KAIROS Blanket Exercise – Reach Edmonton

The KAIROS Blanket Exercise is a workshop that explores the nation-to-nation relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Blankets arranged on the floor represent land and participants are invited to step into the roles of First Nations, Inuit and later Métis peoples. The workshop helps people to understand how the colonization of this land impacts those who were here long before settlers arrived. It engages people’s minds and hearts in understanding why the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples is often broken and how we can take an action together.

The Blanket Exercise is available for community organizations in Edmonton and surrounding areas upon requests. The cost is subsidized by REACH for non-profit organizations that work with vulnerable populations. It is recommended that groups have a minimum of 12 participants.

If you are interested in having Blanket Exercise for your team, please contact Rie Nakai at rie.nakai@reachedmonton.ca.

To register: KAIROS Blanket Exercise – REACH

Intercultural Learning and Social Justice Workshops – Multicultural Health Brokers Co-Operative

These workshops intend to increase knowledge and build skills of participants in understanding social and cultural identities and how they influence experience of privilege, oppression and marginalization. 

These workshops explore broader issues of inequities and the complexities of building intercultural alliances to achieve social justice and change

Workshops can include:

• Integrating a racial equity lens in policy and practice 

• Organizing culturally diverse communities for change

Interested? Individuals and organizations interested in accessing our Journeys program can contact MCHB for public offerings and customized workshops for organizations. For more information contact Arlyn at mchb@mchb.org or call 780-423-1973.

Website page: MCHB - Journeys to Intercultural Wisdom and Equity

Skills Building Workshops – Multicultural Health Brokers Co-Operative

The skills building workshops will enable participants to apply intercultural strategies and tools in various areas of practice. 

We recommend that individuals complete the Foundations of Intercultural Practice Workshop to maximize the learning experience.

The suite of skill building workshops include:

• Intercultural communication – communication styles, verbal and non-verbal communication and intercultural communication bridging strategies 

• Intercultural planning and engagement – designing and evaluating programs and services across cultures, engaging people and communities from diverse cultural backgrounds

• Cultural mediation and brokering – the concept and practice of acknowledging and bridging differences in a variety of context 

• Trauma-informed workshop – focusing on the unique causes and impacts of trauma on immigrant and refugee populations..

• Practice-specific workshops – parenting in two cultures, family violence prevention across cultures, chronic disease prevention in culturally diverse communities 

The length of any of these workshops can vary from 2 – 6 hours depending on the interests and preferences of participants and requesting organizations.

Interested? Individuals and organizations interested in accessing our Journeys program can contact MCHB for public offerings and customized workshops for organizations. For more information contact Arlyn at mchb@mchb.org or call 780-423-1973.

Website page: MCHB - Journeys to Intercultural Wisdom and Equity

Foundations for Intercultural Practice Workshop– Multicultural Health Brokers Co-Operative

This foundational workshop will increase your knowledge about interacting, relating and communicating with culturally diverse people. 

Participants will be able to:

• Incorporate diverse cultural contexts in their work and practice

• Be more confident to address cultural issues in a personal and professional context 

Topics may include:

• Overview of Diversity and Immigration

• Cultural Self-Awareness

• Cultural Knowledge

• Introduction to Intercultural Learning and Development

Interested? Individuals and organizations interested in accessing our Journeys program can contact MCHB for public offerings and customized workshops for organizations. For more information contact Arlyn at mchb@mchb.org or call 780-423-1973.

Website page: MCHB - Journeys to Intercultural Wisdom and Equity

Rights of Young People & In-School Human Rights Practice – John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Advocacy

Using diverse and age-appropriate educational resources and fun interactive activities, we guide the exploration of various issues and elements of human rights relevant to schools and the communities where they are located.

JHC was founded with a core principle of creating space for young people to engage in and know their rights and responsibilities in community.

 JHC can support young people, teachers and school administration in implementing human rights and peace education while creating human rights communities. JHC’s education team uses human rights-based approaches and tools to help your school and students advance a culture of inclusion and equity. We create processes and sessions to build Rights Respecting Schools where everyone is respected, included, valued and belongs.

These courses include:

• Human Rights and Peace Education for Educators

• Human Rights and Peace Education for Young People

• Digital Literacy and Online Safety

For more information: JHC – RYPISHRP

To register: JHC – Workshop Google Form

Building Equity, Diversity and Inclusion through an Anti-Oppressive, Human Rights Framework – John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Advocacy

These workshops aim to explore the complex nature of oppression and support the creation of anti-oppressive strategies in different contexts.

