Mental health problems disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations such as the poor, disabled, homeless, and unemployed.  Existing barriers to care—the lack of treatment resources in the community, an intervention model predicated on formal medical diagnosis, and the cost of treatment from psychologists—put treatment essentially out of reach for too many.  Our social program targets these populations and the front-line workers who serve them, providing cost-effective mindfulness-based interventions in a community setting to deal with a subset of mental health problems, particularly stress-related disorders and mild to moderate depression.

The primary goal of the program is to equip participants with a capacity to deal with life stressors, and to address their own problems effectively. The essence of its approach is to identify and reverse the negative thinking present in stress-related and mental health disorders that leads to downward cognitive spirals and an exacerbated inability to cope.

The social program operates through the network of social service providers with which the Centre is allied.  These providers identify and refer to us people in their client base who might benefit from our program.  Also, and concurrently, the program reaches out to the employees in the same provider organizations.

The program has received seed funding from Ontario’s Social Housing Services Corporation to develop and deliver mindfulness workshops to tenants and employees in the social housing sector.  Funding is being sought for the development of programs tailored to other specific groups: seniors, the homeless, under-privileged youth, and abused women.

SHSC Social Program

The following psycho-educational, clinical groups are for underemployed/unemployed clients and the front-line workers from non-profit agencies that support them.

Mindfulness and Mood – Workshop 1

(women-only)
11 Weekly Sessions

Wednesdays mornings starting December 7, Dec 14, Dec 21: Jan 4 (resume), Jan 11, Jan 18, Jan 25; Feb 1 (Silent Day, 10am-3pm), Feb 8, Feb 15, Feb 22 | 10:00am – 12:30pm | Facilitators: Patricia Rockman, MD &  Kendra Kusturin, MSW

Location: 180 Sudbury St.

 

Mindfulness and Mood -  Workshop 2

11 weekly sessions

Monday afternoons starting Jan 9, Jan 16, Jan 23, Jan 30; Feb 6, Feb 13, Feb 20, Feb 27 (Silent Day); Mar 5, Mar 19 (resume), Mar 26 | 2:oopm – 4:00pm | Facilitators: Bobby Esbin, MD & Gwen Morgan, MSW

Location: 180 Sudbury St.

 

Developing Professional and Personal Resilience through Mindfulness: Front-line Workers Workshop

8 weekly sessions

Tuesdays afternoons starting, Jan 10, Jan 17, Jan 24, Jan 31; Feb 7, Feb 14 (Silent Day 12pm-5pm), Feb 21, Feb 28 | 12:00-2:00 pm | Facilitators: Pat Rockman, MD & Sherry Holt, M. Ed

Location: 180 Sudbury St.

 

For more information contact Social Program Coordinator Veronica at 647-524-6216 or veronica@mindfulnessstudies.com