Between Us/Entrés Nous

Spring 2018 Edition

Edited by:

Rose Anthony, Candice Lawrence & Shivon Raghunandan

Chair’s ReportSubmitted by: Shawna Bernard, Conestoga College

Hi all,

We are almost at the end of another winter semester after a very busy and different year!!! I hope you have all survived and thrived this year in your counselling work with students as we also recognize getting through the unprecedented faculty strike in the fall.

We are looking forward to our upcoming AGM on May 14 at Canadore College in North Bay! We hope many of you can attend. As we are all aware, the role of college counselling is changing as we meet new demands of complex student presentation, organizational changes, the recent proclamation of psychotherapy, and shifting models to respond to the mental health needs of students. At our upcoming AGM, we hope to discuss some of these themes and trends by engaging in round table sharing of techniques, tools, or activities you are currently using in your counselling practice. We are hoping this sharing of “best practices” will allow counsellors to showcase the good work you are doing and also allow us to learn from each other to add additional tools to our professional tool boxes. We also plan to engage in the use of “Open Space Technology” to create a forum to discuss current topics in our counselling work. Some ideas which have come up to date have included the upcoming legalization of marijuana, introduction of the stepped care model, increase of international students, counsellor burn-out, crisis counselling and same-day counselling appointments, and cultural competency in working with indigenous students.

At the beginning of March, our OCC/ CCCO executive submitted our activity report to the Heads of Student Affairs (HOSA). I attended the HOSA meeting on March 1 via teleconference, and provided an update on OCC/ CCCO’s activities to date. As of this writing, we have had five executive meetings to date:

Monday, October 2nd – Executive Teleconference: 9:30-12:00 Monday, November 6th – Executive Teleconference: 9:30-12:00 Monday, December 11 – JRM (Toronto) – Colleges Ontario – ALL DAY Monday, January 15th – Executive Teleconference: 9:30-12:00 Monday, March 19th – Executive Teleconference: 9:30-12:00

Please feel free to check out our OCC/ CCCO executive meeting minutes at https://occccco.wordpress.com/about/ . Our remaining executive meetings will occur:

May 14 @ 11:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. – OCC AGM at Canadore College, North Bay Monday, June 4th – Executive Teleconference: 9:30-12:00

During the past academic year, themes discussed in our OCC/ CCCO executive meetings to date have included the following:

current trends in college counselling introduction by some colleges of the stepped care model, case management roles,

groups, self-help and mental health apps increase in international student counselling long wait times in the community group counselling delivery model impact of faculty strike on service delivery and particularly on first semester students increased stress reported by students who felt they didn’t get a break between fall and

winter semesters evening counselling hours to meet student need how are counselling offices triaging crisis appointments (e.g. walk-in appointment

delivery model, crisis appointments made available) marketing of on-campus services and advertising after hours crisis supports wellness programs at various colleges

The key issues presented by OCC/ CCCO to HOSA have included the following:

The tsunami of students with mental health issues and crises Service delivery response to increased volume/ numbers of students accessing

service, acuity (sense of immediacy), and complexity of presenting issues Upcoming legalization of cannabis Influx of international students Cultural safety with more and more Indigenous students entering post-secondary

Our Joint Regional Meeting at Colleges Ontario in Toronto on December 11 was a success! Our executive meeting was attended by 27 people, followed by a day of professional development training by Tanis Allan, MSW, RSW, who presented on the “Internal Family Systems Model of

Psychotherapy with the College Student Population.” Many counsellors who attended the JRM described the training as very beneficial to our college counselling work, and are continuing to use IFS techniques from this model in their work with students. The picture below shows this work in action, with our past-Chair Greg Taylor role-playing a college student accessing support with the IFS approach.

In February of this year, our OCC/ CCCO bank account was transitioned to a Responsibility Centre at Seneca College, where our Treasurer currently works. The remaining funds in our original CIBC bank account were deposited into the Responsibility Centre at Seneca and our OCC/ CCCO CIBC bank account is now closed. Thanks to the hard work of our OCC/ CCCO treasurer Sue Furs for assisting us with this process, with the support of Sue’s manager at Seneca.

I would also like to acknowledge the work of Crystal Cooke as our OCC/ CCCO secretary during the past academic year. In winter semester, Crystal accepted a new position at another institution and is currently on leave from Georgian College. As a result, she is no longer in the role of OCC/ CCCO Secretary. We also appreciate Mona Chevalier’s leadership as she is a member of the government Sub-committee College Task Force Access and Student Supports Working Table. Mona is encouraging any counsellor to provide her with feedback for this committee regarding your perspective on student access and supports in your respective colleges.

