Mental health: Tools and resources for managers, heads and deans
Explore the curated mental health resources available to UBC managers and leaders in support of their unit, team or department.
You can access additional tools and resources to support your own mental health by exploring Faculty and staff mental health resources.
Supporting your unit, team or department
Identify declining mental health in your direct reports
UBC's mental health continuum for managers and leaders can help you find resources and actions to take to support employees when they are thriving, surviving, struggling, or in crisis.
Support faculty or staff in distress: The Orange Folder
The Orange Folder is a printable guide, designed for UBC faculty, staff and leaders to assist a colleague in distress. This includes guidance for leaders seeking HR support, and steps for responding to a Critical Incident.
Share available counselling support and benefits
Community resources
There are many mental health resources available locally, provincially, and federally, which you can find on the Faculty and Staff mental health resources. We have also developed a curated list of resources for managers and leaders in BC.
Other UBC resources
UBC has a range of specialized services available for managers, leaders, and teams seeking mental health resources and support for wellbeing in the workplace. Below is a list of resources tailored for leaders; if you are seeking specialized services to share with faculty and staff, you can find these listed on our Faculty and staff mental health resources.
Separation and divorce
If your marriage or common law relationship ends, you may need to make some changes to your benefit coverage. You may also want to connect with a counsellor, free of charge, through UBC’s Employee and Family Assistance Program.
You can read more about these topics below, but here’s a summary of what you need to do if your marriage or common-law relationship ends:
- If you need support, reach out to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, which offers a range of counselling and support services.
- If you are divorced or your common law relationship ends, UBC requires that you remove your former spouse or partner from the Extended Health, Dental, Employee and Family Assistance Program and Spouse Optional Life Insurance and AD&D benefit plans. If you are separated, your spouse can continue their coverage for as long as you remain legally married.
- Decide whether you want to change the beneficiary information for your UBC life insurance and pension.
- Update your address if you are moving, and provide us with new emergency contact information if you listed your spouse or partner as your emergency contact.
Contact UBC’s Employee and Family Assistance Program for counselling support
During this time, you may want to speak with a counsellor through UBC’s Employee and Family Assistance Plan. UBC’s EFAP provider, GreenShield, offers confidential counselling support that is available in-person and by phone, web or mobile app. In addition to counselling, GreenShield offers Work, life, and health Services that can assist you in the areas of family, financial and legal support.
Remove a spouse or partner from your benefit coverage
If you are divorced or no longer in a common-law relationship, you must remove your former spouse or partner from the Extended Health, Dental Care and Employee and Family Assistance Program.
If your spouse or partner also had coverage under UBC’s Spouse Optional Life Insurance and AD&D coverage, you must remove them from this coverage.
UBC does not allow former spouses or partners to remain as dependents and continue receiving coverage through the UBC Benefits Plan, even if this is part of your divorce agreement/court order. If you are required to continue benefits coverage for your former spouse, you will need to arrange for a private plan and pay the provider directly. You can purchase coverage for extended health and dental plans from many different insurance companies, including UBC’s provider, Sun Life. For more information on Sun Life’s individual insurance products, visit Sun Life My Choice Plans or call Sun Life directly at 1-877-893-9893.
You can remove someone from your UBC Benefits Plan in Workday. For more information visit Making Enrolment Changes page.
You may want to remove your former spouse or partner from your MSP coverage. Information on how to remove a dependent from your MSP coverage is available through the Medical Services Plan website.
If you are separated and not yet divorced, your spouse can remain covered under the benefit plans as long as you remain legally married. However, if you are separated and enter a new common-law relationship, you can enrol your new partner only if you remove your former spouse from the plan.
Change the beneficiary for your life insurance and pension
You may want to change the beneficiary on your life insurance and your UBC pension plan. You can do this in Workday. For more information visit Making Enrolment Changes page.
Naming a new beneficiary for your pension can be more complex. Please contact the UBC Pensions Administration Office to discuss your situation and learn about the steps required.
Update your contact information
If your address or emergency contact will be changing as a result of your separation or divorce, be sure to update your information in Workday.
For Workday resources and help visit the Integrated Service Centre.
Mental health tools and resources for HR professionals
As an HR professional, you play an important role in supporting teams and leaders at UBC.
Familiarize yourself with mental health and psychological safety resources - both UBC and external – and share them with departments, units and faculties where appropriate.
Visit mental health tools and resources for managers, heads and deans for specific information tailored for this audience.
HR supporting UBC leaders and teams
For details on our Employee and Family Assistance Program, take a look at this Outline of Eligibility, Services, and Resources for HR professionals.
Substance use and addiction support resources
For people who struggle with substance use and addictions, it can sometimes be difficult to seek out help and support.
If you are looking for help, or you want to support someone you know in finding assistance, the following resources are available.
Counselling services
Opioid overdose and prevention resources
In 2016, the Province of British Columbia declared a public health emergency due to a significant increase in drug-related overdoses and deaths, primarily driven by a toxic and unregulated supply of illicit drugs. Since then, more than 15,000 lives have been lost in B.C. to toxic drugs, with fentanyl—a potent synthetic opioid—found in the majority of these cases.
In alignment with these objectives, the UBC Overdose Prevention and Response Program is designed to guide the prevention of opioid overdoses by making naloxone readily available and easy to use across the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.
Community resources
- HealthLink BC: Mental health and substance use information
- StopOverdoseBC.ca: Overdose awareness and support
- Toward the Heart (BC Centre for Disease Control): Harm reduction and overdose response
- Here to Help: Mental health and alcohol and other drug use information
Work, health, and life services
Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) gives you access to work, health, and life services, to help you overcome challenges throughout your journey.
In just a few clicks, the GreenShield+ platform can help connect you with trained professionals including registered nurses, nutritionists, financial coaches and more to help you achieve your goals.
With GreenShield, eligible faculty, staff and their dependents can access:
- Unlimited financial and legal consultations,
- Up to 5 hours (annually*) of access to health and nutrition support
- Up to 5 hours (annually*) for career and retirement transition coaching
- And up to 5 hours (annually*) for life transition consultations.
*Annual maximum resets every November
Book a consultation
Sign in to the GreenShield+ platform or call 1-866-424-0770 to get matched to the service you need.
Not sure how to access GreenShield? Take a look at our EFAP page for more information.
Services available
Legal & Financial
Get professional financial and legal advice to empower you to make the right decisions.
Health & Nutrition
The mind and body are connected. GreenShield's dietitians and healthcare providers are here to help you feel your best.
Work & Career
Career consultants are ready to help you take your career to the next level.
Life Transitions
We all experience change. Get support through it all with our health team.
Additional work, life, and health support
These supports from our EFAP provider, GreenShield, are not intended to be full-service offerings, particularly if you are dealing with a complex case. These services are a great way to get short- and medium-term assistance and to discuss what additional services are needed to assist you.
If your situation is more complex or requires more long-term support it might be best if you access additional support outside of the Employee and Family Assistance Program. For example:
- You can access up to $3000 in psychological services through your extended health benefits.
- If you require counselling services that can help with the social and emotional aspects of work/life challenges, we have more details on the Counselling Services page.