Public Education

An inclusive community with mental health and wellbeing for all necessitates a mental health education strategy to end stigma and increase knowledge, support and understanding for people living with mental illness, and their loved ones. Public Education offers a variety of education opportunities suitable for people with lived experience, family members, professionals, students and the general public.  

We are pleased to provide training programs to groups in our community with a goal of enhancing individual wellness and a community’s capacity to respond when people are experiencing a mental health crisis.  Speakers and Group education is available upon request.

Certification Workshops 

Mental Health Works are a series of workshops that provide person-centered, evidence based, solution focused information specifically geared towards mental health in the work place. The aim of these workshops is to create and promote a culture of awareness, safety and acceptance that allows employees and employers alike a more qualitative work life experience. Each workshop focuses on a specific mental health related issue, demystifies it and provides practical, useful information to support all affected. The Mental Health Works series provide the necessary tools and confidence to effectively create positive changes related to mental health in the work place.

We help employers respond immediately and appropriately when employees experience mental health problems and effectively manage performance and productivity issues. It is founded on the belief that focusing on solutions around mental health issues in the workplace will benefit employers and employees alike.

Mental Health Works:

• Provides workshops and presentations about mental health in the workplace, particularly the employer’s duty to accommodate and their need to manage the performance of employees with mental illness
• Designs and delivers customized training
• Provides consultation for complex accommodations and return-to-work plans
• Delivers e-learning, information kits and other tools for employers
• Offers free information for employers and employees at www.mentalhealthworks.ca

Mental Health Works workshops and presentations are all delivered by trainers certified by CMHA Ontario. If you are interested in learning more about Mental Health Works or how you or your organization can get involved, contact our office or email public.education@cmhatv.ca

Mental Health First Aid
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. You must be 18 years and older to attend this program.

The program does not teach people how to be therapists. It does teach people how to:

• Recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health problems.
• Provide initial help.
• Guide a person towards appropriate professional help.

Certificates are provided to attendees who complete 12 hours of training, we offer this training both in-person (as available) and virtually.

Mental Health First Aid workshops and presentations are all delivered by trainers certified. If you are interested in learning more about Mental Health First Aid or how you or your organization can et involved, contact our office or email public.education@cmhatv.ca

ASIST® (Applied Suicide Intervention Training)
The ASIST workshop is for caregivers (professionals, volunteers, students and family members) who want to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over one million caregivers have participated in this two-day, highly interactive, practical, practice-oriented workshop. The goal of ASIST is to enhance a caregiver’s abilities to assist a person at risk to avoid suicide. By completing the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Discuss suicide with a person at risk in a direct manner;
2. Identify risk alerts and develop a safe plan related to them;
3. Demonstrate the skills required to intervene with a person at risk of suicide;
4. List the types of resources available to a person at risk of suicide, including themselves;
5. Recognize that suicide prevention is broader than suicide intervention and, includes life promotion and self-care for persons at risk and for caregivers.

Participants will receive an ASIST workbook and a Suicide First Aid Wallet Card. ASIST workshops are all delivered by certified trainers. If you are interested in learning more about ASIST please contact us at public.education@cmhatv.ca

Safe Talk ®
SafeTALK, about three hours in duration, prepares anyone over the age of 15 to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources. Most people with thoughts of suicide invite help to stay safe. Alert helpers know how to use these opportunities to support that desire for safety. 

Please contact us at public.education@cmhatv.ca for more information about SafeTALK

Our Public Educator sends out monthly listings of mental health trainings, workshops and community learning opportunities.