• 24/7 bilingual critical incident reporting line
• Confidential counselling services*
• Professional support staff available through LifeWorks (formerly Morneau Shepell)
• Incident report will be forwarded to the union for follow up with member’s permission

*ACTRA Members may request counselling services from someone with shared lived experiences. LifeWorks will do its best to accommodate such requests.

*Anxiety about returning to work: No one can anticipate how they might feel while living and attempting to work during a global pandemic. Anxiety over health concerns is real. Immediate counselling and support are available through HAVEN Helpline.

*Emergency Financial Counselling Support: Counselling support related to financial concerns is available through HAVEN as part of the Member Assistance Program (MAP). If you are in need of short-term emergency financial assistance, please contact The AFC (at 1-877-399-8392) directly. The AFC supports entertainment industry professionals working in TV and film, music, theatre, and dance. The AFC may be able to help provide you with short-term emergency financial assistance for essential household bills and costs that cannot otherwise be paid.

Yes. ACTRA members can access HAVEN by chat via the Lifeworks app (access through the web or the Apple App or Google Play stores). Incident reporting, immediate counselling and referral to additional services can all be accessed through the chat function. For members requiring ongoing counselling, support is available in the following formats:

• In-person counselling with an ASL fluent counsellor or with an ASL interpreter present. (Please note, in-person counselling may not be available due to the COVID-19 health pandemic.)
• Text-based modalities (chat, MyMigo, E-Counselling)
• If both options above do not work, arrangements can be made for an ASL-fluent Video Counsellor.

Members requiring accommodations should discuss their needs when speaking with a representative from LifeWorks (formerly Morneau Shepell).

• The LifeWorks app offers web chat, total well-being resources and special retail discounts. Users are also able to file an incident report through the app’s First Chat tool.
• Lifeworks can be accessed through the web or by downloading the free app available in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
• If you did not receive the email from ACTRA inviting you to join LifeWorks, please email actra@actra.ca to get your log-in details.

COVID-19 information, resources and videos are available the LifeWorks platform. We have also included some helpful webinars below to help support you and provide you with more information about how to prevent the spread of the virus.

Webinar: Emotional Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic (25 minutes)
Webinar: Talking to your child about COVID-19 (25 minutes)

WellCan™ Created by LifeWorks, WellCan™ is a free collection of digital resources to support the mental health of all Canadians during COVID-19. Through the growing collaboration of organizations, WellCan™ addresses challenges brought on by COVID-19 by offering an extensive database of information. There are a number of toolkits, articles, tips and infographics available on the WellCan app. The free app is available on Apple and Android devices. For desktop access, visit wellcan.ca.

Depression and the pandemic: a deep dive To help bring awareness to the importance of mental health, LifeWorks has launched a microsite, which explores the relationship between the pandemic and depression through four pillars of wellbeing: mental, social, physical and financial.