BounceBack

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It’s common to feel low, stressed out, worried, depressed, irritable, angry or nothing at all. With the right tools and practice, you can reclaim your mental health. You have the power to make positive changes, and BounceBack can help.

BounceBack is a free, guided self-help program that helps adults and youth 15+ learn to manage low mood, mild to moderate depression, anxiety, stress or worry. Through telephone coaching and skill-building workbooks, participants can learn ways to overcome their symptoms and improve their mental well-being.

Based on cognitive behavioural therapy, BounceBack has been shown to reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms by 50%. Already offered by CMHA in BC, Ontario and parts of Manitoba, where it is funded by provincial governments and donors, BounceBack was expanded to the rest of Canada, including Nova Scotia in 2021. The expansion of BounceBack is made possible by a $1 million donation from Bell Let’s Talk.

BounceBack® Coaching

If you like having someone to motivate you and encourage you to reflect, the BounceBack® coaching program may be right for you. A trained coach will help you learn skills to improve your mental health in up to six telephone sessions over three to six months. Your coach will help keep you on track and offer support as you work through the program materials. You design your own program by selecting materials from 20 different modules or 9 specially designed workbooks for youth. Coaching and workbooks are available in English and French.

The effectiveness of the coaching program

Since being launched across BC in 2008, BounceBack® has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by 50% at program completion. Research studies have found BounceBack® to be clinically effective. Over 90% of participants in the BC program said they would recommend it to a friend or family member, and 88% said BounceBack® helped them make positive changes in their lives.

Read more about the clinical effectiveness of the BounceBack® BC program in the BC Medical Journal (Vol. 61, No, 1, Jan Feb 2019) here.

Your primary care provider

You can refer yourself to BounceBack® if you are already connected to a primary care provider (including a physician or nurse practitioner) or a psychiatrist. The BounceBack® team will connect with your care provider and continue to loop them in when needed. You do not need a primary care provider to access the BounceBack® Today videos.

More information about the role of the care provider can be downloaded here.

Who is eligible for BounceBack® Coaching?

In order to start with the BounceBack® Coaching program, individuals must meet the following criteria:

• 15 years of age or older living in Canada
• Already connected to a primary care provider (physician or nurse) or psychiatrist
• Mild-to-moderate depression, with or without anxiety
• Not at risk of harming self or others
• Do not have a personality disorder
• Have not had a manic episode or psychosis in the last 6 months
• Capable of engaging with and concentrating on materials
• Not significantly misusing drugs or alcohol to the extent that it would impact engagement in CBT treatment

Instructions

Complete the online self-referral form and be sure to include the contact information for your primary care provider so that CMHA can contact them. Here is more information about the program for your primary care provider.

To find out whether BounceBack is right for you, please visit cmha.ca/BounceBack.

In order to start with the BounceBack® Coaching program, individuals must meet the following criteria:

To find out whether BounceBack is right for you, please visit cmha.ca/BounceBack.