Fall Education Conference 2021: Facilitators

Since then, she has worked in a variety of settings including acute psychiatry, residential mental health, community nursing supporting those with serious and persistent mental health conditions, and mental health emergency services. Her most recent role within the health authority was supporting individuals who did not fit into current Mental Health Services and were dealing with a variety of issues including significant mental health, substance use and homelessness.

In the last six years, she’s been working with BC Housing as their Health and Housing Nurse. She’s been supporting their directly managed sites, as well as different non-profit housing providers and spent the majority of time supporting homelessness services in a variety of communities.

Janet will deliver the workshop, Anxiety – What It Is, Ways to Cope, and How to Help Others at the 2021 Fall Education Conference on Thursday, October 21.

She is a certified Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) facilitator (Copeland Centre for Wellness and Recovery) which focuses on self-awareness and building a self-care plan to support wellness, illness, recovery and maintenance. She is also a certified Mental Health First Aid facilitator with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, where she teaches participants about mental health, mental illness and how to be the first line of support in a crisis.

As a Community Based Research Associate and Patient Partner, Anita works on numerous research projects and committees with community organizations, universities, and health authorities in British Columbia. She is a member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Hallway Group, a lived experience committee who advises and supports the strategic initiatives of the organization to support the mental health of all Canadians. Although Anita is extremely busy, she makes time for self-care including cuddling with her cat named Caaaaaat, stretching her imagination by writing and improv theatre, and finding balance through yoga and meditation.

Anita will lead the  Guided Meditation on Wednesday, October 20 and deliver the workshop, Self-Aware for Self-Care at the 2021 Fall Education Conference on Thursday, October 21.

Her writing is regularly featured on the CBC and her stand-up has been featured at the Just for Laughs 42 Festival and on Sirius XM Radio. Dena completed her 200-hour hatha yoga teacher training at Kashish Yoga School in Goa, India and she is also a certified Mindfulness Instructor. Dena enjoys using her comedic ability to share beneficial mental health practices that can be added to our daily routines and her talks are specifically designed to help anyone struggling with anxiety and post-pandemic stress.

Dena will deliver the opening plenary, From Mindless to Mindful, at the 2021 Fall Education Conference on Monday, October 18.

Through her participation in a variety of community-based initiatives in schools, recreational centres, art galleries, and other spaces for learning, Carmen’s work with in-service and pre-service teachers focuses on creating awareness to better understand, appreciate, and learn from the histories and stories of the Indigenous people of Canada and other parts of the world.

Carmen’s research is always motivated by her own interest to be a life-long learner and promote diversity and social justice. Consequently, her work involves teaching students and other stakeholders within educational settings.

 Carmen will co-deliver the workshop, Wellness in a Time of Change and Transition: Nature Healing at the 2021 Fall Education Conference on Wednesday, October 20.

She is privileged and honoured to live, play and work on this land as an uninvited visitor. Genevieve began providing workshops in her youth, as one of the founding members of Youth Against Racism. Genevieve is a trained public speaker and holds an Associate of Arts in Speech and Drama (Trinity College London) and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (University of Victoria). Genevieve works at the University of Victoria as a Student Advisor. Part of her current portfolio is facilitating workshops on student success, progression and wellbeing. In her free time, Genevieve enjoys cooking and spending time with her family exploring the Island.

Genevieve will deliver the workshop, Self-Care and Wellness at the 2021 Fall Education Conference on Tuesday, October 19.

He started his career in mental health in 2011, when he was trained in Crisis Intervention and started volunteering with the 24-hour distress phone line. Continuing his passion for mental health, he acquired further training in Critical Incident Stress Management and Group Intervention training followed by becoming an instructor for the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course offered through the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Recognizing the need within his own religious community, Al quickly took on the role of educating members of the Ismaili Muslim community. This quickly spread nationwide. In 2017, he was honored to receive an award through the Center for Addictions and Mental Health as one of Canada’s top 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health. Following his interests further, he went back to school full time in 2018 and is now a registered Provisional Psychologist who is working with the Canadian Mental Health Association helping those who have lost someone to suicide.

He also runs his own private practice, Fine Balance Wellness, in which he works with clients from all backgrounds and walks of life. He specializes in grief and loss support, anxiety, depression, and men’s health. He has additional training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Gottman’s Couples Therapy and Suicide Intervention and Prevention. In his down time, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his family or watching old episodes of Star Trek.

Al will deliver the workshop, Recognizing Declining Well-being in the Self and How to Increase Personal Wellbeing at the 2021 Fall Education Conference on Thursday, October 21.

His practice encompasses providing manual therapy with compassion and high regard for each patient’s relationship with their own body, gender, culture, or spirituality.

He believes that manual therapy is only one of many approaches in working with the body’s ability to restore itself naturally. Alex is passionate about empowering patients through education and collaboration to help them in their journey towards recovery.

​Alex completed his massage therapy education at the top of his class at the Vancouver College of Massage Therapy and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a Minor in Psychology from the University of British Columbia.

​Alex has worked with patients from various backgrounds, such as athletes ranging from pre-teen to adult age groups, essential workers, pregnant patients, and persons living with HIV. These experiences have equipped him to be adaptable in different treatment contexts and to offer a tailored treatment plan for optimal well-being.

Alex will lead the Guided Stretching session at the 2021 Fall Education Conference on Tuesday, October 19.