As we look forward to this year’s AGM in May, as part of our business meeting we will be holding this year’s executive elections. Please consider if you would like to join our OCC/ CCCO executive! It is a wonderful group of professionals committed to providing quality counselling service to Ontario college students. As part of our elections, positions which are currently

vacant include: OCC/ CCCO Chair Elect and OCC/ CCCO Secretary. Other positions which will be up for renewal include:

Francophone Region Representative Eastern Region Representative Central Region Representative Treasurer Indigenous Representative Professional Development Liaison(s)

We hope to see many of you at our AGM! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or other members of our current executive:

Chair - Shawna Bernard Past Chair - Greg Taylor Secretary – Currently Vacant Webmaster / Social Media Consultant - Heather Drummond Registrar - Nancy VerduynTreasurer - Sue FursBetween Us/Entre Nous Editors - Shivon Raghunandan, Rose Anthony, and Candice Lawrence HOSA Liaison - Kristi KerfordProfessional Development Liaisons - Maheen Sayal and Lavlet FordeNorthern Representative - Darryl MacNeil Eastern Representative - Audrey Rosa Central Representative - Maheen Sayal Southwestern Representative - Candice Lawrence Indigenous Representative - Jamie Warren Francophone Representative – Mona Chevalier

Take care everyone and I hope you have a wonderful spring and upcoming summer. If you would like to contact me, I can be reached at sbernard@conestogac.on.ca or 519-748-5220 ext. 3236.

All the best!

Shawna

College Updates

Centennial CollegeSubmitted by: Lishan Baileyegn, MSW, RSW

It is great to be back sharing updates from Centennial! This year one of our contract counsellors became a full-time permanent member of our team, Roma Rashidi and is currently working at Story Arts Campus. We have also welcomed a new addition to the team, Lishan Baileyegn, who is working with us on contract at Progress Campus.

We are keeping busy due to continued increase in student enrollment and the complexity of issues students’ experience. We are also experiencing an increase in the number of crises requiring urgent attention and action, which echoes the increase in mental health issues in the education system that have long been discussed in the media and at local and federal levels of government. January was a particularly busy month across our campuses. This is also the case in due part to the long-term effects of the college strike and having an extended fall semester, which resulted in higher volumes of program and course withdrawals. Strike recovery efforts were widespread throughout the college including the Counselling Centre where we offered extended hours in December and January. We continue to keep active in class visits, delivering trainings and offering workshops throughout the year. We facilitate year round student engagement programming initiatives at our four main campuses such as Paws Your Stress, Start Out Strong, Safe Talk and Suicide Prevention Awareness to name a few. These programs are designed to enhance mental health awareness and activities for the college community while increasing student engagement.

We continue to stay committed to supporting each other and practicing self-care and have made it routine practice to update one another on our self-care efforts at our monthly counselling meetings. This has allowed us to share useful information on self-care and techniques that are practical to implement in our often-busy lives and look forward to this opportunity to connect.

An exciting initiative that was adopted here at Centennial this year is Thrive, which was originally implemented at the University of British Columbia and has since been embraced at other post-secondary institutions. Thrive is both a mindset and a week-long series of events focused on building positive mental health and wellness for all members of the college community that took place Jan 29 – Feb 2 with great success. Several departments throughout the college collaborated on this initiative and our team facilitated workshops and events.

As the year-end is fast approaching, we wish you all a safe and wonderful summer!

From all of us here at Centennial, Steven Ruhinda, Catherine Chen, Eric Dunn, Diane Yip, Roma Rashidi, Kevin Bourns, Lishan Baileyegn

Photos from Centennial

Conestoga CollegeSubmitted by: Shawna Bernard, MSW, RSW

As April delivers one final winter storm, another semester is almost complete! The beginning of winter semester saw some students relieved to have had the break in the fall due to the faculty strike, while many others began winter semester feeling stressed while still finishing up academic requirements from the fall. These are the students we saw in our offices, as students continued to access counselling for personal, academic, and career related reasons. Following the strike, evening counselling appointments were offered to students at Conestoga from Monday – Wednesday at the Doon campus. The college also engaged in a partnership with HERE24/7, providing after hours crisis support on campus for a two-week period to increase opportunity for students to seek additional resources as needed. Our students continue to present with common presenting issues of stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, family concerns, self-esteem, financial stressors, and academic barriers. Individual and group/ workshop counselling continues to be provided at the Doon, Waterloo, Guelph, and Cambridge campuses under the myWellness umbrella of Student Success Services (http://www.conestogac.on.ca/counselling/). In addition, counselling workshops have also been facilitated at the Brantford and Ingersoll campuses.

Similar to other colleges, this academic year Conestoga has seen a large increase of international students, with over 5000 international students expected to enroll by September 2018. Counsellors from Counselling Services have continued to be involved with international student orientation workshops, and this winter 11 culture shock and acculturative stress workshops were provided to students in the English Language Studies department. Our college also hosted a Truth and Reconciliation event hosted by Student Engagement and Aboriginal Services in March, which was well attended by students and college staff. Counsellors attended to provide support during the event.

Other successful counselling programming this semester included the eight-week Mindfulness Group (co-facilitated by counsellor Shawna Bernard and faculty Linda Juodvalkis), the four-week Mind Your Mood CBT group (co-facilitated by counsellors Marshall Chanda and Victoria Banman), and the four-week Taming Your Inner Critic group (co-facilitated by counsellors Adrienne Moore and Marie Alexis). Counsellors have also continued to respond to in-class requests for psycho-educational and skills-based workshops, including Orientation to Services, Stress Management, Self-care and Resiliency for First Responders (Pre-Service Firefighter program), Mindfulness Skills, Healthy Relationships, and College 101 workshops. This winter 2018 semester, 14 safeTALK workshops were facilitated to the following populations: Student Affairs student leaders; Conestoga faculty and staff; general student population during Health and Wellness Week; and students in the Personal Support Worker, Early Childhood Education, and Health Office Administration programs. This resulted in 300 additional members of our Conestoga community being trained as suicide alert helpers; by the end of the academic year we expect to have trained over 600 faculty, staff, and students in safeTALK. We were pleased that counsellor Pauline Loucks was able to return from her maternity leave in January 2018, and was trained as a safeTALK trainer this semester (in addition to safeTALK trainers Erin Kravetsky, Marshall Chanda, Keith Martin, and Shawna Bernard).

