Tackle Your Feelings Host Dingos Mental Health Workshop

The Tackle Your Feelings team broke new ground last night, hosting their first ever mental health workshop outside Australia to continue the education of the Toronto Dingos around mental health.

Tackle Your Feelings is a free mental health training program launched in 2018 by the AFL Coaches Association, AFL Players' Association, and Zurich Insurance. Delivered by local psychologists to community football participants including players, coaches, and support staff, the program teaches people how to understand, recognize, and respond to mental health issues, drawing on education used in the professional AFL industry and supported by high-profile ambassadors.

Hosted by Ben Guthrie - Partnerships and Communications Lead, and Emma Richardson - Program Psychologist, 22 members of the Dingos squad were taken through an educational session aimed at providing knowledge on how to identify and talk about mental health issues in a safe environment and provide support to those within the club both on and off-field.

“It was a unique opportunity for us to deliver a Tackle Your Feelings workshop with the Toronto Dingos; to my knowledge the first the program has delivered outside of Australia," said Ben of Tackle Your Feelings.

“It was clear the team was highly engaged and connected and I applaud the leaders at the Dingos for taking ownership in the mental health space and looking for ways to support their team."

“As a program, we look forward to continuing our connection with the Dingos and providing additional support where required.”

Program Psychologist Emma Richardson added:

“It was a real privilege to run the Tackle Your Feelings workshop with the Toronto Dingos Football Club. The level of engagement from the group was fantastic, and the care and support those at the Club have for each other was really clear to see."

"I am confident the learnings from the session will encourage more conversations about mental health, as well as continue to build on the sense of psychological safety and community that already exists within the Club.”

This was another important step forward in the Dingos commitment to supporting the mental well-being of all members, after launching their first ever mental health policy in September last year, and partnering with HeadsUpGuys earlier this year to help educate and raise awareness of mental health and resources available.

“Massive thanks to Ben + Emma from Tackle Your Feelings for the critical work they’re doing to break stigma and to empower clubs at every level,” said Justin Robertson, president of the Toronto Dingos Football Club. “I’m really proud of the steps we’re taking in the space of mental health. We're not perfect, but we'll continue to ask questions, learn more, normalize the mental health conversation and be the teammate who notices when something isn't right.”

For more information and resources around mental health, visit the Toronto Dingos Mental Health Resources Page, Tackle Your Feelings or HeadsUpGuys

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