Men’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources
June is recognized as Canadian Men’s Health Month. For this month’s Resource Round-Up, we’re highlighting organizations and resources that are focused on men’s mental health and suicide prevention.
To learn more about how suicide impacts men, visit: Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Men – Evidence Brief – Mental Health Commission of Canada
Buddy Up
Buddy Up is a men’s suicide prevention communication campaign developed by the Center for Suicide Prevention. Buddy Up encourages men to check in on their buddies and provide support. As a call to action to men, by men, Buddy Up is a year-round campaign in which champions can participate in activities that promote connection and wellbeing.
Anyone can become a Buddy Up champion; champions receive access to learning opportunities and incredible swag that can help to drive authentic conversations amongst men.
Man Therapy
Man Therapy is an online resource hub and men’s mental health campaign which seeks to support men before they are ever in crisis. Man Therapy reminds “men that taking care of their mental health is the manliest things a man can do, that therapy can come in many forms and connect men and their loved ones to information, tools, and resources.
Man Therapy includes a “Take the Head Inspection” for men to check in with their mental health, a Gentlemental Health 101 Guide on a variety of topics, and suggested resources to help men connect and grow.
HeadsUp Guys
HeadsUpGuys | Men’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
HeadsUpGuys is a program of the University of British Columbia. It is an anonymous, research-backed online resource that offers practical self-care tips, screening tools, self-guided courses, inspirational recovery stories, and an international Therapist Directory, along with guidance for friends and family.
HeadsUpGuys provides a variety of self-screening tools, as well as deep dives into common stressors such as loneliness, financial strain, and work difficulties.
UBC Men’s Health Research Program
The UBC Men’s Health Research Program works to improve men’s health by focusing on the masculinities as it influences men’s health behaviours and illness management. Findings from the research works to inform men’s health interventions and offers guidance to clinicians and researchers to advance men’s health promote.
One of their programs, In Good Company, aims to promote strong social connections among men through providing information and tips gathered from Canadian men themselves. Check out In Good Company at: In Good Company
Men’s Sheds
What is a Men’s Shed – Men’s Sheds Canada
Men’s Sheds is a group of men who get together in their community to develop new skills, discover new interests, and make new friends. Symbolic of that backyard workshop where men share stories and tinker with woodworking or electronics, a Men’s Shed is grounded in the idea that men communicate more effectively when they’re “shoulder to shoulder” with other men. Men’s Shed’s Canada is a registered charity formed in 2022 to support the strengthening of existing Sheds and the expansion of new Sheds across the country.
While there is not currently a Men’s Shed in Waterloo Region, the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council hopes to collaborate with stakeholders from government, business, and the community to establish a men’s shed in our community. If you are interested in supporting this work, please reach out to wrspc-admin@wrspc.ca