As another semester comes to a close, we acknowledge the contributions of our MSW student from WLU this year, Amal Yusuf (supervised by Lydia Almorales-Ray). Amal successfully completed her MSW placement at Conestoga and will soon graduate. We have also appreciated the work of our contract counsellors Victoria Banman and Marie Alexis, who have respectively backfilled Alicia Glynn’s maternity and Keith Martin’s sabbatical leaves. Adam Koenig also continues to provide counselling at the Cambridge campus two days per week, with our remaining full-time counsellors including Shawna Bernard, Lynn Robbins-White, Lydia Almorales-Ray, Adrienne Moore, Erin Kravetsky, and Marshall Chanda. Our full-time coordinated care counselors, Comfort Afari and Melissa DeNoble, continue to provide case management support to students through their offices in the Medical Care Clinic.

Fleming College

Submitted by: Nancy Verduyn, MSW, RSW,

Our Counselling team at Fleming has undergone a significant number of changes over this past year, all of them exciting and good, despite some bumps along the way.

Our Counsellors were previously all “generalists”, offering Personal, Academic and Disability-related counselling. Starting last summer, we divided into two specialized teams – “Accessibility” and “Mental Health and Wellness”. This decision was based on the need to develop knowledge that is more specialized and expertise in our respective fields, as demand and complexity of needs so rapidly change. This means that Audrey Healy, Melissa McQuaid, Tim Piper and Reta Wright are now working as accessibility counsellors.

Mental Health and Wellness Update:

The Mental Health and Wellness team introduced the Stepped-Care Model last fall, based on the work of Peter Cornish out of Memorial University. As part of this new model, we are offering walk-in appointments all day, every day at our main Sutherland campus, and throughout the week at Frost; we have developed a directory of online resources; and we introduced a Psychoeducational Group for Anxiety. We will continue to develop and expand other “steps” as we strengthen partnerships with community agencies and look at the Case Management role. Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive so far.

As part of developing our proficiency in the Stepped-Care model, the MH&W team was able to participate in training in Single Session and Brief Therapies, with Karen Young, in March. We also spent a day with Peter Cornish, who has been at the forefront of bringing Stepped-Care to post-secondary institutions across Canada. Both of these learning opportunities were excellent and informative.

We welcomed three new members to our MH&W team last fall, each of whom bring a broad range of experience and skill to our team. Julie Middleton has joined us as Manager of the MH&W team, and has been integral to the implementation of our new service delivery model. Dale Bryan has joined the MH&W team at our Sutherland campus, currently on a one-year contract to cover a leave of absence. At our Frost Campus in Lindsay, Gina Marie Donofrio has joined the MH&W group through special funding provided by the Frost Student Association in response to a high demand for counselling services. In addition, Jodi Gorham, a fourth year BSW student from the Trent University program, has been with us over the Fall and Winter semesters. We all feel very fortunate to have had Julie, Dale, Gina-Marie and Jodi as part of our team this year.

We continued to offer workshops on a number of wellness topics. Additionally, the Mental Health Initiative committees continue to offer a number of special events and activities at both the Sutherland and Frost campuses.

It has been an exciting year with lots of change and challenges, and we look forward to carrying our successes into next year, as well as continuing the development of programs and services.

Georgian CollegeSubmitted by: Greg Taylor, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist

Georgian is happy to welcome three new full-time counsellors to the team: Kelly Woods, Jennifer Parsons, and Sonya Watson (formerly Lem). Kelly has worked at Georgian for over 10 years, mostly as an accessibility advisor, a teacher and a counsellor. Jennifer has worked here for over four years as a part-time counsellor. Sonya has also worked here as a student advisor and has also worked at St. Lawrence College as a counsellor for 12 years. We are delighted to have them here as we have had some retirements and happy to see that those spots have been replaced. Maggie Buchanan, a counsellor at Orillia campus for many years, will be retiring on June 30th, 2018. She will be truly missed.

Emina Hendricks, a Master’s counselling intern from the University of Toronto has just completed two semesters of her practicum here at Georgian. We have another intern, Jasmeen Khankhet, a Master’s counselling intern from Yorkville, who began her practicum in January and will work with us until the end of the summer. We have really appreciated having interns in our department.

We have had some groups set up but need to continue working on the marketing aspect for these groups to be successful and well attended. Emina Hendricks, one of our interns, ran a group for International Students but was only getting 1 or 2 students per week. We have people trained for Smart Recovery but need to increase the marketing when we try to re-implement it for the Fall semester.

