Mental Health Strategies Series: Session II

Posted on December 9th, 2016

Planning for Success through Lessons Learned

How to implement a mental health strategy:  roadblocks and opportunities.

Facilitator: Kevin Friese

Healthy Minds | Healthy Campuses and Healthy Campus Alberta assembled a cohort of campus members, who have the expertise and experience to forecast possible challenges in implementing a mental health strategy and highlight corresponding opportunities. The dynamic session was styled as an Interactive Cafe and featured a range of topics such as maintaining momentum, activating mental health champions, responding to a dynamic campus environment, and planning for evaluation.

Kevin Friese is the Assistant Dean of Students, Health and Wellness at the University of Alberta. He has over 16 years of experience in facilitating student health and wellness, including recruitment, services, and student affairs. Kevin co-chairs the university's Healthy University Strategy, and led the development and implementation of an alternative campus addiction and mental health model, predicated on the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS) Post-Secondary Student Mental Health framework.

Campus Panelists:

Chris Balmer, Camosun College

Chris Balmer was the project lead for Camosun’s Student Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy that was launched this year with a five-year mandate. He is a counselor at Camosun in Victoria, BC, who devotes a considerable portion of his time and energy to initiatives borne from the strategy.

Rita Knodel, University of Victoria

Since becoming the Director of Counselling Services & Multi-faith Services, Rita has focused on UVic’s 2014 Student Mental Health Strategy. She was also involved in the development of CACUSS' “Post-Secondary Student Mental Health: Guide to a Systemic Approach” in 2013, a national and collaborative effort to address the complexities of student mental health at post-secondary institutions across Canada.

Kandi McElary, Mount Royal University

In Kandi's 24 years at Mount Royal University, the last 10 have been as the Director of Wellness. In 2012, Kandi and university president David Docherty co-chaired a report and recommendations following a campus-wide consultation on student mental health that laid the foundation for the present landscape at their institution.

Chris Rogerson, British Columbia Institute of Technology

Chris Rogerson is the Director of Student Success and Acting Chair of the BCIT Student Wellness Steering Committee in Burnaby, BC. Under his leadership, the Committee drafted its priorities for the 2016-17 year, focused largely on addressing stress and feelings of being overwhelmed that were reflected in their 2015 Full-time Student Engagement Survey Report, and has identified measurable goals to achieve them.

Andrew Szeto, University of Calgary

Andrew Szeto is currently the Director of the Campus Mental Health Strategy at the University of Calgary, responsible for guiding the implementation of the university's 28 mental health recommendations. He is also an assistant professor in psychology and a principal investigator at the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Most recently, Andrew has focused on evaluating workplace anti-stigma measures and mental health promotion programs. 

Lori Weber, University of Lethbridge

Lori has been the Director of the University of Lethbridge Health Centre for 19 years, prior to which she was a Registered Nurse. She worked on the initial strategy for the university's mental health program, which then grew into a university-wide redevelopment process. Lori's focus on integrated health care has led to a shift in culture at the University of Lethbridge, culminating most recently in the signing of the Okanagan Charter. 

View the Slides Watch the Webinar

In partnership with Healthy Campus Alberta