Headed by David Clarke, Coordinator of Communications and Training, our education and training program offers  a variety of workshops and presentations to help individuals and companies better understand, and help, when dealing with mental health issues.

Individuals are welcome to register for any of our upcoming workshops, or our facilitators can come to your organization.  Workshops can also be customized to fill your organization’s needs and time constraints.

To find out the next scheduled community workshop, have us to come to your organization to deliver a workshop, or to discuss customizing a workshop to meet your organization’s needs, please email:

David Clarke

email daclarke@lh.ca

OUR FACILITATORS OFFER THE FOLLOWING WORKSHOPS:

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) (2 days)

The ASIST workshop is for caregivers who want to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over one million caregivers worldwide have participated in this two-day, highly interactive, practical, practice-oriented workshop.

Participation in the full two days is required in order to achieve full certification. Workers in health, welfare, justice, emergency service workers, teachers, clergy and natural helpers are a few of the groups that have benefitted from ASIST. This workshop is instructed by certified LivingWorks trainers.

Also inquire about ASIST TuneUp, a half-day training refresher that is suggested within three years of the ASIST workshop.

As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify risk alerts and develop safeplans;
2. Demonstrate the skills required to intervene with a person at risk of suicide;
3. Recognize that suicide is broader than suicide first aid and includes life promotion and self-care for caregivers.

Mental Health First Aid (2 days)

Mental Health First Aid Canada is a program of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (www.mentalhealthcommission.ca)

One in three Canadians will experience a mental health problem at some point in their life. The earlier a problem is detected and treated, the better the outcome. The MHFA Canada program aims to improve mental health literacy, and provide the skills and knowledge to help people better manage potential or developing mental health problems in themselves, a family member, a friend or a colleague.

Mental Health First Aid is a two day course that could benefit anyone. Families affected by mental health problems, teachers, health service providers, emergency workers, frontline workers who deal with the public, volunteers, human resources professionals, employers and community groups are just a few of the groups who have benefitted from MHFA. This workshop is facilitated by MHFA Canada certified instructors.

As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand the prevalence and impact of a range of mental health problems and the need for non-stigmatizing responses to individuals who experience them;
• Recognize risk factors and warning signs for mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, eating disorders, substance use disorders and self-injury;
• Implement a simple but effective five-step action plan to assess the situation, identify needs and intervene safely and appropriately.

Combined Crisis/Suicide Intervention (1 day)

Distressed individuals are prone to “act out” (through aggression) or “act in” (through vulnerability to suicide) as a way of coping with unwanted feelings. If you work or live with people who may become distressed, you need to know how to respond effectively; that is, in ways that support the distressed person and reduce the risk to them and others.

This interactive 1-day workshop presents a research-based model of effective crisis intervention and allows participants to practice using that model in situations relevant to their own unique environments/situations. It includes two group running role-plays, one for situations involving potentially aggressive individuals, one for situations involving suicidal individuals. It also presents ways to prevent crisis by modifying the physical and social environment in healthy ways.

At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

1. Understand the principles of effective crisis and suicide intervention;
2. Apply these principles in real-life encounters with aggressive or suicidal people;
3. Recognize ways to make their workplace or service environment safer for every person every day.

WRAP – Wellness Recovery Action Plan

The Wellness Recovery Action Plan® or WRAP® is a self-designed prevention and wellness process that anyone can use to get well, stay well and make their life the way they want it to be. It was developed in 1997 by a group of people who were searching for ways to overcome their own mental health issues and move on to fulfilling their life dreams and goals. It is now used extensively by people in all kinds of circumstances, and by health care and mental health systems all over the world to address all kinds of physical, mental health and life issues.

WRAP Will Help You:

1. Discover your own simple, safe Wellness Tools
2. Develop a list of things to do every day to stay as well as possible
3. Identify upsetting events, early warning signs and signs that things have gotten much worse and, using Wellness Tools, develop action plans for responding at these times
4. Guide you through the process of developing a Crisis Plan or Advance Directive
5. Introduce you to Post Crisis Planning

WRAP is for anyone. It will support you in being the way you want to be and doing the things you want to do.

Key Elements of WRAP:

1. Wellness Toolbox
2. Daily Maintenance Plan
3. Identifying Triggers and Action Plans
4. Identifying Early Warning Signs and Action Plans
5. Identifying When Things Are Breaking Down and Action Plans
6. Crisis Planning
7. Post Crisis Planning