In May, several of us will be receive training in a mindfulness training program called Mindfulness without Borders. This is something that many different staff members at the college could implement, not just counsellors. We hope to implement something in September as well. Here is a description of the training: At Mindfulness without Borders, social and emotional health matters. That’s why we have education programs that cater to both students as well as the teachers that surround them. Through professional development workshops for educators and evidence-based classroom activities for students, all our educational content address the vital soft skills individuals need to navigate through the stresses of daily life. Our curriculum is backed by research and is informed by world renowned experts such as psychologist Daniel Goleman who specializes in emotional intelligence, neuroscientist Richard Davidson, cognitive psychologist Zindel Segal, and author Peter Block who works as a consultant in organization development, community building and civic engagement. To learn more go to: email: info@mwithoutborders.org visit: www.mindfulnesswithoutborders.org

During the post-strike, our College offered faculty an opportunity to provide on-line modules for various purposes. The college is recognizing counsellors as experts in mental health and staff who can play a key role in supporting teaching faculty to develop and strengthen skills in

dealing with students with mental health concerns. They have offered to compensate us to develop a series of online modules such as identifying and responding to students in distress, dealing with emotional dysregulation in the classroom, a mini-mental health first aid training, and mental health for international students, and mental health self-care for staff.

Humber CollegeSubmitted by: Rose Anthony and Shivon Raghunandan

We have definitely had a busy second semester at Humber. We continue to have a steady stream of students requiring counselling with stress, anxiety, depression and trauma as some of the leading issues.

Counsellors, Deborah Mandell and Rose Anthony, ran a counselling group Healthy Minds for Stressful Times this semester. The group focused on supporting students who experience stress, anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. The group incorporated elements of psycho-education, meditation and coping skills enhancement. The group was a great success with numbers ranging from 8-11 per session.

Additionally, Andrew Garnet and Liz Sokol along with their interns, Bryan Sloss and Stephanie Fournier, respectively, ran a few Test Anxiety workshops before midterms and finals. The sessions were also psycho-education and skills based.

Counsellors also continued to deliver workshops throughout the semester including Mental Health First Aid, Safe talk, Personality Dimensions, Supporting Mental Health, Stress Management, to name a few.

We also welcomed a new staff member to the North Campus, Rebeca Mahadeo. Rebeca is filling in for Sophia Barna’s secondment. She has been a lovely addition to our team and will be with us until the end of summer.

In addition to the interns mentioned above, Adrienne Mangal, supervised by Andrew Poulos (who will be on sabbatical in Sept 2018) provided support to students at the Lakeshore Campus. We were fortunate to have had three interns this past academic year, and we are currently in the process of hiring interns for Sept 2018.

We wish our colleagues across the province a wonderful spring and a restful summer holiday! Mohawk CollegeSubmitted by: Basilia Iatomasi, M.ED, RSW

Mohawk College continues to be busy through the winter semester. Because of the faculty strike, some students are commenting that they did not have a sufficient break between semesters and are finding the extended semester, which continues into the third week of April, to be challenging. Students who are coming to Counselling Services are also presenting with complex issues and a higher acuity of mental health problems.

Our intrepid team continues to offer college wide safetalk, Bringing in the Bystander and Working with Students in Distress workshops with good attendance. Counsellors are also participating in events, such as Carpe Noctem and Accessibility Awareness Day, by offering study skills and/or stress reduction resources and activities for students.

Plans are also underway to shore up mental health and wellness supports for our students this coming fall. We are currently being trained on how to integrate TAO into our work - https://www.taoconnect.org/. This initiative is part of a broader stepped care model that is being designed by and will be comprehensively researched by Heather Drummond. It will also include the addition of a mental health peer mentor program and KORU mindfulness meditation which is specifically created for post- secondary students.

We also have some staffing updates. Rachel has become a well-known stress reducer for our team and students. She received her own Mohawk ID badge this past semester and has been found spending time with students and staff around the college, in Counsellors’ offices, study spaces and the student Residence. She mostly enjoys time under the table during team meetings. She joins the PAWS to De-stress days during exam periods and joins other fur friends thanks to the Mental Health in Motion team. Her Clockwork notes require a bit of work however, but since she’s related to our Director, Louisa Drost, well…. you know….

George, with his varied looks including a man bun, had a short tenure with our team. We have learned that we provide excellent care and nurturing for our students. Plants ... not so much.

Our team extends wishes for a happy spring and good end of semester to all of you.

Loisa DrostHeather DrummondMona FathiehElizabeth Gray

Basilia IatomasiDon JamiesonJaynn MillerPia Muscat

Ann Andree WiebePeter Young

Niagara CollegeSubmitted by: Jay Burdon

Niagara College welcomes Hiba Khatkhat as a part-time Counsellor. Emily Sexton joins the Health, Wellness & Accessibility Services team as CDS Coordinator. Sheryl Johns retired as the Manager of Health, Wellness & Accessibility Services after 14 years of dedicated service to the Niagara College community. The current acting managers are Jenifer Babin in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Jay Burdon at the Welland Campus.

In partnership with the Niagara Mental Health Family Support Network, Niagara College offered a 4-week Youth Transitional Skills Training program to enhance communication, relationships

and mental health. This on-campus program included suicide awareness training, mindfulness and meditation.

