SA2 BIPOC Perspectives On Counselling And Psychotherapy

• Intermediate
• Angela Grier and Anti-Racism Advisory Committee members

Within the CCPA, a group of BIPOC practitioners, staff and board leadership have come together once again to develop an educational tool to share with conference delegates and CCPA members. Participants will be invited to view a pre-recording from BIPOC practitioners who share highlights relevant to working with BIPOC clients and creating inclusive spaces for BIPOC practitioners and communities of practice. The conference session will be hosted and facilitated by members of CCPA’s Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, who are eager to share towards equity, inclusion and diverse practices.

SB4 Brief Crisis Therapy: Working With Diversity With Clients As Experts

• Intermediate
• Dina Bednar, Andrew Sofin, and Julia Imanoff

The Brief Crisis Therapy Three-Session Model focuses on client’s strengths, the client as expert, and a next step by the end of each session.  This workshop will demonstrate how this approach utilizes everything about the individuals we work with in a way that increases hope, activates strengths, and provides the opportunity for co-construction of solutions and next steps.  This new model was developed inductively by a team of Couple and Family therapists during the Pandemic to deal with the needs of the community, by asking clients ‘what their best hopes were’ and by being curious about their specific needs and wants.  The BCT model is one of inclusion, respect, fairness, and celebrating the uniqueness of each person as a therapeutic intervention. At the end of this workshop participants will understand the components of this new approach, the philosophy behind it, and how to make every session as useful as possible and tailored to the specific needs, hopes and goals of the client.

SC3 Meeting The Unique Mental Health Needs Of Boys And Men - The Social Imperative Of Gender-Sensitive Approaches

• Intermediate
• Nick Cardone

Many men and boys have unique needs when it comes to therapy. With high rates of death by suicide, poor seeking behaviours and high dropout rates in therapy, men’s mental health statistics are at CRISIS levels.  While therapy as we know it (office/chair/talk) works for some, research tells us that other ways of ‘doing’ therapy have greater resonance for men and boys in distress or living with mental illness.  Part of a 2-year grant from Movember Canada, The T.O.N.E. Project was an innovative group therapy service for adult men that looked at HOW and WHERE therapy happens, and aligned it with ways that men tend to explore their inner and outer worlds.  This interactive and experiential workshop will: • explore the mental health needs of men and boys, including the underlying theory using 2 years of T.O.N.E. participant's stories; • in large and small groups, and using learning stations, experience some of the specific tools, strategies and imagery, used in T.O.N.E.; • explore more deeply their own work, but through a gendered lens; and hopefully • inspire helping professionals to find their own unique path using adventure, expressive and experiential techniques in their own wellness settings.

KEYNOTE - The Building Blocks Of Equitable Practice

• Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa

The pandemic was a destabilizing experience for all, raising awareness of the need for better mental health and wellness supports not only within our communities but within our workspaces as well. An increased need to be aware of injustices and differing experiences for racialized communities became evident, with a need for change and increased support. Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa’s keynote will highlight her experience in advancing equity and curating spaces of wellness and inclusion, as she draws on her lived experience as well as her medical and professional expertise to provide effective strategies for supporting mental health and wellness, on a personal and organizational level. Audiences will leave with actionable strategies to better support themselves and those around them, and with a greater understanding of the interconnection between mental health and racialized communities. She’ll explore how to spot and stop subtle discrimination, enact effective anti-racist policies, and become better allies for the BIPOC community within the workplace and beyond. 

Biography

One of Time magazine’s “2021 Next Generational Leaders”, Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa is a medical trailblazer spearheading change in healthcare and beyond. She is an accomplished physician, spoken word poet, and advocate for racialized and marginalized populations. Oriuwa draws on her personal and professional experience to share insight and actionable strategies into transformative leadership, mental health and wellness, and igniting change to build a more equitable future for all. Currently a resident doctor in psychiatry at the University of Toronto (U of T), Oriuwa is a graduate of the University’s Faculty of Medicine. When she arrived as an incoming medical student to find she was the only Black student in her cohort, she channeled his disappointment into action, becoming a vocal advocate for improving disparities in Black health and confronting institutional discrimination. Since then, Oriuwa has become the first Black woman to be named sole valedictorian of the department and has spoken at numerous national and international events on the topics of DEI, leadership, mental health, and her journey as an underrepresented minority in medicine. Oriuwa was also an ambassador and educator of U of T’s Black Student Application Program, where she saw the faculty admit the largest group of Black medical students in Canadian history. In addition, Oriuwa is a professional spoken word artist. Working under the Hamilton Youth Poets, she has earned her place as a national slam poetry finalist twice. In 2017, she released her renowned slam poem “Woman, Black” and in 2018 published her seminal article In My White Coat, I am More Black than Ever for FLARE magazine’s Black History Month campaign. She has also been featured on CBC’s The National, CTV News, CP24, Toronto Star, Time magazine, and TODAY, amongst others. She is slated to release her first memoir with HarperCollins in 2023. A recipient of numerous prestigious awards and honours, Oriuwa was named on Maclean’s Power 50 List in 2022 and was recognized as one of Best Health Magazine's “2020 Women of the Year”. She was also recently honoured in Mattel’s #ThankYouHeroes campaign alongside five other women with a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll made in her image to commemorate her contributions as a frontline healthcare worker. In addition to her medical degree, Oriuwa has a master’s degree in Health Systems Leadership and Innovation from the University of Toronto. She also serves on Indigo's board of directors, using her expertise to inform their efforts in advancing equity and curating spaces of wellness and inclusion.