Exploring the Intersection of Newcomer Employment and Mental Health in the Settlement Sector

OCASI in partnership with Toronto North LIP (Local Immigration Partnership), is pleased to invite you to a hybrid event: Exploring the Intersection of Newcomer Employment and Mental Health in the Settlement Sector.

This in-person and online forum will be an opportunity for service providers working in Employment Services to learn more about the intersections of mental health and newcomer experiences in the labour market. Sharing lessons learned from the Employment Services sector, expert speakers will discuss how to build organizational capacity to support client and staff mental health and equip service providers with practical tools and strategies to enhance mental health and wellness while naming various systemic barriers experienced by newcomers and workers who support them.

Objective:

• Learn about the mental health needs of diverse newcomer populations when they encounter systemic barriers in finding and securing employment in Canada.
• Understand the connection between employment status and mental health.
• Build the capacity of the Employment Services sector to respond to and promote client and staff mental health.
• Develop practical tools and strategies to enhance serviyour organization's service provider and client mental health

Details about the sessions:

• Session 1: Building Awareness of Newcomer Mental Health and the Intersections with Employment

This session aims to build the awareness of service providers in Employment Services of the many challenges impacting their clients' search for secure employment and the different systemic factors impacting their clients' mental health.

• Session 2: Enhancing Mental Health Support in Employment Services

The objective of this session is to enhance mental health support in Employment Services by building the capacity of staff to incorporate effective tools and practices. A panel of experts will share successful strategies and discuss challenges in integrating mental health supports into employment program processes.

• Session 3: Introducing Systemic issues and building resilience

This session will explore strategies to foster empathy and compassion and develop coping mechanisms when faced with systemic barriers. Participants will learn about applying compassion-focused approaches and the theory of hope in employment counseling and action planning.

*ASL English/Interpreters Provided   

Please email Tarana Sultan at tsultan@ocasi.org if you have any questions.