Barbara Roberts led a campus-wide discussion around Retroactive Accommodations. Faculty and administrators from across campus attended.

Niagara College has purchased Health 101 to create an online presence aimed at contributing to a culture of student wellness. This website and online magazine will engage students, solicit feedback, extend to parents, and invite student journalists to contribute articles.

Treating PTSD: A Compassion-Focused CBT Approach(To be released by Routledge Press in June 2018)

Submitted By: Shirley Porter, M.Ed., RP, RSW, CCC, Fanshawe College

Treating PTSD presents a comprehensive, compassion-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach that provides therapists with the evidence based information needed to understand trauma’s effects on the mind and body as well as the phases of healing. Chapters offer discussion, practical tools, and interventions that therapists can use with clients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to reduce feelings of distress and increase their sense of safety. – Routledge Press

I’ve been so grateful over the years to have had opportunities to share my clinical work, as well as my research, with you, my OCC colleagues and friends. Your support and encouragement in both of these areas have been invaluable, and have offered motivation for me to continue to challenge myself in my work. I thank you for this and would like to share the following updates with you.

It was due to the fact that I had presented several times on a compassion-focused CBT approach to trauma, which I have come to espouse, that I was ready to share my work with an audience of American counsellors at the annual American Counseling Association conference in San Francisco last year. I went to this conference for two reasons. One reason was to present on my work, and the second was to try to find a publisher to pick up my book, Surviving the Valley: Trauma and Beyond, since my original publisher, Althouse Press at Western University,

A great resource! Check it out!

https://www.bigwhitewall.ca/v2/Home.aspx

had closed up shop and signed all rights over to me. I knew there were going to be a number of well-known publishers represented at the service fair, and had to prepare myself to approach them. After four negative responses, I received some interest and a promise to connect me with the Senior Editor at Routledge Press who handles books on trauma. After a series of quick e-mails, this editor explained that her interest wasn’t so much in picking up the book I wrote for clients, but rather she was wondering if I would be willing to write a book for therapists on how to do trauma therapy. I thought about all the presentations I had done on this topic for therapists, and was surprised to realize that I believed this was something I could do. I even found myself excited about the prospect, even though a day earlier I would have sworn I had no intention of writing another book. During the next six months, I spent all of my summer holidays and every weekend, writing.

This book is comprised of two parts: 1) Therapist Preparation for Trauma Work and 2) Engaging in Trauma Therapy. Similar to my first book, the metaphor of “the valley of the shadow of death” is used throughout Treating PTSD, not only to explain the client experience of PTSD, but also to explain the tasks that therapists need to complete prior to entering the valley with their clients, and while accompanying clients in finding their individual pathways out of the valley.

The first part of the book focuses on the foundational knowledge we need to do this work. It includes a brief history of the development of our understanding of trauma and PTSD as well as the essential knowledge required for therapists to engage in trauma-informed practice. Chapters on the traumatic stress response, complex trauma, and recommended evidence-based approaches for treating PTSD are included. There are also chapters specifically devoted to approaching trauma from a Compassion-Focused CBT approach, and the importance of therapist self-care while doing this work.

The second part of the book is a practical “how to” for trauma therapy. It focuses on the three stage model of trauma work: 1) stabilization; 2) trauma processing; and 3) reclaiming one’s life. In terms of stabilization, practical examples are provided to help therapists explain complex concepts to clients using practical, easy-to-understand metaphors. One chapter will assist therapists with how to identify, assess, and address client injuries as a result of trauma, as well as identifying and mobilizing client supports and resources. It provides direction in how to assess and deal with immediate crises, such as suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self injury and abusive relationships. Suicide Risk Assessment and Safety Plan templates are included. Another chapter focuses specifically on helping clients to gather the distress tolerance and coping tools they will need to gain greater control over their symptoms and better manage their distress. Many practical coping tools are offered, as well as a template for creating individual distress tolerance plans with clients. The chapter on trauma processing offers therapists two new Compassion-Focused CBT trauma processing interventions to add to their therapist toolkit. And the last chapter is about preparing clients for “living with the scars” as they go forward to reclaim their lives, which in some ways, have been irrevocably changed, as a result of PTSD.

This book is for therapists who are new to trauma work, and also for those who do this work and are open to additional practical tools to add to their toolkit.

“Encore” Careers: What’s Next?

Submitted By: Judith Mackinnon, B.Sc., B.Ed., M.A., M.Ed., C.C.C., Sheridan College

Have you been a working

professional all your life? Is retirement just around the corner? Does the thought of a total stop make you apprehensive? You are not alone! The retirements of our grandparents’ generation is not the Boomer generation idea. For many individuals, retirement is getting out there! (Booth, 2016).

I, too, am in this demographic. As “retirement” after close to forty years in education gets closer, I am seeking (and finding) new and interesting “career “possibilities. Literature and research regarding the new views about retirement is beginning to emerge. I will elaborate on several such articles, as follows.

The topic of “Encore Careers” originated by Marc Freeman, author of “Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life” is fascinating. An encore career is described by Freeman as work in the second half of life that combines continued income, greater personal meaning, and social impact. These positions are often in public interest fields such as education, health and social services. Freeman (2008) notes that

“individuals in midlife are often a tremendous source of talent with accumulated skills, experience, and wisdom who can do much to benefit society.” Many are looking for a new model of “retirement” combining elements of work, service, and social impact. Excellent resources and opportunities are listed on the website: www.encore.org.

