River of Life – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

River of Life is an interactive half-day workshop created for individuals working with Indigenous young people 12 and up. 

This interactive workshop discusses strategies to strengthen the protective factors of young people considering suicide and focuses on providing participants with knowledge to competently respond. This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

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

• Recognize how the role of community and culture supports Indigenous life promotion

• Recognize protective factors, risk factors and warning signs in young people

• Build confidence to competently respond to young people in crisis

• Use principles of safety planning to help a young person develop their own plan for safety

To register: CSP Workshop

Looking Forward – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This half-day workshop is for people working with youth ages 12 to 24. 

Looking Forward encompasses the developmental, cognitive, and emotional differences found within this age group in presenting strategies to strengthen the protective factors of youth considering suicide. Relevant intervention strategies are explored through videos and case studies. This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

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

• Identify unique characteristics of youth and their relevance to suicide;

• Compare suicidal and self-harm behaviour in youth;

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

• Confidently transfer care of a youth to a caregiver.

To register: CSP Workshop

Little Cub – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Little Cub is a half-day, discussion-based workshop examining suicide in Indigenous children and communities. 

The Little Cub Workshop draws heavily on storytelling and oral tradition. It begins by recognizing the unique precipitating factors of suicide in Indigenous communities and moves through to identifying risk and protective factors in children 12 years of age and younger. The workshop finishes by empowering participants with knowledge and tools to transfer the care of a child considering suicide to a community-based resource person.

Workshop Topics include:

• Story of Indigenous Experiences

• Conversations and Understanding

• Protective and Risk Factors

• Responding with Hope

• Understanding More

Audience

Ages 18+
This workshop provides information and offers practical approaches for those working with Indigenous children who may be considering suicide. The precipitating factors of suicide are different in Indigenous communities than in the general population.

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

To register: CSP Workshop

ASIST – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Attending this two-day course will train you to intervene with an individual who is suicidal.  

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop—anyone 18 or older can learn and use the ASIST model.

This workshop contains content that may be upsetting for some people, especially those who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Over the course of their two-day workshop, ASIST participants learn to:

• recognize that caregivers and people are affected by personal and societal attitudes about suicide;

• provide life-assisting guidance to a person thinking about suicide in a flexible manner;

• identify what needs to be in a person thinking about suicide’s plan for safety;

• demonstrate the skills required to provide suicide first aid to a person thinking about suicide;

• appreciate the value of improving community resources including the way that they work together; and,

• recognize that suicide prevention is broader than suicide intervention and, includes life promotion and self care for people thinking about suicide and for caregivers.

To register: CSP Workshop

Subsidies are available, please inquire for more information.

How to Talk About Suicide – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

A synchronous, live, 1.5-2 hour webinar about how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about. 

How to talk about suicide: A conversation guide is a virtual, 1.5-2 hour synchronous small group training. This webinar explores common myths and facts around suicide, who is impacted and why, as well as steps to begin a conversation about suicide. Learning Objectives

This webinar supports participants in:

• Exploring common myths and facts about suicide

• Building awareness of how and why people are impacted

• Understanding dynamics of protective and risk factors

• Learning a 4-step model for starting a conversation about suicide through case studies and discussion

• Identifying community resources for further help

To register: CSP Workshop

Engagement Strategies Towards Ending Workplace Sexual Harassment - Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services

Explore what constitutes workplace sexual harassment and strategies to prevent it. Local

This is a three hour, interactive, dynamic, online learning opportunity. 

Research informed and using best practices for adult online learning, this workshop will explore:

What sexual harassment is (and isn’t); What it costs us, interpersonally and collectively; and,
How to help stop sexual harassment as someone who:

• witnesses someone sexually harassing others,

• is told about someone else’s sexual harassment,

• is told they have done something that might amount to sexual harassment, and,

• is in a position of leadership and responsible for a safe and healthy workplace.

To register: AASAS - ESTEWSH

Indigenous Awareness Training – Ben Calf Robe

Awareness training focused on Indigenous culture before and after colonization, residential schools, and the history of Indigenous peoples in Alberta and western Canada. Local

In this training, participants will engage on topics such as:

• Knowledge of pre and post European Contact

• Impact of Residential Schools

• Spiritual Practices

• Significance, Symbolism, and Application of the Medicine Wheel

• Treaties/ Bill C-31

• The history of Indigenous Peoples in Alberta and in Western Provinces

An Indigenous Awareness Certificate will be presented upon completing the course.

