Community Wellness
Community Wellness Programs
Social, recreation and skill building opportunities are offered throughout the year across our region. Each group is an opportunity to meet new people, learn a new skill, enhance skills while connecting with staff and volunteers who care about your health and wellness. All of the programs offered by Community Wellness are free. Registration is required.
Our overall wellness – or physical and mental health – requires meaningful activity, and connections with other people as well as community connections. Yet when we’re living with a mental health challenge, finding a sense of belonging maybe difficult. It may seem overwhelming to participate in social or leisure activities.
Groups offered by the Community Wellness Teams fall into one of 4 categories:
- Social & Leisure | Groups and events to help build social skills and find meaningful activities to promote recovery
- Physical wellness & health | Activities, education and support to improve physical health
- Personal awareness & growth | Teaching life and living skills to support living with a mental illness
- Creative self-expression | Groups and learning opportunities to encourage creativity and self-expression
To register or review the programs available, please see our Program Guide
To request more information contact jessica.carswell@cmhatv.ca, Manager of Community Wellness, Social Rehabilitation
Social Recreation
Social Recreation programs provide a variety of daily recreation and skill development activities for people with serious mental health challenges aged 16 or older living in St Thomas or Elgin County. This program promotes healthy living, relapse prevention, coping and life skill development, community integration and healthy interpersonal relationships. Members are encouraged to be involved in the planning and operation of the rehabilitation programs.
For more information contact Social Recreation team Elgin at social.rehabilitation@cmhatv.ca
You can view the Program Calendar here.
Peer Support
Peer support is a vital link in helping someone navigate the health system, locate and access community resources, and find their personal path to wellness.
Peer Support currently offers one-to-one services to individuals (peers) aged 16+ across our regions on a time-limited basis. Peer Support Workers have lived with similar experiences (lived experience) of mental health and /or addiction challenges, and gone through their own personal wellness journey/recovery process.
Ways a Peer Support Worker can support:
- Inspire hope for the future and model what is possible
- Empower by honouring strengths
- Recognize & develop resiliency
- Explore ways to support well-being (skills, resources, opportunities)
- Encourage a sense of personal responsibility
- Help with voicing needs
- Share & exchange knowledge (services, resources, experiences)
- Assist to identify, plan & work on goals and aspirations
- Promote self-care, self-Awareness & self-esteem
Things A Peer Supporter does not do:
- Diagnose, use clinical terms or complete assessments
- Judge past or current behaviour
- Give advice or tell a peer what to do/not do
- Provide therapy, counselling or sponsorship
- Manage medications or provide any related advice
- Provide transportation or ask/do favours
- Become a personal friend during or after service, or fulfill social needs.
Peer Support endorses the provincial and National principles and standards of practice established by Peer Support Canada (link to Peer Support Canada Site)
For more information and to make referrals, contact jodie.boyd@cmhatv.ca, Peer Support Team Lead
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