A second researcher is Dr. Suzanne Cook, York University, who also notes the shift surrounding later life work and an expansion of working lives. Cook (2016) found that as life expectancy increases, many people are interested in an extension of working life, for a variety of reasons, including the desire for additional income. Her documentary Redirection: Movers, Shakers and Shifters examines career shift, transition, and occupational change in later life beyond the “traditional” retirement ages of 50’s and 60’s. Cook coined the term “Redirection” which refers to the rethinking of work and income options for this demographic. Booth (2016) adds that individuals may be seeking part-time, temporary, seasonal or project based work. Some may want to follow a passion different from their original occupation.

There are many more readings and sites to explore; however, it seems that Boomers have many unique opportunities for our next “career chapter”. We will be

limited primarily by our attitudes, physical health, income, and imagination.

References:

Booth, B. (2016). Retirees seek adventure with encore careers. http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/12/retirees-seek-adventure-with-encore-careers.html. Retrieved June 9, 2017.

Cook, S. (2016). Redirection: Movers, Shakers and Shifters. http://www.suzannecook.ca/redirection- project/ Retrieved July 25, 2017

Cook, S. (2016) Redirection Project. http://www.suzannecook.ca/redirection-project/. Retrieved July 25, 2017

Encore Initiatives Canada. (No citation available)

Freeman, M. (2008). Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life.

Public Affairs, USA.Freeman, M. Encore Careers, http://encore.org/who-we-are/team/marc-freedman/ . Retrieved June 9, 2017.

Korbett, D. (2006). Portfolio Life: The New Path to Work, Purpose, and Passion After 50. Jossey-Bass, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Redirection: Work and Later Life Career Development Project. http://ceric.ca/project/redirection-work-and-later- life-career-development/. Retrieved July 25, 2017

Venning, M. (2017). Planet Longevity, http://planetlongevity.com/ . Retrieved June 9, 2017.

MINDFULNESS FOR BEGINNERS, AND THAT’S MESubmitted By: George Dunne, College of the Rockies (COTR)

My hope is that this mindfulness article titled “Mindfulness for Beginners, and that’s me” could be an aid for students seeking to find peace and relaxation during their time at college, especially while they are studying and writing exams. For three and a half decades, I have been providing counselling support for students in various learning environments. Over the years, students have met with me in hope of finding strategies to reduce stress and also unwanted habitual thoughts and feelings. One strategy that I have introduced in the counselling visit is drawn from the Buddhist meditation practice of mindfulness.

The world renowned professor emeritus, scientist and meditation teacher, Jon Kabat- Zinn, in his book Full Catastrophe Living provides a simple definition of mindfulness; he defines mindfulness as “moment-to-moment awareness.” To be mindful involves paying “attention to things that we ordinarily never give a moment’s thought to.” With practice, we have an opportunity to develop “control and wisdom” by strengthening our capabilities in the areas of “relaxation, paying attention, awareness and insight.” (Kabat-Zinn, p.2, 1990). Mindfulness is at the foundation of Kabit-Zinn’s very influential widespread Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Mindfulness is paying attention and keeping your attention in the moment without judging or trying to change the course of any feelings, thoughts or sensations you are experiencing. During a sitting or moving mindfulness exercise your mind will drift in many, many directions. This is expected. Practicing mindfulness and focusing back to your breath can help reduce fear and anxiety and bring you back to the ease of the mindful moment.

In my office, I have a chalk board. On it, while in the company of the student, I sketch out the diagram below. Before I begin explaining to the student how breathing and mindfulness work in harmony, I reference a scientific article supporting the positive health effects of meditation and mindfulness. Published by Shambhala Sun, July 2011, the article: This is Your Brain on Mindfulness is a good reference for those desiring further study on brain science and meditation.

With that said, on the chalk board, I sketch a small circle describing the circle as one empty minute. I then sketch two more circles. The second circle represents an hour and the third circle a day. I then return to the chalk sketch of the empty minute (i.e., the small circle) and fill it in with examples of life’s thoughts and feelings about the past and of the future. I suggest to the student that each of us fills our minute with memories such as past regrets, or, perhaps guilt; memories that can lead to overwhelming anxiety-producing messages. Then I draw the student’s attention to the future on the sketch. I go onto describe examples of some of the thoughts and feelings that may rest in the moment such as feared events that have not happened, obsessive planning for events that may not happen, and worry about the future. In doing this, the student can see the empty minute filling up with reactions that can lead to fear, anxiety and even physical pain. I go onto suggest that the anxious stressed minute may lead to a stressed hour, to a stressed day, and finally, to persistent stress throughout the school year.

To help me with this student handout I needed the assistance of an experienced meditation teacher. I asked Maureen Smith teacher and counsellor from East Kootenay Addiction Service Society and Clear Sky Retreat Centre to describe mindfulness breathing. This is Maureen’s helpful message to students.

