Over ten thousand young people have used the BreathingRoom program to improve their mental health and unlock their potential.
This intuitive program with striking visuals makes it easy for students to engage with the content. Although designed to be taken over 8 weeks in about 20 minutes a day, participants can work through the program at their own pace, repeating any sections that are particularly resonant for them. The whole experience is guided by Melanie Jones, a writer and performer who has been through struggles with depression and anxiety herself. She’s welcoming and highly relatable.
The program is comprised around eight key topics that resonate with young people and students, each with about an hour of content broken up into digestible chunks. Each topic features a mix of song, book and movie recommendations to help bring the concepts to life, along with downloads and video content. And all the while, Melanie is there to encourage students and provide explanations to help them stay on track.
Students learn to deal with negative thoughts and see themselves as they truly are— unique people with incredible abilities.
This topic is focused on how to deal with feelings of being alone and finding ways to connect with creativity.
For students feeling empty and bored, this topic helps them focus on what excites them in life, challenges them to grow, and expands their thoughts and ideas.
Here students learn to move from feeling helpless and hopeless to feeling gratitude – and how to create that happiness within themselves.
Students learn they can’t always control what happens in their lives, but they can find ways to cope when life challenges them.
This topic is about letting go of hurt, anger and disappointment by learning what it means to forgive.
Here students learn how to be kind to themselves and understand how showing compassion to others will actually make them feel better.
This is the final topic where they look to the future, celebrate their progress and get ready to enjoy the life ahead of them.
BreathingRoom is available online 24/7 and takes only a few minutes every day. The program was designed to be taken over 8 weeks, for 20 to 30 minutes a day. But there’s no set timeframe for completing BreathingRoom. Some people like to do the modules in order or you can choose to go through them randomly.
Students can sign into their program on the app, work their way through content, and then pick up right where they left off on their laptop later on. The program’s always accessible, anytime they want it, on any device.
“We heard from youth that they wanted access to confidential and flexible mental health services. This evidence based and clinically tested e-mental health program that was developed with input from over 100 Canadian youth is one more option that youth can access in addition to the Community Counselling Program, Community Child and Youth Care Counsellors, and Strongest Families Institute. Having more evidence-based mental health options for our residents provides them with better opportunities to access the support that choose what they want as well as when they want it.”
“We know that stress, depression, and anxiety are impacting many students at colleges and universities. The BreathingRoom program is an incredible on-line resource for young adults exploring their emotions and working on behaviour changes. A tool such as BreathingRoom makes sense for students because it is accessible and available at times that work for students' schedules. As counselling and health services are in greater demand, BreathingRoom is a valuable resource for post-secondary institutions to have available for their students.”
“BreathingRoom is an excellent digital resource for young people. Today’s youth are facing more complex life challenges than ever before. This confidential, accessible, evidence-based program is a valuable tool for Newfoundland and Labrador residents to help them develop greater resilience. As they discover healthier ways to relate with themselves and others, and find meaning and purpose, their ability to thrive grows.”