Healthy Minds Cooperative

In partnership with Bereaved Families Nova Scotia, we are recruiting 4-6 queer, trans, and 2Spirit volunteers to undergo the facilitator training and become certified 'Living with Grief' facilitators. Living with Grief is a general grief program and it welcomes anyone who has experienced any kind of loss. This could be the death of a parent, death of a pet, loss of a romantic relationship, loss of friend/family/community relationship, loss of the life one saw for oneself, loss of a job, etc. If you're interested in learning more about this volunteer opportunity, please reach out to elizabeth@healthyminds.ca to receive a full facilitator role description and training schedule.

If you are impacted by a loved one's addiction to alcohol, drugs, or gambling, your health matters too. Affected Others is an 8-week learning and support group where you will gain an understanding of addiction, chemical dependency, effective communication strategies, setting and maintaining healthy boundaries, self-compassion, self-care, and anxiety reduction through mindfulness. Visit https://lnkd.in/gCtfGYhN to learn more.

Join Healthy Minds Cooperative for TWO consultation opportunities to help inform the Government of Nova Scotia's 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan! 🌈Tuesday August 13, 6:00pm (VIRTUAL) 🌈Tuesday August 20, 6:00pm (IN PERSON) The upcoming Action Plan will be an all-of-government effort and will be developed based on community feedback and input collected through engagement. HMC is happy to provide two consultation opportunities focused on mental health and addictions in the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community. Honorariums will be provided for all those who participate. Event Details: When: Tuesday August 13 AND Tuesday August 20 Who: 2SLGBTQIA+ Nova Scotians Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm AST Where: August 13 is VIRTUAL; August 20 is IN PERSON at Healthy Minds Cooperative, #200 Queen's Square, 45 Alederny Way, Dartmouth. For more information and to register, view our Eventbrite pages here: 🌈Registration for the virtual consultation on August 13: https://lnkd.in/gzzfgTtU 🌈Registration for the in-person consultation on August 20: https://lnkd.in/gsDUnCg4

Join Teacher in Training (Ozhiitaa Jig) Connor Lafortune on July 10th at 6:00pm for a 45 minute overview of Feather Carriers and their approach to life promotion. Life Promotion is an approach to suicide that focuses on root causes and appealing to the spirits of individuals. Instead of reacting in the moment to suicidal ideation, life promotion builds those motivations to live that help individuals overcome painful and hopeless times in their lives. These teachings are drawn from many cultures and points of view; Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Mi’kmaq, Michif, and others. Rather than treating the crisis of suicide in isolation, we see suicide as one of many outcomes, (including addiction and unhealthy relationships), that occurs as a result of loss of meaning in life and connection to others. The way to address this is through developing a sense of identity and knowledge of one’s spirit. This will give us the anchors needed to weather the storms of life. Learn more and register on Eventbrite:  https://lnkd.in/eXyJaMpz

You are an amazing and insightful person who lives with a mental illness/addiction or, supports someone who does. You have experience as a volunteer board member OR you are looking to gain that experience. You have something to offer - for example, knowledge of mental health and addictions programs and stakeholders (locally and provincially), expertise in board governance, fundraising skills, 'connections', a passion for diversity/equity/inclusion/accessibility/reconciliation/anti-racism, legal expertise, etc...

Our next 8-week Affected Others program begins June 11th, from 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm on Tuesdays. Learn about addictions, self-care, and strategies to support your loved one living with substance use disorder. For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/e8VZFg5W

Healthy Minds Cooperative and Roots of Hope are proud to offer a FREE safeTALK training for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community. Livingworks' safeTALK is a four hour certificate course that equips people to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and better able to connect them with further help. In addition to the training, this opportunity will also comprise of a focus group on the lived experiences of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and suicide and how the safeTALK training can be applied and modified in culturally competent ways. Event Details Date: Saturday May 11, 2024 Time: 9:00am-4:00pm Location: Findlay Community Center, Dartmouth Free of charge, lunch is provided A formal certificate of completion is awarded at the end of training Register through Eventbrite: https://lnkd.in/eSTrEvWZ.

FYI - Happening tomorrow...

Join us Monday, April 22nd at 6:00pm on Zoom to hear from Jaden Silva on his guide Transformation: A Guide to Legally Changing Your Name in Nova Scotia. This virtual event will cover how to obtain a name change and sex indicator change in Nova Scotia and how to get those changes reflected on documents like a driver's license, health card, banking details, and through the CRA. Informed heavily by lived experience, Jaden will cover the processes, costs, and self-advocacy often required to obtain a legal name change in Nova Scotia. Register through Eventbrite: https://lnkd.in/eyhmQYrx This event is part of HMC's Circle of Support, a network for queer, trans, 2Spirit people and their educated allies to learn and share on topics of suicide prevention and life promotion within the community. For more information about the Circle and to join for more events like this one, fill out the interest form on our website.

We have author Nanci Lee joining us on Tuesday, March 5th for our Mental Health Writers' Group. If you'd like to join us, register here: https://lnkd.in/gGxS7jmh Here's a message from Nanci in advance of next week: Hi friends. I am a Chinese-Syrian poet, facilitator and coach. My first book Hsin was published in 2022 by Brick Books. Writing, is a practice, that helps me in my wellness and healing, working through identity, struggles, desires. In an interview about my book I explained that the reason part of my book is in fragments is because when I struggle I can feel quite fragmented and, somehow, in writing that can be ok. It can even be honoured in a way. Writing is the way I metabolize my world. I'd like to play with you and some exercises that help you to, in your writing, embody how you're feeling as a way to be present with it.