Focusing on the breath is one technique of many available when students begin to learn to be more aware. When I work with

students in teaching them mindfulness breathing techniques I start by asking them to bring their awareness within. Allowing some

moments of time to pass while turning their attention inward, allows the body systems to begin to slow down. At first our minds may

seem busier and louder. This is normal. People often say they think they are supposed to empty the mind. I say the mind is a creative and investigative force. Instead of making it empty why not try to just notice what it is doing. The technique is ancient and has been

practised by millions of people with great results. Students let their

eyes be less engaged outwardly and adopt an unfocused or soft gaze. They may close their eyes completely. Posture is important

and I encourage students to sit with an unsupported back: Alert and relaxed with an attitude of curiosity and engaged awareness. Bring

the attention to the breath. Choosing the rise and fall of the belly and placing a hand on the belly if that is helpful, allow the breathing to be just as it is. Notice the rise with each in breath and the fall or

collapse of the abdomen with each exhalation. The mind will wander and that is Ok and normal. Using intention and desire to

notice each breath as best as you can, also notice when the attention of the mind wanders off to something else. Bring the

attention back to the breath as soon as you notice it has wandered off: Over and over, as often as necessary with a firm, patient and

non-judging attitude. Our minds are amazing. Be curious and investigative like a scientist studying a very amazing phenomenon, which of course, the breath is. (Personal communication, April 21,

2016)

I like to remind myself and students that focusing on the breath potentially moves our attention from anxious and fearful thoughts, and, in so doing, the breath often responds by slowing and becoming subtly deeper. I go on to describe how breathing in this manner results in us taking in more oxygen, relaxing our bodies and possibly clearing our minds of fearful thoughts or allowing for an objective perspective of these thoughts. This acts to assist us in emptying the minute simply enough for us to observe more of what is possible ranging from the joys to the many stressful thoughts that accompany us during our journey through college.

This ancient practice has guided many students during stressful life events. I must confess that to stay in the mindfulness moment takes practice and more practice. Like most of us, I suffer from the ‘monkey mind’. For me, the monkey mind screeches and moves back and forth at great speed, distracting me from being in the moment. To tame the monkey mind, I gently and continually go back to my breathing with a smile, knowing with certainty that I will be revisited shortly by the attention-seeking thoughts and feelings created by my playful mind.

I will leave you with the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, the much-celebrated Vietnamese Monk. “Mindfulness is the miracle by which we can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life.” (p.14, 1976)

George Dunne, RP is the Campus Counsellor at the College of the Rockies (COTR) and a Diploma Candidate of the C. G. Jung Institute Zurich. Special thank you to Darren Annala, retired Counsellor, Cambrian College, Sudbury, Ontario for his skillful and sensitive editing of the article.

December 22, 2017

ReferencesBaime, M. (2011). This is your brain on mindfulness. Shambhala Sun, 45-48.

Hanh, T.N. (1976). The miracle of mindfulness: A manual on meditation. Boston: Beacon Press.Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face

stress, pain and illness. New York: Delacorte Press.

Interview with Leah Marshall, MSW, Sexual Violence Prevention Advisor, Fanshawe College

Submitted by: Candice Lawrence, M.Ed., RSW, OASW, Fanshawe College

Candice: When did you start working at Fanshawe?

Leah: In 2015 the Ontario Government released the Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment. Through this action plan, standalone sexual violence policies were implemented at all Colleges and Universities in Ontario. Fanshawe was very progressive in their response and knew that they would need a way to operationalize the policy, and thus the position of Sexual Violence Prevention Advisor was created. A confidential support and resource for students who have been subjected to any form of gender based violence either before attending Fanshawe or when they are a current student. I started working within this role at Fanshawe in the summer of 2015.

Candice: What drew you to this work?

Leah: My values and passion for social change are routed in a strong intersectional feminist perspective and while doing my Masters of Social Work, this led me to a placement at a hospital based Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Program. It was here that I was able to learn from a strong mentor about partnering with individuals on their healing journey. I witnessed how life changing it can be for survivors/victims to have power and control over their healing process. I was drawn to the opportunity to empower choice and to hopefully be a part of changing the culture that not only allows for sexual violence to occur, but then blames those who experience it instead of the perpetrators. What drew me to the work is also what keeps me in the work, the balance between anger and hope. I am angry with the current culture and responses that survivors/victims receive, and I am unwaveringly hopeful that that these systems and responses can change. I want to work for this change not only in my personal life but my professional life as well.

Candice: How do you see your role as advocate, for students dealing with gender violence?

Leah: Many of the systems that survivors/victims come into contact with are not trauma informed or survivor/victim centric. My role with every student is different, each person has individual needs and desires for their healing process and they guide me in what type of support or assistance they would like me to provide. A common element of this support is

ensuring that the student knows their rights and their options, so they can make the decision that is best for them. At times my role may be ensuring that these rights and choices are respected by other service providers and systems that the student comes into contact with. On a more general level, my role as an advocate is to work with the other systems to educate and inform them on how to adapt certain practices that can be harmful to survivors.

Candice: Would you share with us, some of the most exciting awareness initiatives that you have created and/or participated in, at Fanshawe? One of the ones that I found most powerful was the Faceless Doll project. What are some of your favorites?

