Using the web to tackle mental illness

Leaving home to attend post-secondary school is a daunting prospect for any student, but it's even more challenging for those with mental illness, said local psychologist Alana Holmes.

That's the motivation behind an interactive online curriculum being developed by Cambrian College, in partnership with 11 other agencies, school boards and post-secondary institutions.

These partners include Laurentian University and the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.

Holmes, who works at the Cambrian College-based Northern Ontario Assessment and Resource Centre, an agency supporting post-secondary students with learning disabilities, is one of the leads on the project.

She recently learned the province is supporting the project with a three-year, $424,089 grant from the Mental Health Innovation Fund.

“I really think it's a great idea,” Holmes said. “I'm quite happy the government is putting money out there to address such issues.”

Holmes said the pilot program, which will likely be ready to go in the winter of 2016, will be for Grade 12 students who self-identify as having mental illness.

The online modules are designed to help them successfully transition into post-secondary education.

“It gives them more knowledge about themselves and their disorders, and it gives them more knowledge about what supports are out there,” Holmes said. “The world of high school and the world of post-secondary are different.”