There are numerous amenities within walking distance for participants to have lunch at.

The cost of the course is $100.00

To register please call 780-477-6648

To view the training page, click here: Ben Calf Robe - IAT

Skills for Safer Living – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Skills for Safer Living (SfSL) is a four-week group program for youth ages 12-24 who have suicide ideation and their caregivers. 

Skills for Safer Living (SfSL) is a four-week psycho-educational group for youth aged 12-24 who have past or current experiences of suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts. A concurrent group is available for the youth’s caregiver(s) to equip them with the knowledge and skills to support youth in navigating their suicidal thoughts.

SfSL aims to help participants build basic language, skills, and concepts to better understand thoughts about suicide while learning strategies to mitigate them and stay as safe as possible.

The program intends to provide safe and supportive spaces for youth and their caregivers to learn from each others’ similar experiences of a situation that can be isolating and scary, but not hopeless. This project is being funded by the Government of Alberta and FCSS Calgary.

Note: Skills for Safer Living sessions are currently paused and will resume in January 2025.

If you are interested in joining a group, fill in the Expression of Interest form.

Audience

Youth:

• Anyone aged 12-24 with current or past experiences of suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts

• Interested in understanding thoughts and feelings that lead to thinking about suicide and how to make safer choices

Caregivers: Anyone aged 18+ who supports youth with experiences of suicide

Groups run in 4-week cycles.

• Participants meet weekly for a 90-minute session.

• Participants are split into two groups: one group for youth and one group for their caregiver(s).

• Youth and their caregiver(s) do not both need to participate in the program, but it is highly recommended.

• Depending on registrants, youth groups will be grouped based on age and experience of suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts.

Training Page: CSP Workshop

Red Road Healing Society

Red Road Healing Society Offers a number of courses and sessions for Indigenous community members, please contact them for more information. See some of the available offerings below: 

• Addiction Services

• Adolescent Programs

• Akicita Youth Program

• Annual Events

• Baby Bonding 

• Baby, Think It Over

• Career Development

• Children’s Programs

• Collective Kitchens

• Counseling 

• Crafts

• Culture Night

• Educational Services

• Family Programs

• Family Violence

• Workshops

• Grandparents Circle

• Grieving Workshops

• Healing Circles

• Health Services

• Home Support

• Housing Program

• Legal Services

• Literacy

• Longhouse Family Night

• Outreach 

• Parenting

• Prenatal Workshops

• Prevention Programs

• Referral

• Rhyming

• Seasonal Events 

• School Outreach

• Social Services

• Soup and Bannock

• Speakers

• Storytelling

• Substance Prevention

• Summer Kids Camp

• Summer Workshops

• Survivor Workshops

• Tipi-Making

• Tobacco Prevention

• 12 Step Work

To register: Red Road Healing Society - Contact

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) – CMHA Edmonton

Attending this two-day course will train you to intervene with an individual who is suicidal.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is an intensive, interactive, and practice-dominated course designed to help caregivers recognize and review risk and intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. It is by far the most widely used, acclaimed and researched suicide intervention training workshop in the world. 

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize that caregivers and persons at risk are affected by personal and societal

  attitudes about suicide

• Discuss suicide with a person at risk in a direct manner

• Identify risk alerts and develop a safe plan related to them

• Demonstrate the skills required to intervene with a person at risk of suicide

• List the types of resources available to a person at risk of suicide, including themselves

• Make a commitment to improving community resources and networking

Recognize that suicide prevention is broader than suicide intervention and, includes life promotion and self-care for persons at risk and for caregivers

Audience: Ages 18+. Participants can include but are not limited to: parents and caregivers; natural helpers and advisors; educators and ministers; health practitioners; justice, law enforcers, emergency workers, and community volunteers.

For more information: CMHA-Edmonton ASIST

To register: ASIST Upcoming Sessions

Subsidies are available, please inquire for more information.

