Partners for Mental Health (PFMH) is a Canadian charitable organization. PFMH was formed in support of the Framework for a Mental Health Strategy for Canada, issued by the Mental Health Commission of Canada in 2009. The framework contained eight goals, including one to establish a broadly based social movement to drive change in mental health in Canada, which became PFMH’s mandate.
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PFMH was founded by Michael J.L. Kirby as the Partners for Mental Health Foundation under the auspices of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Kirby was the first chairperson of PFMH and remains its founding chair.
Partners for Mental Health became a registered charity in Canada in November 2010. On April 2, 2012, it launched its first public engagement campaign, Not Myself Today, and officially began operating independently of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
The current chair of Partners for Mental Health is James Morrisey and the president is Jeffrey Moat.
Partners for Mental Health is accredited by Imagine Canada.
Mandate
Partners for Mental Health aims to improve mental health in Canada through public engagement campaigns, with the goal of mobilizing Canadians to drive changes that result in:
PFMH is focused on two key areas of mental health: child and youth mental health, and workplace mental health.
Right By You
Launched in October 2013, PFMH’s Right By You youth mental health campaign is focused on improving access to mental health-related services, treatment and support for children and youth, as well as on the establishment of a dedicated national youth suicide prevention fund.
Not Myself Today
Not Myself Today was the first initiative created by Partners for Mental Health. Originally launched in April 2012 as a broad engagement campaign for all Canadians, Not Myself Today was refocused on workplace mental health in May 2013.
Call BS
In October 2012, Partners for Mental Health launched the Call BS campaign, designed as a youth campaign activated by youth. The campaign asked Canadian youth to call out the different ways society fails to support mental health.
Awards
Partners for Mental Health has won 2 awards: it was one of 10 charities worldwide to win a Project for Awesome 2014 award, and its Right By You campaign video/PSA won the Best Nonprofit Video in the 2014 DoGooder Video Awards.