A first for Sault College and CMHA

In two years the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Talk Today program has continued to grow at the amateur sports level.

As the association continues to partner with sports teams and high schools across the country, Sault College has joined as the first post-secondary institute to get involved as roughly 180 athletes, coachers, trainers and athletic staff will participate in mental health and suicide awareness training.

“There wasn’t even a hesitation,” said Canadian Mental Health Association, Sault Ste. Marie Mental Health Coach Lisa Carricato about Sault College joining the program. “They were so excited and I’m really proud to say that I spend time at Sault College working with them because they’re really leaders with all of the work that they’re doing in providing students with support in mental health.”

The Talk Today program began in 2014 and has become one of the most comprehensive mental health programs for Canadian athletes.

Athletes and other members of the Sault College athletics department will receive training in safeTALK, which is a three-hour session that “teaches individuals the importance of mental health and how to recognize persons with thoughts of suicide.”

They will also participate in a two-day program called ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). The program helps teach those involved how to identify those at risk and intervene. The program will be offered in October.

Carricato said the athletes involved have always shown an interest during Talk Today presentations.

“It speaks volumes to where we’re at because there is a need for young athletes to be aware of mental health and aware off some of the stress-related illnesses that can happen when they’re at a young age,” Carricato said.

Getting the first post-secondary institution on board in the program was also important.

“It’s really big,” Carricato said of Sault College joining the program.

“I spend a couple of days a week at Sault College in the mental health hub and my job there is to create a presence and awareness on campus around mental health and anti-stigma campaigns and doing some training to teach people about suicide and suicide prevention,” Carricato added.

Carricato also works with the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds as well as four teams in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League including the Soo Thunderbirds, Soo Eagles, Elliot Lake Wildcats and Blind River Beavers.

Carricato spoke of the similar stresses varsity athletes at the college level are under being away from home and the local model could find its way to other schools, be it at the college or university level.

“I’m hoping that they connect with me,” Carricato said of other post-secondary schools approaching the Canadian Mental Health Association to get on board with the program, adding that she is attending a conference in Toronto in November “where other mental health programs and campuses are going to connect and talk about the partnerships that they have.”

At the varsity level, Sault College has teams in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor soccer, curling, cross country and golf.