Adults FAQ

Call 9-1-1, go to the nearest emergency room, or follow the emergency instructions provided by your doctor, mental health professional, or care team.

Talk to someone right away

Call 24/7 Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566

Call 24/7 Kids Help Phone Canada at 1-800-668-6868 or text 686868

Call 24/7 Hope for Wellness at 1-855-242-3310

Crisis lines aren’t only for people in crisis. You can call for information on local services or if you just need someone to talk to.

Nothing at all. The BounceBack® Telephone Coaching program and materials are free. We believe that BounceBack® provides core skills that all individuals should have access to, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

BounceBack® is based on research evidence which shows that skills and techniques are effective in helping people to overcome low mood and worry. The BounceBack® approach is based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT has also been shown to be just as effective as medication for treating depression and anxiety disorders.

People who participated in BounceBack® said they felt less worry, experienced less symptoms of depression and anxiety, and felt they had improved confidence – especially those who felt mild to moderate amounts of these feelings. From over 11,000 people who completed the coaching program, 90% said they would recommend it to a friend or family member and 85% felt they could maintain the changes they made.

As the name suggests, CBT focuses on the way we think (“cognitive”) and act (“behavioural”). The concept behind CBT is that our thoughts about a situation affect how we feel and how we behave in that situation. Skills you learn in CBT are useful, practical and helpful strategies that can be incorporated into everyday life to help you cope better with future stressors and difficulties. One example of CBT in practice would be to imagine you’re walking in a park. While in the park, a friend walks by, but doesn’t acknowledge you. We may think our friend doesn’t like us and we may get angry. BUT we could also assume that our friend is having a tough day and missed us while pre-occupied with a difficult problem they were having. The second thought might not lead you to feel angry, but rather concerned for your friend.

CBT breaks down the situation to help us understand how the way we think (“cognitive”) and the way we respond (“behavioural”) affect each other. By separating the way we feel from the way we act, we gain more control of our mind and therefore choose healthier behaviours. In our park example, we might dismiss our initial anger and make the effort to connect with our friend. You can see this in action in the program trailer video, here.

BounceBack® is a self-led learning program with added supportive coaching. BounceBack® is structured so that the workbooks are the teacher and the coach is your guide. In counselling, the clinician – such as a social worker, psychologist, or a registered counsellor – is responsible for both teaching and supporting you through the process. On the other hand, your BounceBack® telephone coach will:

• provide support and encouragement
• help clarify the lessons in the workbooks
• help you apply what you’re learning to your own life
• keep you motivated

Your first call with your coach is an opportunity to learn more about the program, and ensure that BounceBack® is the right fit for you. You will work with the same coach for the entire program and schedule your telephone sessions when convenient for you. Your phone sessions will usually be 20-30 minutes long and are typically scheduled every 2-3 weeks.

You will choose from over 20 BounceBack® workbooks which you would like to work on. On average, participants choose to work on one to two workbooks between sessions, and then reflect on the material with their coach during a session. Sometimes things get in the way and participants only finish one workbook. That is completely okay.

Sometimes a particular workbook is too difficult and participants don’t complete all of it. That is fine as well. Other times, participants cannot get to any of the material. That is also okay. Your coach will help you through these tough times and work with you to determine what is best for your wellbeing. In total, you will have six months to complete up to six sessions.

Once you have completed your sessions, you will have the opportunity to book up to two booster sessions with your coach. We want to ensure you are set up for success. These booster sessions are meant to provide you with the extra support in case you need it. You have up to six months to use these boosters from the time you finish your initial sessions.

We recommend that you spend 20-30 minutes, two or three times a week on the materials. However, we recognize everyone’s life is different and so too are a person’s commitments. What’s important is finding a pace that works best for you; one where you can routinely and consistently progress through the program. Practicing what you learn in BounceBack® is ongoing. Mental health maintenance is a daily process and we hope the program will help you establish this routine within your own life.

You do not have to finish the program. An excellent way to think of BounceBack® is like a buffet: take the skills you need and leave the rest.  For example, those who are enrolled in BounceBack® Coaching have up to six sessions available to them, but some participants might find that four is enough. At the end of the program you will have an opportunity to see how your depression and anxiety symptoms have improved from when you started the program and when you complete.

There is no waitlist for any of the BounceBack® telephone coaching programs. Once our team receives your self-referral, we will contact you within five to ten business days to schedule an information session where you will meet your coach and learn more about the program. You can also register for the BounceBack® Today video series and learn more about the content of the program while you wait for the information session.  Access code: bbtodaynat

Fill out a self-referral form online. The intake form takes 10-15 minutes to complete. You will need to provide information for yourself and provide the contact information of a primary care provider (doctor, nurse practitioner, or psychiatrist).  There is also a questionnaire to complete online to help determine if BounceBack® is right for you.

