Lesson One - Resiliency and Community Resources

Lesson Outcomes

• Summarize community resources available
  
• to assess resiliency and help individuals with stress and crisis management
• for people living with mental health conditions
• for family and friends of people living with mental health conditions
  

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Resiliency

Resiliency is a fascinating aspect of human nature. People can be faced with incredible challenges and still persevere because of their resiliency. What exactly is resiliency and how do people have different levels of it?

Resilience is defined by the American Psychological Association as:

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Alberta Health Services

Sometimes inner strength is not quite enough for what someone is facing and they must look to external resources. Knowing what is available in your community is a critical first step in reaching beyond personal resources and utilizing something outside of your own cache.

To help narrow down community resources, take a look at this Alberta Health Services (AHS) zones map to determine which zone you live in.

Once you have determined which zone you are in, you can easily find community resources available in your area by going to this AHS website and choosing which zone you live in. Under the “Find Healthcare” heading, choose ‘Programs & Services’. Once there, the service type would be ‘mental health and wellness’ and you can fill in the rest of the information as it pertains to you. Alberta Health Services will provide you with mental health services available within your community (or close to you, depending on what range you set). This tool will give you a great idea on where to start looking in your community for external guidance.

Also check out the AHS children and youth addiction and mental health website! You will find links for more specialized mental illnesses and life events.

If you want information about mental health or addiction services in your community, you can call 811.

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Kids Help Phone

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Other Community Resources

The Government of Canada has listed a number of resources that are available to all Canadians depending on what exactly is needed. These programs are nation-wide, so they can be accessed through the internet or by phone, but usually not in person. For in-person programs, refer back to the AHS program and services search. Here is a list of resources from the Government of Canada for you to check out:

• Preventing Suicide: Warning Signs and Getting Help
• Bullying: Services and Information
• Violence and Abuse: Services and Information
• Mental Health and Wellness in First Nations and Inuit Communities
• Mental Health Services for Canadian Armed Forces Members and Families

Remember, there are some indicators to watch for in yourself and in others for when to access external resources. Here are some of the indicators:

• You are not feeling like yourself
• You are or have recently experienced a crisis
• You are hurting emotionally
• You have thoughts of suicide
• You know of someone that meets any of the above criteria

The following are comprehensive listings of resources available to youth. Make sure that you check out at least one of the areas so that you know what is available by clicking on the buttons below.

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What is a Crisis?

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines a crisis as “a situation (e.g., a traumatic change) that produces significant cognitive or emotional stress in those involved in it”. This is a fairly broad explanation and can encompass quite a few different scenarios.

There are three main types of crises that a person can experience:

1. Developmental crisis—anything to do with the different stages of life and growing.
2. Situational crisis—sudden and unexpected life events including personal tragedies or natural disasters.
3. Existential crisis—any type of inner conflict a person has that deals with spirituality, the meaning of life, or even the direction one’s life should take; a good example of this would be a midlife crisis.

A crisis can be quite obvious at times, such as losing a loved one. In other cases, mostly with existential crises, an individual might not even realize that they are experiencing an actual crisis even though the changes in mood and behaviour are no less dramatic than with developmental and situational crises.

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What To Do in a Crisis

There are different steps to take depending on whether you are the individual experiencing a crisis, or if you are helping someone in a crisis.

If you are the individual who is experiencing the crisis, here are some factors to keep in mind to help maintain your mental health:

If you are helping someone through a crisis in their life, here are some factors to keep in mind:

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Crisis Intervention

The APA defines crisis intervention as a “psychological intervention provided on a short-term, emergency basis for individuals experiencing mental health crises, such as an acute psychotic episode or attempted suicide”.

The purpose of crisis intervention is to help reduce emotional, psychological, physical, and behavioural reactions to life events that can cause a crisis. It helps to bring people from a heightened state back down to their normal level of functioning.

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