Invisible Wounds Conference for health care professionals set for July 11 in Walkerton

Building on the momentum of the Invisible Wounds Conference for first responders held last fall in Kincardine, a similar conference for health care professionals will be held Wednesday, July 11, in Walkerton.

Organized again by Deborah MacDonald of Wingham, the all-day event will feature guest speakers, addressing stigma, resiliency and recovery from mental health illness, plus networking opportunities with the speakers in the evening.

The conference is a “must attend” for those delivering health-care services who are looking for positive change. This includes addiction and substance abuse counsellors, children's aid workers, emergency staff, doctors, health and wellness employees, human resources employees, middle management, mental health professionals, pastoral care, patient care co-ordinators, paramedics, PSWs, psychologists, RNs, RPNs, security, social workers, St. John Ambulance, switchboard operators, victim service workers, X-ray and laboratory technicians.

The speakers include the following:

Liz Black-Petrie, primary care paramedic, talking about “Resiliency.” Her presentation will illustrate the stigma and challenges she faced when diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. She will share how she took the time to heal and educate herself, and what skills she mastered, and continues to use, to cope.

Erin Gibb, MSc, RP, CCC, speaking on “Preventing Compassion Fatigue: Accessing Resilience in the Midst of Suffering.” Through her clinical experience and difficult times in her own past, she has seen and felt the unbreakable nature of the human spirit which deeply informs her practice. Her presentation will assist health professionals who are affected by compassion fatigue, stress and burn-out. Her life's work is based on the principle and belief that within every human being, there is an innate ability to heal no matter what their experience.

Jason MacKenzie, with a talk entitled, “Seriously – If I can change, you can too.” He's the guy who has lived through his wife's mental illness and suicide. He's overcome a decade-long battle with alcohol (and no shortage of other drugs). It took his nine-year-old daughter looking her drunken father in the face and telling him she was disappointed in him, to make him realize he was hurt and needed to start healing.

Brian Bennett, registered massage therapist, CISM and R2MR instructor, talking about “Supporting Health Care Providers.” Health care is a high-stress environment with acute, chronic and cumulative stress taking its toll on staff. Bennett will look at the stressors that impact immediately, as well as days, weeks or months later, and what health care providers can do to help themselves and others work through these stressors, with the use of effective coping strategies.

Randi-Mae Stanford-Leibold, author, mindfulness and self-care instructor, workplace wellness consultant and motivational speaker, with a talk on “Healing Starts Now – Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Health Care Professionals.” She draws on both professional and subjective experiences, including working in a high-stress environment and personal loss. She believes that work/life integration through mindfulness and compassion can transform an individual's wellness and health.

The conference begins with registration at 8 a.m., followed by presentations from 8:50 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as an evening social from 4:30-10 p.m., at the Best Western Plus Walkerton Hotel and Conference Centre, 10 East Ridge Road, Walkerton.

Cost is $80 each, plus $5 each for the evening social.

For more information or to register, check the Eventbrite website at www.eventbrite.ca/e/invisible-wounds-conference-for-health-care-professionals-tickets-45901125502

Or locally, contact MacDonald by E-mail at: dsmacd77@gmail.com