The BounceBack® telephone coaching program requires you to list a primary care provider (doctor, nurse practitioner, or psychiatrist) that will accept clinical responsibility for you during the program. We recognize that many Canadians do not have family doctors or a primary care practitioner. If that is the case, you can visit a walk-in clinic or access a virtual health clinic to request follow-up from a primary care provider. This person must agree to take clinical responsibility for your health for the duration of the program (3 to 6 months). We recommend that you have the information sheet handy and complete your registration form together with this person. This process will ensure that the program can meet your needs. BounceBack® Today videos do not require a primary care provider.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure that you have the support you need to navigate your mental health journey. The reason we ask you to provide contact information for a doctor, nurse practitioner, or psychiatrist is to ensure that you have all the support you need will you participate in the program. You and the practitioner can work together as a team to decide if BounceBack® is a good fit at that particular time, or if another program may be a better. Since we only deliver this particular program, it’s difficult for us to play that role and offer other alternatives. We feel that a doctor, nurse practitioner or a psychiatrist can provide support even after you complete BounceBack® or if you ever feel it’s not what you need.

No diagnosis is needed to participate in BounceBack®. At the beginning and end of the program will fill out a questionnaire with your coach. This helps us determine if the program is helping you and keeps your coach up-to-date on your progress. Keep in mind that BounceBack® and BounceBack® coaches are not able to provide a diagnosis; it’s best if you book an appointment with a doctor for more information how to get diagnosed.

Protecting your privacy is very important to us. All information that we collect from you in the BounceBack® program is stored electronically on a highly secure Canadian-based server. This site meets the privacy standards for electronic medical records. Our coaches are trained to ensure that your privacy and confidentiality are upheld to the highest standard.

We will not send you any mail to your home address, unless you specify that you would like something mailed to you. For instance, in the coaching platform, you have the option to receive the booklets in the mail or use an online platform. Your coach will confirm where you would like your booklets mailed prior to sending them. The packaging will not include any CMHA or BounceBack® labels.

Make sure that you bring this to the attention of your primary care provider. They will be able to conduct a thorough assessment of your mental health needs and determine the best course of action for you.

Call 9-1-1, go to the nearest emergency room, or follow the emergency instructions provided by your doctor, mental health professional, or care team.

Talk to someone right away

Call 24/7 Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566

Call 24/7 Kids Help Phone Canada at 1-800-668-6868 or text 686868

Call 24/7 Hope for Wellness at 1-855-242-3310

You can learn more about improving mental health, stress, depression and anxiety to support yourself or someone you care about on the cmha.ca website here.

Many options are available, here are a few we suggest:

Talk to your doctor or visit a health clinic.

Contact the CMHA in your community. There are 330 CMHA locations across the country. Each CMHA offers its own programs and services unique to the community it serves. To find the CMHA in your community, please go to Find Your CMHA.

For information about other services in your area contact 211 or visit 211.ca. 211 is Canada’s primary source of information for government and community-based, non-clinical health and social services. The free and confidential service can be accessed 24/7, in more than 150 languages, by phone, chat, text, and web. Toll-Free Help Line: 2-1-1 (anywhere in Canada; options for French or English support). Note: This is not a Crisis

Anxiety Canada
Expert tool and resources to help Canadians manage anxiety. This website has specific materials for adults, youth and children living with anxiety.

Talk Suicide Canada
Toll-free phone support available in English and French for anyone in Canada that is thinking about, is or has been affected by suicide. Text and Chat Support also available.
• Toll-free Crisis line (24/7): 1-833-456-4566
• Text Support (4pm-12am ET): 45645
• Chat Support (times vary by region)

Kids Help Phone
Crisis support and access to professional counselling for young people in both English and French. First nations, Inuk and Métis crisis responders available via texting and messaging options (upon request).
• Toll-free Crisis line (24/7): 1-800-668-6868
• Text Support (24/7): text CONNECT to 686868
• Facebook Messaging Support (24/7)

Hope for Wellness Help Line
The Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate help to all Indigenous peoples across Canada via the toll-free Help Line or online chat (available on the website). This service provides culturally competent counselling and crisis intervention 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Toll-free Crisis Line (24/7): 1-855-242-3310
• Chat Support (24/7)

It can be challenging navigating how to provide helpful support to someone you care about. A good place to start is to ask them how you can support them on their journey. Some may want to share things with you, such as the booklets they are working on, whereas others may want to do it completely on their own.  You can register at no cost for the BounceBack® Today video series and learn more about the content of the program.  Access code: bbtodaynat