Helping a student

The University of Ottawa is committed to the good health and well-being of its students and to fostering good mental health in order to make it possible for students to reach their full academic potential.

Friends, family members, professors and staff are often well-placed to notice students who are in distress and to provide help. This page has resources to assist them in doing so.

Helping a person in distress (quick guide)

We highly recommend that you read and print this quick guide to helping yourself or someone when in distress (PDF). It is meant to help campus community members recognize, respond to and refer those around them who need assistance. Displayed and shared around campus, it also becomes a powerful tool to raise awareness around mental health and wellness issues.

The guide is being translated into the most common languages on campus. Please use the version that suits you:

• Helping Someone In Distress/Helping Yourself When in Distress (English) (same as above)
• Helping Someone In Distress/Helping Yourself When in Distress (French)
• Helping Someone In Distress/Helping Yourself When in Distress (Spanish)
• Helping Someone In Distress/Helping Yourself When in Distress (Arabic)
• Helping Someone In Distress/Helping Yourself When in Distress (Simplified Chinese)
• Helping Someone In Distress/Helping Yourself When in Distress (Farsi)
• Helping Someone In Distress/Helping Yourself When in Distress (Algonquin)

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N.B. Above is the new (2020) version of the guide. Copies of the previous (2017) guide or the 2017 accessible guide are also available. Note that we will soon be replacing it completely.

Other resources

Training resources

MoreFeetOnTheGround.ca is a mental health education partnership program and website that uses online materials and vignettes to teach students, staff, and faculty of Ontario universities ans colleges how to Recognize, Respond, and Refer individuals experiencing mental health concerns on campus.

Resources for families and care-givers

eMentalhealth.ca provides a searchable database of resources for families and caregivers of children and adults experiencing mental health issues. The database is searchable by region and service type.

eMentalHealth.ca database search tool

Search	Where Locations
depression, psychologists, etc.	city or postal code