UPCOMING TRAINING DATES:

Our Children Are Sacred - Ben Calf Robe

A youth focused suicide prevention course and resource for adults interacting with individuals at risk for suicide.

This 2-day interactive course is designed to increase awareness around preventative and protective factors that put people at risk for suicide and provide participants with the skills to respond to a person considering suicide.

For more information: Ben Calf Robe – Our Children Are Sacred

To register: Our Children Are Sacred

Subsidies are available, please inquire for more information.

UPCOMING TRAINING DATES:

Edmonton Recovery College - CMHA-Edmonton

Courses developed and offered by individuals with lived experience around varying life topics.

The CMHA-Edmonton Recovery College offers a number of courses that are designed to support well-being and connection. All of the courses are created by an individual who has lived experience on the topic they want to educate about, in conjunction with a mental health professional to ensure that the courses are as beneficial as possible for participants. There are many available courses that rotate through over the course of a year. Some of these include Shades of Self-Disclosure; Be Kind, Embrace your Mind (Bite Size: Online); Hope Building 101 (In Person: Prosper Place); Journaling 101 (Bite Size: Online); Building Better Boundaries (Bite Size: Online); How to Feel Better About Yourself (Online: Full Size); etc.

To register: Recovery College Edmonton

Radical Mental Health Peer Support – CMHA-Edmonton Peer College

Learn the basics of being a peer support worker.

Radical Mental Health Peer Support course is a 15-hour course consisting of 6 modules that explore the fundamentals of peer support training and is offered multiple times each year.

For more information or to register for a course or elective please contact Christine Ellery at cellery@cmha-edmonton.ab.ca

School of Peer Support – CMHA-Edmonton Peer College

Build a fully developed skill-set around being a peer worker through both in-class instruction and a practicum component.

The School of Peer Support is a nine-month course that delves into the fundamentals of peer support including such areas as supportive listening, boundaries, system navigation, etc. This course is delivered once each week over 93 hours of in-class training (from mid-October to late June) followed by a 50-hour practicum.

For more information or to register for a course or elective please contact Christine Ellery at cellery@cmha-edmonton.ab.ca

LEAP (Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner) – CMHA-Edmonton

Learn how to provide support and interact with someone you care about when they are experiencing psychosis.

Do you have a family member experiencing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other psychotic illness who is unwilling to accept treatment? If so, then LEAP can help.

LEAP® (Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner) courses are for family members or caregivers of someone who is experiencing psychosis (hallucinations and/or delusions) and isn’t aware of having a mental illness. This is an evidence based course that aims to improve or repair your relationship and help you get your loved one to recognize the signs of their condition and accept treatment. LEAP was developed by Dr. Xavier Amador, a renowned clinical psychologist with first-hand experience caring for family members with serious mental illness.

The LEAP-certified trainer, a family member like you, was taught by Dr. Amador and has helped hundreds of other Albertans over the past five years. The interactive course includes opportunities to practice new ways to communicate with – and relate to – someone with a psychotic illness. 

Please note that each in-person course will be hosted at Prosper Place, 10455 172 Street NW, Edmonton AB T5S 1K9. If you have questions about LEAP or are wondering if this course is for you, please email ndorcas@cmha-edmonton.ab.ca.

To register: CMHA-Edmonton – LEAP

Mental Health First Aid Virtual – CMHA-Edmonton

Learn to support someone who is struggling with their mental health.

The Mental Health First Aid training was developed to help people provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis.

MHFA teaches mental health first aid skills. The course does not train people to be therapists, counselors, or mental health professionals. The philosophy behind MHFA is that mental health crisis, such as suicidal and self-harming actions, may be avoided through early intervention. If a crisis does arise, then members of the public can take action that may reduce the harm that could result.

This 9-hour course opens with a self-directed module (Module 1 – Self Directed) that focuses on the information and strategies that participants will discuss and practice throughout the virtual classroom modules (Modules 2 and 3 – Virtual Classroom). Course participants are required to complete Module 1 before participating in Module 2 and 3.

Participants will receive the “MHFA Participant Reference Guide” that outlines MHFA actions for developing mental health and substance use problems, and mental health and substance use crises.

For more information: CMHA-Edmonton MHFA Standard

To register: MHFA

Subsidies are available, please inquire for more information.

