single appointment with a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist can be expensive without insurance coverage and is often ruled out as a potential option for those seeking such help. As students looking for free resources we can access can be hard and time consuming so hopefully the list I have compiled can be of help!
Here I have divided the resources into three categories. (1)
If you are in immediate danger or someone you know is in immediate danger call 911
Phone and text helplines : these are used for emergencies, crises, and anonymous counseling
- Crisis Text Line : text 686868 as a Canadian or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a counselor
- Kids Help Phone : text, call, or or chat 1-(800)-668-6868
- Toronto Distress Centre : text or call (416)-408-4357 offer emotional support and have support & crisis intervention programs
- National Aboriginal Circle Against Family Violence : 1-(866)-299-1011
- Assaulted Women’s Helpline : call 1-(866)-863-0511 or text 1-(866)-863-7868
Online resources : these are some informative sites that can help you gain a better understanding of your own mental health or someone else’s struggle
- CAMH : https://camh.ca/
- Offers a wide variety of informative articles, courses to take, and further guidance if seeking mental health help
- Some useful links include
- https://camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-health-101
- https://camh.ca/en/your-care/programs-and-services
- https://camh.ca/en/suicide-prevention/resources
- UofT Health and Wellness Portal : https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/department/health-wellness/
- Our own health and wellness department has a pretty wide selection of programs and and services they offer to students for free
- Mostly consists of workshops and medical assistance
Academic resources that could potentially help you succeed! (2)
- Accessibility Services : For any students who have a disability or mental health challenges can register for academic accommodations which could include
- Test accommodations, note taking services, extensions etc. For a more extensive list of who can register visit https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/task/who-should-register-with-accessibility-services/
- Registering can help you succeed in your academic life and act as a safety net for you
- Academic Success : Through this part of the student life portal you can access different workshops and and tips to help you with some more everyday academic challenges like
- Effective note taking, effective reading, presentation & public speaking, and more! More here https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/task_levels/academic-success/
- College & Faculty Resources : Here are a few links to each of the 7 different college academic support services
- Trinity College : https://www.trinity.utoronto.ca/study-arts-science/academic-support-services/
- Victoria College : https://www.vic.utoronto.ca/current-students/registrars-office/
- Innis College : https://innis.utoronto.ca/current-students/academic/
- New College : http://www.newcollege.utoronto.ca/current-students/academic-advising-registrarialservices/
- St Mikes College : https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/community/student-services
- University College : https://www.uc.utoronto.ca/students-current-students-advising-support-services
- Woodsworth College : https://wdw.utoronto.ca/contact
- Mississauga Campus : https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/current-students#Academics
- Scarborough Campus : https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/home/academic-life
- Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering : https://undergrad.engineering.utoronto.ca/academicsregistration/registrars-office-2/contact-us/
- Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Design : https://www.daniels.utoronto.ca/resources/student-services
- Faculty of Dentistry : https://www.dentistry.utoronto.ca/students/current-students/student-servicesand-student-life/student-services
- Faculty of Education : https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/orss/Accessibility_Services_and_Academic_Accommodations.html
- Faculty of Information : https://ischool.utoronto.ca/current-students/academic-resources/
- Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education : https://kpe.utoronto.ca/academics-research/studentservices
- Faculty of Law : https://www.law.utoronto.ca/student-life/academic-support
- Faculty of Commerce (Rotman) : https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/Connect/Contacts
- Faculty of Medicine : https://medicine.utoronto.ca/about-faculty-medicine/contact-us
- Faculty of Music : https://music.utoronto.ca/student-services-resources.php
- Faculty of Nursing : https://bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca/current-students/academic-resources/
- Faculty of Pharmacy : https://www.pharmacy.utoronto.ca/apply-student-support/student-life-services
- Faculty of Public Health : https://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/students/current-students/student-resources/
- Faculty of Social Work : https://socialwork.utoronto.ca/current-students/student-life-services/
These are just a few links that you can access through your student ID, there is much more support than it seems at first glance, you just gotta find out where to look for it!