Changing Minds Workshop - Saint John

2 day workshop November 25 & 26 from 9:00am to 5:00pm both days. Participants must attend both days in full to receive certificate. Changing Minds was created in order to address a community need for mental health education, stigma reduction and to promote a better understanding of mental health and mental illness. This powerful and engaging program will change your mind regarding people with mental illness. 2 day workshop running November 25 AND 26 from 9:00am to 5:00pm both days. Participants must attend both days in full to receive certificate. In understanding an individual who has a mental illness we must first understand the illness, the impact of the illness on the individual, their family and their “fit” within their communities. Mental Illness is more challenging to understand than other kinds of illness. It’s easier to understand the mental illness when we get to know the individual with the illness and the effect it has on their lives. Modules: 1. Understanding Mental Health and Mental Illness Goal – To introduce the concepts of mental health and mental illness and explore our response to mental illness. 2. Living with a Diagnosis Goal – To increase our ability to understand and relate to a person who has been diagnosed with a mental illness. 3. Understanding Depression Goal – To understand depression and barriers to sensitive communication. 4. Understanding Anxiety Goal – To recognize the effect of fear and anxiety in mental illness and develop the ability to respond to people’s needs for safety. 5. Understanding Psychosis Goal – To learn to relate to someone who is temporarily experiencing a different reality. 6. Understanding Mania Goal – To understand the impact of mood swings on a person’s relationships and interactions. 7. Understanding Trauma, PTSD, and Personality Disorder Goal – To gain a better understanding of how trauma can impact social emotional development and mental illness. 8. Understanding Substance Use Disorder & Using Our Skills Goal – To understand the cycle and stages of substance use disorder and its impacts, as well as to practice the skills we have learned. Layout: Two full days, 15 hours total