- Especially when living with diabetes, a chronic condition affecting more than 4 million Canadians, that can mean making countless decisions every day about food, rest, play and more.
- Living with diabetes is a constant balancing act of planning nutrition, monitoring blood glucose, managing medications - and the fear that there is risk of a myriad of potential diabetes-related complications, including blindness, kidney disease, amputation, and even early death.
- In addition to physical symptoms, diabetes carries with it a significant psychosocial burden and a greater risk of mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. However, few Canadian mental health providers have the knowledge about diabetes that can help to address the unique mental health needs of people living with the condition.
JDRF Canada is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. JDRF Canada maintains responsibility for the program.
This training program aims to address the knowledge gap for mental health providers in Canada, by providing the education and tools that will help providers deliver the best support to their patients with diabetes.
This is a FREE*, virtual training program about diabetes specifically designed for mental health providers, that involves 6 self-guided modules and a live interactive session totaling 10 hours of learning. This curriculum was developed by diabetes and mental health experts from across Canada, led by co-chairs Dr. Michael Vallis and Dr. Tricia Tang.
Who can benefit from taking the Mental Health + Diabetes Training Program
Mental Health Providers
Registered providers looking to deepen their knowledge about chronic conditions and expand their practice.**
Healthcare providers and people affected by diabetes
This training may be of interest to healthcare providers and those in the diabetes community wanting to learn more about diabetes and mental health.
If you are a registered Canadian mental health provider, successful completion of the training program qualifies you to apply to be listed in a newly developed Mental Health + Diabetes Directory. This is a national online directory of mental health providers with diabetes training, that people living with diabetes and health providers can use to refer to connect with trained providers.***
*Free for a limited time
** Only registered Canadian mental health providers will be eligible for listing in the Mental Health + Diabetes Directory
***Please note this is not an accredited course but may be eligible for continuing education credits. Please refer to your registered college requirements to determine eligibility.