Organizations can either select several sessions to inform and guide the building of an anti-oppressive strategic plan, or one or a few sessions that help them increase awareness and understanding, incorporate changes in their practices, and introduce a human rights culture for individual and organizational growth.

These courses include:

• Fundamentals of Anti-Oppression

• Anti-Racism—Learning to Confront the Uncomfortable

• The Not So “Micro” Aggressions

• Building a Rights-Based Organization

• True Colours Personal Development

• Understanding the ‘-isms’ and Learning How to Respond

• Confronting Ableism: Developing a Culture of Inclusion

For more information: JHC – BEDIAOHRF

To register: JHC – Workshop Google Form

Peace Building and Transformative Dialogues – John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Advocacy

Guided by human rights principles and anti-oppressive practices, JHC supports organizations and grassroots communities in designing and facilitating safe and brave spaces for difficult conversations conducive to integrating human rights into their policies, practices, and guidelines, solving tensions, and engaging in strategic planning.

Human Rights facilitation processes are conducive to action, foster collaboration, and center on the voices of all members of the group, especially those of equity-deserving groups.

These courses include:

• Human Rights Facilitator: Level One

• Advanced Human Rights Facilitation

For more information: JHC – PBTD

To register: JHC – Workshop Google Form

Human Rights as a Tool for Advocacy: Stride Training – John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Advocacy

JHC has developed a series of trainings to provide opportunities for community-based advocates or organizations to strengthen their awareness and understanding of human rights and discrimination, network with other advocates and organizations, and build skills to advance the rights of historically marginalized community members using the human rights mechanisms that exist for accountability.

These courses include:

• Human Rights 101: Understanding the Architecture and Role of Human Rights

• Anti-Oppression in Human Rights Advocacy

• Human Rights 102: Filing Human Rights Complaints - the Ins and Outs

• Beyond Quick Fixes: Embracing a Human Rights Approach to Poverty

• Human Rights 103: Taking Action on Human Rights

For more information: JHC - Stride Training

To register: JHC – Workshop Google Form

First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training - Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services

A training for first responders to learn how to respond to disclosures around sexual assault and abuse. 

With support from the Government of Alberta and Women and Gender Equality Canada, the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) developed First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training™. This training is intended to build the capacity of professionals, paraprofessionals and community members to respond effectively to disclosures of sexual assault and sexual abuse. Survivors who receive safe and supportive responses to disclosures of sexual violence are more likely to reach out for help from medical and counselling services and/ or report to police. First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training™ is inclusive of the full continuum of sexual violence and across the lifespan. This is an Alberta based workshop which uses Alberta resources and guidelines. This is a beginner yet comprehensive ‘Identify, Respond and Refer’ training. This training is beneficial to professionals and paraprofessionals who are working with individuals who may be impacted by sexual violence and to other community members who are interested in increasing their skills and confidence to address sexual abuse and sexual assault. This training is open to, but not limited to, individuals who work in Health, Social Services, Education & Justice, Nurses, Physicians, Social Workers, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Teachers, School Counselors, Police Officers, Victim Services Workers, as well as Faith Leaders

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Define sexual violence and describe its various forms

• Understand the short and long term impacts of sexual violence across the lifespan

• Articulate why sexual violence is never the fault of the person who has been harmed

• Explain the attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate sexual violence and other root causes

• Provide a positive and supportive first response to a disclosure of sexual violence

• Identify resources and referrals to support those who have experienced sexual violence

This training will teach participants about sexual violence and the first responding skills for disclosures of sexual assault and abuse. This is NOT a course on counselling interventions. If you have experience in counselling and would like to take a more advanced level, 12 week course designed for counselling interventions, please see our Counselling Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence course.

To register: AASAS - FRSAAT

HR and DEI Courses for Professionals - Canadian Equality Consulting

CEC offers a number of custom online, on-demand sessions focused on various HR and DEI topics.

These courses include:

• Black History Month: Exploring the Roots of Anti-Black Racism

• DEI Fundamentals

• Detangling Anti-Fat Bias in the Workplace

• Equitable and Inclusive Leadership Certification

• Equitable and Inclusive Boards

• Indigeneity in Turtle Island: Footprints Across These Lands

• Navigating Canada’s Complex Histories: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

• Over The Rainbow: A Celebration of Gender and Sexual Diversity

• Over The Rainbow: An Exploration of Trans & Non-Binary History

• Unconscious Bias & Bias Awareness

To register: CEC – Online Courses

Introduction to Hoarding Disorder – Hoarding Disorder Foundation of Alberta

This three-hour workshop, offered by the Hoarding Disorder Foundation of Alberta, will introduce you to important information about hoarding.

We present information on stigma and myths, assessment, complicating factors and treatment options, communication strategies and harm reduction. Finally, we offer practical tips and tools and local resources for helping in a good way.

This session is designed for people with a keen interest in providing appropriate support to a person living with HD:

• Family members, friends and neighbours

• Professional organizers/declutter coaches

• Property management, disposal & cleaning companies

• Municipal enforcement

• Social services and of course, mental health professionals

We encourage anyone who is interested to register. If cost is prohibitive, please contact us to discuss a sliding scale.

To register: HDFA – IHD

Cultural Awareness Training - Indigenous Psychological Services

Cultural awareness training designed for psychologists working with Indigenous populations.

Our training integrates the Two-Eyed Seeing approach, crucial for psychologists working Indigenous populations.

We offer programs designed to enhance awareness of historical factors impacting client well-being and review how cultural insights can promote healing.

We explore trauma-informed perspectives that are effective in colonized systems and focus on actionable truth reconciliation with cultural safety at the forefront.

We differentiate between cultural humility and competency and define holistic practices applicable in clinical settings.

Our training equips psychologists to adopt cultural and trauma-informed practices, including a Residential School in-service with impactful presentations and sessions for survivors.

To register: Indigenous Psychological Services - Workshops

Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training – Cascade Projects

Cultural awareness training with a focus on experiential activities and practical discussions around reconciliation.

Cascade believes engagement begins before a shovel hits the ground. It begins internally with an organization’s understanding, capacity and intention when it comes to Indigenous engagement. To build that foundation, our Indigenous Engagement Advisors works with clients to design and deliver cultural awareness training to ensure their employees from the top down are prepared when they are working in community. Led by our Indigenous Awareness Educator, Dr. Patricia Makokis, this participatory training covers the History of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and is adapted to Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 First Nations history. This in-person training includes a grounding circle, the blanket exercise, a debrief session and a discussion on how to connect these learnings to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action #92. This training is customizable and can be delivered for 10+ people over a full or half day.

To register: Cascade

Certified Psychological Health & Safety Training - CMHA-Alberta

This certification has been developed to provide an experiential learning opportunity for participants so they can better support organizations of all sizes in creating a tailored Psychological Health & Safety Management System.

After successfully completing the training, participants will receive a Certificate in Psychological Health & Safety. Employers will see those with this certification as having the practical expertise to help improve psychological health and safety and implement “the Standard” in their workplaces. 

By the end of the training, participants will:

• Be prepared to initiate the creation or expansion of a Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Management System in an organization

• Have access to the tools necessary to support implementing the Standard

• Appreciate the steps required to create a fulsome PH&S Management System and be able to communicate those steps to all committed to that outcome.

To register: CMHA-AB

Imagine Institute for Learning

Imagine Institute for Learning invites professionals across sectors to imagine what is possible in a world where compassion meets action.

We use evidence-informed practice and research to create immersive learning opportunities that will ignite the potential and inspire the hearts of participants who work to support human beings in different settings.

Whether you are a social worker, educator, first responder, health practitioner, or community worker, our trainings provide the necessary catalyst to up your game and be the best version of yourself in practice. We all need extra tools in our toolbox and at Imagine, we specialize in translating research into practice using experiential activities and reflective practice to guide learning into a deeper understanding of the content. Come learn, dream and play with us as we transform the reality of our work into meaningful practice.

Trauma-Informed Care

• Intergenerational Wisdom

• Compassion to Action

• Trauma-Informed De-escalation Strategies (TIDeS)

