Mental Health and Well-Being

IMPORTANT: If you are in significant distress, crisis or experiencing an emergency, please call 9-1-1 immediately. Additional resources for immediate support can be found by clicking I Need Help Now

Residencies and programs at Banff Centre can be a transformative experience for your art, practice, personal and professional goals, perspective, and often identity. This can be exciting, celebratory and challenging all at the same time.

Before your program begins, we encourage you to consider completing our Pre-Program Self-Reflection Worksheet to help you make the most out of your residency.

After finishing your residency, we also encourage you to consider completing our Wrap-Up Self-Reflection Worksheet to help you transition out of the program and back into your daily life.

Here are a couple more resources you can use to self-asses your mental state: 

• Mental Health Self-Check
• ​​​​​Screening for Specific Concerns

In addition to the self-reflective exercise, here are some ideas, suggestions, and resources to help you do well during your residency.

• Make note of your support system, networks, and self-care strategies (this can include names and phone numbers of friends and professionals, and notes to self).
• Identify items that bring you comfort and consider bringing some of these with you.
• If applicable, make sure to bring enough of your prescribed medication to last for the duration of the residency.

Before or during your program, you might also find it helpful to reference the materials in the tiles below – whether you’re feeling well and are looking for ways to thrive and flourish, or experiencing challenges and demands on your sense of resilience and wellbeing.