A free webinar series about refugee mental health is now available for viewing online at any time. CMHA Ontario launched the four-part series to enhance the capacity of the mental health and additions sector to support refugees. More than 600 participants took part in the four-part series in February, March, April and May 2016. Although the series was initially targeted at the mental health and addictions sector, participants came from many different fields – including settlement, broader health system, public education, child and youth services, community and social services and even individual private refugee sponsors – and found the sessions helpful. The series includes:
Part I – Supporting Adult Refugee Mental Health (speakers: Dr. Branka Agic, Mahmoud Allouch, Sheela Subramanian) which provides background information and key resources about equity issues in mental health and adult refugee mental health in Ontario, with a focus on the Syrian refugee population that has recently arrived. This session is recommended for anyone interested in or involved in refugee resettlement in Ontario.
Part II – Supporting Child and Youth Refugee Mental Health (speakers: Dr. Priya Raju, Dr. Debra Stein, Sheela Subramanian) which provides social service providers with hands on guidance on supporting refugee children and youth mental health. This session is particularly recommended for anyone working with refugee kids and youth in Ontario.
Part III – Stories of Migration and Mental Health (speakers: Jane, Maya and Sujatha, Sheela Subramanian) which explores the relationship between migration, settlement, the social determinants and mental health, with a focus on the lived experiences of three peer facilitators from CMHA Toronto’s Opening Doors Project. This session is recommended for anyone interested in migration and mental health, or anyone interested in lived experience and peer support in Ontario.
Part IV – Help Build a Framework to Advance Equity in Mental Health in Ontario (speakers: Uppala Chandrasekera, Deqa Farah, Sheela Subramanian) introduces participants to CMHA Ontario’s Advancing Equity in Ontario framework and engage participants in an interactive conversation about what can be done at the organizational and systems levels to address mental health-related inequities. This session will provide individuals and organizations with a framework for understanding refugee or other population mental health. The webinar discussion will be used by CMHA Ontario to inform an action plan for equity in mental health that will be launched in the months to come.
Please visit the webinar page at www.ontario.cmha.ca/refugeemh for more information and to watch the sessions.
What our participants said about the webinars:
“It was actually one of the best webinars that I’ve participated in. The presenters were fantastic – spoke clearly, used humour, provided relevant information, answered questions. Great use of the webinar platform, additional resource information, the chat functionality, and a moderator. THANK YOU!!!”
“Thank you for putting this on – you are one of few organizations filling a massive gap in knowledge translation right now.”
“I would love to share the recording with my colleagues at my school, as our school is often welcoming refugee students, lately Syrian but are expecting more. I think the staff could greatly benefit from the information you presented today, and may give them confidence that the strategies and work they are doing are effective and beneficial.”
“Wow the webinars from CMHA are top notch! Thank you for continuing to bring attention to these important issues!”