Intersecting Mental Health, Gender Identity and Sexuality: Part 1 of a 3 Part Speaker Series on the Intersectionality of Mental Health
Date and Time
Location
Microsoft Teams. Link will be shared closer to event date.
Details
Funded by DHR's Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Enhancement fund, Wellness@Work is coordinating a three-part mental health speaker series focusing on mental health and the intersectionality of social identities. With the launch of our speaker series on Oct 26th, our first topic will be related to 2SLGBTQIA+ identity and mental health in the workplace. This event is open to all faculty, staff, and students to attend. Our intention with this speaker series is to foster a culture of inclusion and provide representation so that our faculty and staff feel seen and valued regardless of their identity and have a psychologically safe and healthy workplace.
In our 90 minutes together we will explore:
- Intersectionality and briefly cover basics of language and terms
- Common Challenges faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ folks (including workplace specifics, and focus on mental health impact)
- Tools for Allied Employees
- Tools for 2SLGBTQIA+ staff and faculty
About the Speaker:
Erin Huston (she/her) is OK2BME’s Community Engagement Lead. Following her Masters Degree at Laurier in Social Justice and Community Engagement, Erin has worked with multiple non-profits focusing on public education and community facilitation work, exploring conversations about identity, belongings, relationships, and self-esteem using a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive lens.
Who is OK2BME?
OK2BME is a program operated by KWCounselling located in the Waterloo Region. We offer programming and services built to support 2SLGBTQIA+ identified children, teens, adults and their families across the region and beyond. This includes individual, family, and relationship counselling, group therapy, recreational youth programming, and public education.
About Intersecting Mental Health: A Three Part Speaker Series
Intersecting Mental Health: A Three-Part Speaker Series is intended to apply an intersectional lens to better educate UofG staff and faculty on the mental health experiences of diverse people and how to support their colleagues to create a mentally healthy workplace. As we focus on psychoeducational we intend to increase learning to incorporate the principles of social location and systemic barriers when trying to understand why some individuals suffer from mental health issues and how to support those in our lives and their mental health.
Our objectives with this speaker series are foundational but incredibly valuable:
- Increase mental health literacy
- Increase understanding of intersectionality and how social identity impacts mental health.
- Provide room for attendees to better understand their mental health and the mental health of those around them.
- Have tangible actions that they can do to be more inclusive and build a mentally healthy workplace.
What about the other two parts of the speaker series?
You are not required to attend the other two parts of the speaker series.
Details are still being determined, but parts 2 and 3 are tentatively planned for January 2023 and February 2023 focusing on topics of neurodiversity and racial identity, respectively.