Why a Tool Kit?

The idea for a Mental Health Promotion tool kit came from people working to address individual and collective health concerns in many communities across Canada. Over the past year or two, CMHA, in partnership with the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) conducted nation-wide surveys to find out what is being done to promote mental health locally. The surveys showed that there is already a wide range of community-level activity which can be termed "mental health promotion". These activities include efforts such as helping children to develop healthy self-esteem, providing individuals with mental illness with the skills and opportunities for obtaining meaningful employment, and bringing seniors and children together to share stories and experiences.

Those who responded to the surveys also offered a valuable suggestion: they told us they needed a standard set of tools and resources to develop, implement and evaluate their mental health promotion practices.

This tool kit is a response both to that suggestion, and to the apparent gap in resources on practical aspects of implementing mental health promotion.

Why is it called a Tool Kit? >