Let’s Talk: Finding Reliable Mental Health Information and Resources

Welcome to the Let’s Talk: Finding Reliable Mental Health Information and Resources program for students in Grades 7-8. This program was developed in partnership with MediaSmarts and Kids Help Phone, and was made possible with funding from Bell.

The goal of the Let’s Talk program is to help young people recognize, locate and evaluate trustworthy mental health information and resources and to increase their general knowledge about mental health and mental illnesses.

Despite the fact that roughly one in six young people has a mental health challenge severe enough to cause them significant distress and to negatively affect how they function at home, at school, with friends or in the community, many youth do not seek help because they are not sure where to find good information and support.

Student outcomes for Let’s Talk include: displaying authoritative information about mental illnesses to challenge common misconceptions about them and raise awareness about stigma; learning skills to locate and evaluate reliable information about mental health on the Internet to help increase students’ personal awareness about mental health; and, demonstrating increased awareness of mental health services and supports within their communities by displaying this information on an infographic.

The comprehensive teacher training components of the Let’s Talk program have been designed to help teachers discuss mental health in their classrooms in a way that ensures the psychological and emotional safety of their students.

Teacher Training Resources

Teacher Training Presentation (Flash)

Teacher Training Presentation (HTML5) Click For French Quiz

Teacher Training Guide (PDF)

Classroom Resources

Let's Talk About Mental Health Student Presentation (PowerPoint)

Lesson Resource Kit (PDF)

For information regarding the evaluation of the pilot program, please contact Natalie Montgomery at natalie.montgomery@uottawa.ca.

Thank you to the following experts for their help in reviewing the Let’s Talk: Finding Reliable Mental Health Information and Resources program:

  • Dr. Ian Manion, Executive Director, Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health
  • Dr. Kathy Short, Director, School Mental Health ASSIST
  • Dr. Heather Stuart, Professor of Community Health and Epidemiology, Bell Mental Health and Anti-Stigma Research Chair, Queens University
  • Keli Anderson, Executive Director and co-founder of BC’s FORCE (Families Organized for Recognition & Care Equality) Society for Kids’ Mental Health