Health and Wellness Resources

/ Grad Student's life, Mental Health / By

-Zahraa Chorghay

Whether you’re a new or returning graduate student dealing with a health issue or simply trying to flourish despite the stress of research (and whatever else you’ve boldly heaped onto your plate!), it is helpful to know what health and wellness resources are available to you on campus. The Graduate Association of Neuroscience (GSAN), through whom you’re currently accessing this blog post, has a constitutional focus on Wellbeing; here, you can access a comprehensive list of campus resources, keep up-to-date with upcoming discussion group events, and sign up for the GSAN Peer Support Network. Beyond this core resource, the rest of this blog post will list a few key health and wellness resources that you can access; while it is not a complete list, I hope that it will provide you with at least a bit of direction in your time of need!

  • Student Wellness Hub – physical and mental health
  • Student Insurance
  • Empower Me
  • Peer Support Resources
  • Non-traditional Wellbeing Resources
  • Academic and Career Advising Resources
  • Health Lines

The McGill Student Wellness Hub is your one-stop-shop on campus for anything related to health and wellness. Most services will be covered by your basic health insurance, including provincial health insurance for Canadian residents or Blue Cross insurance for international students.

  • Physical health: access to health professionals including nurses, doctors, and dieticians; wide range of services from vaccinations, blood tests, and sexual health information.
  • Mental health: access to health professionals including therapists and psychiatrists.
  • Access to other resources. For example, the Hub has made available online self-help tip sheets on a number of topics from depression to healthy eating.
  • Rumour has it that a Montreal-wide map of health and wellness resources is being compiled! It’s not available yet but stay tuned for this important resource.

All students are required to sign up for additional insurance on top of the basic health insurance. Unless you have private insurance and have chosen to opt out of student insurance, most of us are covered by the Postgraduate Student’s Society (PGSS) StudentCare plan. Their portal will help you figure out which additional health services are fully or partially covered, such as dental cleaning, physiotherapy sessions, medications, and a host of other services. 

Importantly, PGSS StudentCare gives you access to Empower Me (password: Studentcare), a 24/7 mental health resource that connects you with qualified counsellors, consultants, and life coaches, for sessions delivered in person, by telephone, by video-counselling, or by e-counselling. You can get support for a variety of issues including relationships, family care, depression, anxiety, addictions, stress, and work conflicts. They also offer academic life services, such as life coaching, financial planning, and nutritional counselling.

If you find that you would like to talk to someone but not necessarily a health professional, you can access a number of Peer Support resources on campus or in the Montreal area. 

  • McGill Peer Support Centre – offers active listening services Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00, and connects you to other resources
  • Sexual Assault Centre of McGill’s Student Society (SACOMSS) – Drop-In and Line (DIAL), support groups, advocacy, and outreach, including sexual assault sensitivity training, and connects you to other resources
  • McGill Nightline (514-398-6246) and Chatline – offers active listening services from 18:00-03:00
  • Vent Over Tea – offers free active listening services, where you meet and speak with their volunteers at a local cafe
  • 7 Cups – 24/7 online access to free trained listeners and low-cost therapists

Self-care can look like doing something you are passionate about, self-expression, or engaging with your community. In other words, it’s important to explore non-traditional well-being resources!

  • McGill Athletics – offers space, resources, and classes for a wide variety of athletics activities, from competitive intramural sports to fitness centre access to recreational classes! It’s a key hub on campus to help you meet your fitness goals. Note: most of the activities are associated with extra fees.
    • Fitness Access McGill – in collaboration with other departments on campus, this is a small program aiming to make fitness accessible for those with physical disabilities. 
  • McGill Art Hive Initiative – offers a space and resources to make art Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00, no experience necessary
  • Spin Bike Gardens – “silent spin bikes in soothing green enclaves” in designated areas on campus (click on the link for a map)
  • The Yellow Door – an organisation dedicated to community engagement, with lots of activities like mindful meditation, art hives, the Rabbit Hole Cafe on Fridays, and volunteering with seniors program, among others; close to campus (Prince Arthur & Aylmer) and worth checking out!

While we typically think of our wellness in terms of our physical and mental health, as graduate students, a lot of stress and anxiety can come from thinking about our current academic performance or future career goals. Academic and Career Advising resources are crucial to our wellness resource repertoire.

Finally, no matter what time it is or where you are, you may need to talk to someone immediately. Here are some Health Lines you can call, other than 911 (for emergent situations).

I hope you find these resources useful in helping with your health and well-being goals this academic year, and throughout your time at McGill. At the same time, if there are any resources you know of in the Montreal area that you think would be crucial to add here, I’d love to hear from you at zahraa.chorghay@mail.mcgill.ca. All the best!