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

Walk With Me – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Walk With Me is a 1-day process-based workshop exploring the suicide grief cycle in Indigenous communities. 

This workshop is intended for Indigenous caregivers working in Indigenous communities.

The Walk With Me workshop draws heavily on Indigenous culture and tradition as it seeks to take participants through the cycle of suicide grief. Indigenous communities are frequently struck with a series of suicide deaths in a short period of time, each of these deaths adding to the already present burden of grief and loss. Bringing community members together for a day of hope and healing builds understanding and strength. This workshop takes the participants on a journey from the past, to the present and looks to the future; it creates a context for people to examine where they are in the grief cycle and how they can move forward to hope.

This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

To register: CSP Workshop

SafeTALK – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This 3.5 hour workshop alerts someone to warning signs indicating risk of suicide. 

This 3.5 hour workshop equips people to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and better able to connect them with further help. The workshop emphasizes the importance of recognizing the signs, communicating with the person considering suicide and getting help or resources for the person considering suicide.

This suicide alertness training program can help you:

• identify persons with thoughts of suicide

• connect persons with thoughts of suicide to suicide first aid resources

Audience

Ages 16+
Participants can include but not limited to: parents and caregivers; family and friends; youth aged 16 or older; natural helpers and advisors; educators and ministers; health practitioners; justice, law enforcers, emergency workers, and community volunteers.

Certificate and Accreditation

All participants will receive a certificate at the end of the course.

safeTALK is recognized by the Suicide Prevention Resource Centre (SPRC) in the United States. Please check with your professional association to see if the course qualifies you to receive professional development credits or continuing education credits.

To register: CSP Workshop

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 TuneUp – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This 3.5 hour workshop is only for people with a valid ASIST certificate. This will allow you to renew your ASIST certification for a further two years. 

This 3.5 hour workshop is only for people with a valid ASIST certificate.  In Alberta, your ASIST certificate is valid for three years. If you take a half-day ASIST Tune Up workshop within 30 days of the expiration of your certificate, it will be renewed for another two years. After the TuneUp certificate has expired, participants are required to take the two-day ASIST workshop to obtain another certificate.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) TuneUp is a half-day refresher course developed by LivingWorks Education for participants who have completed ASIST. The workshop offers participants an opportunity to review the Pathway for Assisting Life Model, discuss successes and challenges in using the model, and clarify concepts covered within the model.

The TuneUp provides participants an opportunity to:

• Review or complete learning from the ASIST

• Test, examine or review how ASIST is applied in the real world or to share what they have learned from applications in the real world

• Recapture some of the experience of a caring community and collegial feelings from their ASIST experience

Audience

Ages 18+
The ASIST TuneUp workshop is designed for professionals, caregivers, and individuals who may work or be in contact with those who are at a higher risk for suicide and who have taken the two day ASIST workshop within the last three years. Proof of prior ASIST attendance is required to attend the ASIST TuneUp.

Certificate and Accreditation

Certification: All participants who complete the ASIST TuneUp will be able to extend their ASIST certificate for another two years. The ASIST certificate must be valid (three years and within 30 days of expiry) to qualify for the extension.

Accreditation: The ASIST TuneUp is qualified for the Association of Social Work Board (ASWB) Category A credits. If you do not belong to the ASWB, please check with your professional association to see if you qualify for professional credits.

To register: CSP Workshop

This training is available at no-cost for participants thanks to funding from the City of Edmonton.

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

This training is available at no-cost for participants thanks to funding from the City of Edmonton.

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