• Transforming Practice Through Trauma-Informed Principles

Mental Health

• Human-Centred Approach to Understanding Mental Health™

• Understanding Loss & Grief

• QPR Suicide Prevention

• Understanding Suicide

Human-Centred Relationship Based Practice

• Creating Healthy Professional Boundaries

• Navigating Challenging Conversations

• Supporting Clients with Goal Setting

• Self-Compassion: Moving from Self-Care to Self-Sustainability

• Understanding Unconscious Bias 

Organizational Support & Capacity Building 

• Building Psychological Safety in the Workplace

• Fostering Reflective Practice in the Workplace

• Supporting Neurodiversity in the Workplace

• Group Facilitation: Introduction

• Group Facilitation: Using Brain Science and Storytelling

• Group Facilitation: The Art of Trauma Informed Facilitation

• Workplace Culture and Playfulness

Human Development

• The Early Years of the Developing Brain

• An Introduction to Social Emotional Development

• Creating Boundaries with Children and Technology

• Reframing Challenging Behaviours

• Responding to Trauma in Early Childhood

• Understanding Temperament

• Learning through Play

Educator Support and Capacity Building

• A Trauma-Informed Approach to Guiding Behaviours

• Trauma-Informed Classrooms

• Practicing Self-Compassion in the Classroom

• Pedagogical Practice: Planning and Playing

• Building Secure Relationships

  EmpowerED: Leadership Development Certifications 

• Depolarizing Leadership Training

• Stepping Up: Trauma-Informed Leadership Certification

• Sustaining Leadership Conversations: Nurturing Wellness, Connection, and Performance

• Strategies for Reflective Supervision

Experiential Learning 

• LEGO ® Serious Play®

• Life Capacity Mental Health Simulation™

• Brain Architecture Game®

To see descriptions for all available training, download the Training Framework PDF on this page: Imagine Institute

To register: Imagine Institute for Learning Upcoming Sessions

Leading With Mental Health In Mind - CMHA-Alberta

Leading with Mental Health in Mind will equip you with the language to talk about mental health, the understanding to support employees with challenges, and the steps to move towards greater psychological health and safety in the workplace. 

By the end of the training, participants will:

• Understand how the 13 Factors that Impact Mental Health at work can apply to their workplace

• Understand the role of the manager/leader in mental health at work and how it differs from the role of individual contributors

• Have tools and strategies to address some of the major factors in their workplace

• Have a starting point for what to do and what to say when someone talks about their mental health

• Have strategies to support your own mental health in the workplace

To register: CMHA-AB

Compassion Fatigue and Burnout - CMHA-Alberta

Learn the symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout, and how to manage them effectively to build resilience.

The symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout are hard to recognize and require adequate support to overcome. This workshop will help employers, employees and volunteers who may develop compassion fatigue. Those at risk for compassion fatigue include first responders, clergy, teachers, counsellors, social workers, health care professionals, veterinarians and individuals who are the first point of contact for those going through a crisis or disaster.

This workshop provides a flexible and customizable approach, accommodating the unique needs of various professions and industries while offering adaptable time frames and formats.

By the end of the training, participants will:

• Understand symptoms and effects of compassion fatigue and fatigue risk factors

• Recognize personal and systemic barriers to receiving help

• Learn how to manage daily perceived threats and stress in more effective ways

• Create a self-care plan with resiliency-building skills and steps to improve workplace mental health

• Learn the difference between compassion fatigue and burnout

To register: CMHA-AB

Stronger Communities – CMHA-Edmonton

A training program that supports participants in learning strategies to look after their mental health and others.

Stronger Communities is a training program for groups and organizations where participants will learn a variety of different strategies and tips for looking after both their own mental health and the mental health of those around them.

Each course is facilitated by two facilitators, at least one of whom has Lived Experience. These courses are ideal for any type of organization or group as they offer specific training  for their staff to increase their knowledge on a variety of topics surrounding mental health. Courses have interactive components that will allow participants the opportunity to share their own experiences and offer insight into the information shared.

To register: Stronger Communities

Mental Health in the Workplace - CMHA-Alberta

This training will equip individuals with the skills to build a psychologically safe workplace that supports discussions around mental health struggles.  

Mental Health in the Workplace training equips organizations with the necessary language to address mental health, the knowledge to support employees facing challenges, and the actionable steps to proactively cultivate greater psychological health and safety at work.

By the end of the training, participants will:

• Learn about current workplace mental health and mental illness challenges

• Gain tools to support coworkers when they have mental health challenges

• Understand psychological risk and harm and know the benefits of mentally healthier workplaces

To register: CMHA-AB

Small Talk (Formerly Tattered Teddies) – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This half-day workshop will examine warning signs in a child and intervention strategies. 

Small Talk is an interactive half-day workshop which examines warning signs in a child and explores intervention strategies through stories and case studies.

This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Appreciate how a child’s developmental stage affects their concept of death and suicide;

• Identify protective factors, risk factors and warning signs in children; and

• Confidently transfer care of a child to a caregiver.

Audience

Ages 18+
This workshop provides information and offers practical approaches for those working with children who are working with children who are age 12 or younger and who may be considering suicide.

Participants can include but not limited to: parents and caregivers; family and friends; natural helpers and advisors; educators and ministers; health practitioners; justice, law enforcers, emergency workers, and community volunteers.

Information provided is appropriate for beginner and intermediate social work practice.

To register: CSP Workshop