Leah: I have had the honor of working alongside some incredible college and community partners. Through our shared commitment to not only ending gender based violence but also creating a culture on campus that responds to survivors/victims with compassion, care and belief, we have been able to bring some amazing initiatives to the college. A few of my favorites would be our Sex, Drugs and Rocky Road event that was created through a partnership with the Campus Life Facilitator. It is a peer led, interactive carnival hosted out of our campus pub. It provides students with a safe and fun space to ask questions and to learn about consent, pleasure, and sexual health, harm reduction in relation to drugs and alcohol and how to be an active bystander. Through our community partnerships we were able to offer rapid HIV testing and STI testing at the event.

Another initiative that I am most proud of is a partnership with the First Nations Centre. Through this partnership we have worked over the past three years to bring awareness to the national epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. We have partnered with the Native Women’s association of Canada, and worked with a student artist to run initiatives that encourage our Fanshawe community to not only acknowledge, but to understand this issue, which is rooted in colonialism, racism and patriarchy, and to respond in meaningful ways that demand change. We brought the Faceless Dolls project to campus and 600 students and staff created individual dolls to represent the over 1200 MMIWG in Canada. When we speak about ending violence we need to dig deep into the intersecting levels of oppression that individuals face, and acknowledge all the factors that keep this type of violence alive and well. It is the only way we will be able to change our current culture.

Candice: What are some of the positive changes you have seen, in terms of attitudes towards “healthy consent?”

Leah: I believe that we are at a moment in time where there are more conversations happening about gender based violence and the impact of trauma on survivors/victims, as well as the strength of these individuals, than we have seen in the past. We are also witnessing a recognition of survivors/victims who have had experiences across the spectrum of sexual violence. When it comes to education and prevention on campus, I am seeing that students are willing to go beyond the misconception that sexual violence is about sex or miscommunication. They are open to conversations about power and privilege, and acknowledging that sexual violence is about power and control. I have also seen students acknowledge the role that they

play when it comes to challenging rape culture, and changing this culture on campus and in the broader community. Students have the most important voices on campus, and I have had the privilege of witnessing them use their voices, and elevating the voices of others to make change here at Fanshawe.

Candice: Have you participated in any outside conferences at other institutions on the issue of gender violence on campus? Would you share one or two of these?

Leah: I am always looking for opportunities to strengthen my practice or ways to enhance the prevention and response work that we do here at the college. In order to do this I take any opportunity I can to participate in professional development or shared learning opportunities with others doing this work. Last year I took a twenty hour trauma informed yoga certificate program, with the hopes of bringing back some of these strategies to share with students. I attended a conference put on by the Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women and Children, called Beyond Consent where the issues of power and privilege were the center of the discussion and this information helped to further the work I mentioned above. I also attended a conference on policy and procedures on campus for sexual violence prevention and response and this brought forward new ideas around how systematically the post-secondary system should be responding and how to get there. A holistic approach is needed in this role and seeking out these opportunities to grow and learn is an important part of the work.

Candice: Share how you work hard to be inclusive of diverse groups of students, and include them in your initiatives? (athlete groups, classroom talks, LGBT student club, etc. – any others you can think of…)

Leah: We know that certain groups experience gender based violence at extremely higher rates than others, and because of the stigma and barriers that exist in our society, bringing forward these experiences to receive support or assistance can be very difficult. As we broaden the understanding of sexual violence and help our community understand that it is a spectrum that includes violence that is also not physical in nature, we must work hard to include as many voices at the table as possible. Sexual violence takes many forms. It is important for us to talk about how women who have disabilities, indigenous women and Trans* individuals experience sexual violence at higher rates.

We must hear from students about how we can break down these barriers and support them in the way that feels best for them. Students are the catalyst for change, they have the power to make things happen in a way that no other group on campus can. I do my best to reach out and create relationships with any student group that will allow me to come and speak to them about the services and supports as well as hear from them about how we can work together to address these barriers. Student clubs such as the Spectrum Club, our student athletes, and our Student’s council, as well as certain Programs, invite me to speak with them on a yearly basis. In order for change to happen we have to continue to have these conversations across campus with all student groups. Different student groups have different needs and desires for what

they would like to see changed and the voices at the table need to be diverse and representative of our student body. Many of our initiatives are created by or are worked on and implemented by students.

Candice: What is the most frustrating thing about the work you do?

Leah: The fact that we can still refer to our culture as a rape culture in 2018 is frustrating. There are many messages and myths about sexual violence that this culture perpetuates that make it difficult for survivors/victims to disclose and access support. This is why education and awareness initiatives are such an important part of the equation, it is how we work with our community to understand the culture that this violence exists within and how to respond in a way that dismantles Rape culture.

Candice: What is the most rewarding thing about the work you do?

Leah: When students ask me to partner with them as they embark on their healing journey, I recognize the trust that they are putting in me. When we decide to disclose to someone after experiencing sexual violence, we choose people, we chose people who we believe will be safe and supportive. I do not ask for a disclosure and do not require one from a student in order to support them, when they chose to share with me, or disclose their story to me, I recognize the power of that. I feel privileged to be able to stand with students, and to be able to work with them towards the path they chose. Witnessing choice and being able to validate and support students in what they have experienced and how they want to move forward, is and will continue to be the most rewarding part of this work.