February 2006

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Community Literacy of Ontario

Our Voice

Literacy and Mental Health Workshops

In the fall of 2005 the Ottawa Community Coalition for Literacy (OCCL) partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) to develop and deliver training for literacy practitioners on mental illness. This innovative partnership was made possible due to a small grant from the Ottawa Citizen Literacy Foundation.

This training was delivered because many literacy agencies in the Ottawa region have learners in their programs who have mental illnesses. Another goal was to increase communication between literacy agencies and mental health agencies. The CMHA adapted their regular introductory workshop called "Myths and Realities of Mental Illness" specifically for the literacy field. The CMHA offered a reduced rate to deliver the training. This event was extremely successful with 25 participants attending. The training covered the following topics:

• The Major Mental Illnesses
• Pre-planning with Learners and their Support Workers
• Setting Limits and Boundaries
• Community Resources
• Taking Care of Ourselves

OCCL is planning a half-day follow-up session to allow participants to discuss how they have applied their new knowledge, work on case scenarios and learn more about community resources. In the fall of 2006 OCCL plans to partner with the CMHA again to deliver training on non-violent crisis intervention.

Mary Wiggin, the Executive Director of the OCCL, recommends that literacy organizations who may be interested in pursuing similar training contact their closest Canadian Mental Health Association to explore possibilities.

(Source: Ottawa Community Coalition for Literacy)