UPCOMING TRAINING DATES:

Lunch & Learn Series - Mental Health Foundation

An ongoing series on various mental health and addiction topics that provides education and a place for connection.

Our Lunch & Learn Series is dedicated to fostering an open dialogue on mental health and addictions topics. These free online sessions provide the community with valuable knowledge, resources, and support in a warm, welcoming environment. The Lunch & Learn Series provides evidence-based resources that can help people stay up-to-date on best practices, connect with other like minded individuals, and engage in stimulating discussions.

To register: MHF Lunch & Learn

Indigenous Wellness Parenting Program – Ben Calf Robe

A strength-based program that supports parents to build valuable skills and healthy relationships with their children while honouring traditional Indigenous Ways of Knowing.

Parents will enhance their parenting skills in a positive, effective, and enjoyable way while honouring our Indigenous Ways of Knowing. Parents will learn strategies on how to best connect with their child(ren) and have a rewarding parent/child relationship. 

Our program is designed to support trauma informed persons served. We believe in using a strengths-based approach – persons served are led by their own strengths in which determine their outcome. Together we can decolonize our mind, body, and soul through a holistic traditional way.

Some Parenting Topics Include:

• Structure & Routine

• Residential School System

• Impacts of Intergenerational trauma

• Developmental stages of life

• Emotional Regulation

• Medicine Wheel Teachings

• Identity/purpose/culture

• Stress Management

• Communication

• Family Violence

• Grief and Loss

• Self-Esteem/Self-care

• Anger Management

• Conflict Resolution

• Attachment & Bonding

• Relationships & Boundaries

• Parenting Styles

• Behaviour Management

• Traditional Sharing Circles

To register: Ben Calf Robe – Indigenous Wellness Parenting Program

Building Psychological Safety in the Workplace – Imagine Institute for Learning

Creating Safe and Growth-Oriented Workplaces: Learn what makes a workplace psychologically safe and what you can do to create a workplace that empowers people to show up at their best.

Writer Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Many of us spend a large portion of our day at work. In fact, the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. It is safe to say that your job greatly impacts your quality of life. In this two-day session, we talk about the role of the internal narrative that accompanies the workloads, relationships and challenges faced within the work environment. The session includes interactive activities, research on psychological safety and a toolkit full of activities and assessments that you can use to move from existing to thriving at work.

Learning Objectives:

• Create a safe environment to learn from the wisdom in the room and use trauma-informed practices to engage in uncomfortable conversations in a safe way.

• Explore the foundations and application of psychological safety as it relates to inclusion, learning, contribution, and challenging environments.

• Employ practical workplace strategies and interventions to prioritize self-advocacy and agile conversations.

• Discuss real-time challenges and opportunities to support a healthy and sustainable work environment.

For more information: Imagine Training Framework PDF

To register: Imagine Institute for Learning Upcoming Sessions

Subsidies are available, please inquire for more information.

UPCOMING TRAINING DATES:

TIDeS™ Trauma-Informed De-escalation Strategies – Imagine Institute for Learning

Creating Safety and Connection in our Interactions: Learn how to de-escalate conflict and manage high intensity situations while maintaining a trauma-informed approach.

This full-day training is designed to provide participants with critical skills in using trauma-informed de-escalation strategies. Research shows that trauma is highly prevalent in the general public and will likely play a role in interactions with an escalated individual. TIDeS™ not only considers the trauma of the escalated individual but also the person providing support.

Participants will take a deep dive into assessing their own attitudes, boundaries, communication styles, and debriefing strategies. There is a focus on prevention and long-term reduction of crisis situations. Intended for all areas of the community, this training provides a universal trauma-informed approach to de-escalation. 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the basics of trauma-informed care and the principles of de-escalating a potential crisis.

• Develop skills in assessing attitudes, setting boundaries, and communicating effectively.

• Utilize trauma-informed de-escalation strategies to encourage safe connection.

• Explore the application of strategies in different demographics using case studies.

• Learn strategies for debriefing following a crisis.

For more information: Imagine Training Framework PDF

To register: Imagine Institute for Learning Upcoming Sessions

Subsidies are available, please inquire for more information.

UPCOMING TRAINING DATES: