CHL GETS SERIOUS ON MENTAL HEALTH

Red Deer, AB – The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) have announced an expanded partnership with the launch of Talk Today.

Talk Today is a proven mental health education program that will help players and team staff identify and deal with mental health issues. It will be implemented by all 60 CHL teams for the 2016-17 season.

“Mental illness directly or indirectly affects everyone at some point in their life,” said CHL President David Branch. “We are pleased to partner with Canadian Mental Health Association with our program Talk Today to further enhance the playing environment for our student athletes.”

Talk Today has been in place in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) since October 2014. CMHA Ontario branches and their local OHL teams have made a sizable impact: 670 players, 160 billets, and more than 85 coaches and front office staff have received mental health and suicide-prevention training to date.

“Young people can face tremendous stress and pressure and become susceptible to mental health challenges just like everyone else. Talk Today will provide education about mental health and suicide and encourage players and team staff to speak openly about these serious issues,” said Camille Quenneville, CEO, CMHA Ontario.

CMHA will assign a Mental Health Coach for each team. This is a person players and team staff can contact when needing help with any mental health issue. In turn, the Mental Health Coach will help connect those in need to appropriate community supports and resources. Each team will designate a Mental Health Champion, the first point of contact within the organization and someone who can communicate regularly with the CMHA Mental Health Coach.

Talk Today also includes a commitment for CHL teams to host one awareness game to help destigmatize mental health issues. This season, those OHL games were held in February and roughly 80,000 fans attended to hear and receive positive messages about mental health. Nearly 3 million people were reached on social media as well using the hashtag #TalkToday.

Talk Today helps address an important concern of which hockey players are not immune. The number of 12- to 19-year-olds at risk for depression is a staggering 3.2 million. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for young Canadians between the ages of 10 and 24. And 70 per cent of mental health problems are onset during childhood or adolescence.