Help & Resources for Employees
We are glad you stopped by. This section will direct you to mental health and related resources on campus for your own support.
If you need information on referring a student to wellbeing resources on campus, visit our Students page or the Centre for Student Development Counselling.
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The Office of the Vice President Equity and Community Inclusion is proud to support a variety of community networks/groups across the campus that give visibility to a diverse range of voices and create inclusive spaces, to address barriers and foster community engagement.
Click on one of the networks/groups to find out more information and/or get involved.
- Black Faculty and Staff Community Network
- Employees with Disabilities Community Network
- First Nations, Métis and Inuit Community Group
- Immigrant Employees Community Network
- Jewish Employee Community Network
- Latinx Employee Community Network
- Muslim Employee Community Network
- Parent Network
- Positive Space Faculty & Staff Network
Notice, Engage, Refer + Debrief (NER+D) is a training program designed to help TMU community members respond to mental health related distress. Developed by experts in psychology, adult learning and public health, has been updated and adapted to support our TMU community in times of COVID.
People use substances such as drugs and alcohol for many reasons. We might use substances to relax, have fun, cope with or escape a problem or dull emotional/physical pain. There are times when one might find that a dependence or reliance on substances has become problematic, interfering with one’s ability to enjoy life, or function at one’s normal level.
If this arises, there is support available.
Resources include:
- Medical Centre
- Employee and Family Assistance Program
- Metro Addiction Assessment Referral Service (MAARS) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) (external link)
- Rapid Access Addiction Clinics
- Certain hospitals offer low barrier access for patients seeking treatment for any substance use disorder. There are currently programs available at St. Michael’s Hospital, (external link) and Toronto Western Hospital, (external link) . Also, Toronto Public Health, (external link) has more than 50 harm reduction programs with resources across the city.
Offered as a part of the ‘Work Life’ initiative with Human Resources, Wellbeing at Work comprises number of resources designed to help employees in their personal and professional lives.
Resources include:
Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
The Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) is a confidential and voluntary support service that can help with many kinds of problems and challenges in your life. The program is administered by Shepell (external link) and services are entirely anonymous.
Workplace Wellbeing Services
Workplace Wellbeing Services is a department within Human Resources that provides information, guidance and support regarding short or long term sick leave and accommodation plans for employees with disabilities. Contact them for more information.
Workshops to support wellbeing
Toronto Metropolitan’s Workplace Wellbeing Services team offers workshops and events to faculty and staff on an ongoing basis, both in support of wellness and to invite conversation about mental health and wellbeing.
Take a break
Taking a break not only improves your mental wellbeing and reduces stress, it leaves you feeling recharged and can boost your productivity.
On Campus Resources
Toronto Metropolitan University is committed to accessibility in learning and employment spaces for students, employees and members of our community. The Toronto Metropolitan Accessibility webpage contains information and resources about accessibility in the classroom, workplace and on campus.
We’re committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), aiming to ensure that dignity, integration and equality of opportunity are embedded in all aspects of Toronto Metropolitan's culture.
Athletics & Recreation is an inclusive and positive space that welcomes you to move, sweat, laugh, learn, relax and grow. Membership (external link) is included in tuition for full time students, and is also available at a discounted rate for staff, faculty, alumni and community members. Membership includes:
- Access to both the Athletic Centre (RAC) and Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) (external link) , open up to 17 hours a day, including pool, saunas, indoor track, spinning, squash courts, gyms, ice rink and stretch/dance studios
- Free access to our extensive Group Fitness and Spin class schedule (external link) , Intramural Sports program (additional fee for Intramural ice hockey) and Drop-in Recreation schedule (external link)
- Member rates on clubs (student-focused) and instructional/certification courses
Women’s only hours (external link) , available to everyone who identifies as a woman and/or trans person, are also offered across a range of programs and facilities as well as inclusive and accessible change spaces (external link) .
Consent Comes First provides sexual violence supports and education to the Toronto Metropolitan University community. Support is provided to university community members affected by sexual violence, whether or not the violence happened on or off campus, before they came to Toronto Metropolitan, or whether or not the person who caused harm is or is not a university community member.
Consent Comes First provides the following supports:
- Academic considerations and workplace accommodations
- Understanding the reporting options available
- Navigating systems and resources within the university and the community
- Safety planning
- Referrals to counselling and medical services
- Self-care resources
- Education, training and awareness activities
The Office of the Vice President Equity and Community Inclusion and the units under this office provide services to support all Toronto Metropolitan community members as we work together to create and foster an environment that is genuinely, intentionally inclusive.
The following units comprise ECI:
- Aboriginal Initiatives
- Accessibility
- Education and Awareness
- Human Rights Services
- Diversity Self ID
The OVPECI provides the following services: leadership and strategic planning, consultation services, workshops and events, assessments and monitoring, and human rights services.
Student Care works with the Toronto Metropolitan community to identify students in distress, address disruptive student behaviour and help students who are dealing with challenging personal, academic and/or financial issues. By sharing your concerns about a student who is distressed or disruptive, you can help create a culture of caring at Toronto Metropolitan.
Employees can connect with Student Care for help with concerns with:
The Medical Centre offers quality health services to current students, staff and faculty. The medical team consists of family physicians, psychiatrists and medical trainees.
The Medical Centre requires that you book an appointment to see a doctor. You can either call the Medical Centre at (416) 979-5070 or drop into the clinic during business hours (scroll to bottom of page) to set up a time. You will need to bring your Health Card (a valid, unexpired OHIP card) and your One Card.
ThriveRU sessions and events support staff and faculty in cultivating resilience in their students, as well as in their own lives. Through ThriveRU’s various offerings, including guest lectures, single workshops, and multi-session training sessions, faculty and staff can learn - for themselves and for their students - how mindfulness, gratitude, optimism, self-compassion, and grit combine to build resilience.
Contact Dr. Diana Brecher dbrecher@torontomu.ca for more information about how to arrange for her to design a lecture for your class. Stand-alone workshops specifically for staff are also available.