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Promoting Mental Health and Demystifying Mental Illness

OCASI Mental Health Promotion Project in partnership with Hong Fook Mental Health Association, is pleased to announce the upcoming virtual training: Promoting Mental Health and Demystifying Mental Illness

This virtual workshop is designed for settlement service providers who work with immigrants, refugees and newcomers, and aims to strengthen participants' knowledge of the diverse forms of mental health and mental illness within a cultural diversity framework. The overarching goal is to enhance participants’ knowledge, awareness, and skills in cultural understandings and to review their practices to enhance their services for refugees/immigrants from diverse backgrounds.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand mental health in the context of Holistic Health
  • Examine how the migration process and resettlement experience of newcomers relate to and impact health and mental health
  • Explore misconceptions of mental illness and stigma
  • Learn about early identification of mental health issues, including a look at surface vs. hidden issues, such as cultural barriers, language barriers, previous traumatic experiences, social exclusion, discrimination, etc.
  • Identify strategies and resources for change and how to cope using a “strength-based” and “Wellness” Approach

About the facilitator:

Maria Lo: training coordinator at Hong Fook Mental Health Association. She has over 28 years of experience working with immigrants from diverse cultural backgrounds. Maria obtained her bachelor's degree in Social Sciences at the University of Western Ontario, and other certifications include Certified Nonviolent Crisis Intervention instructor, Mental Health First Aid, ASIST (applied suicide intervention skills training), Narrative Exposure Therapy, Defusing anger, Resistance and Hostility, and WRAP (wellness recovery action plan).

If you have any questions, please contact Caley Cross at ccross@ocasi.org

Event Details

Date & time -
Mode Online 2 min. read