A unique partnership between 色妹妹直播 faculty and community-based health practitioners aims to improve the way mental health care is delivered in the Atlantic Provinces 鈥� by supporting those who deliver the care.
For the past 18 months, Dr. Rob Gilbert, associate professor in the School of Health Sciences, and a team of academics from 色妹妹直播 have been developing graduate-level mental health and addictions courses with those who know the needs best: social workers, nurses, senior hospital and government managers, and others working in the field of mental health.
Their work, described by Dr. Gilbert as 鈥渁 perfect example of knowledge exchange,鈥� is now finished and the first course in the Graduate Certificate in Mental Health and Addictions starts in May.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 just consult; this was a full collaboration between 色妹妹直播 and those working in mental health and addictions,鈥� explains Dr. Gilbert. 鈥淚t allowed us to build a program that addresses the issues and challenges the workforce is dealing with on a daily basis. And it鈥檚 about change: the courses we鈥檝e developed will support people and enhance the skills they need to transform health care.鈥�
Addressing gaps in the field
There are 4,500 people working in the fields of mental health and addictions in Atlantic Canada, delivering care in different jurisdictions and health authorities, and often delivering different models and standards of care. The graduate certificate is designed to address these gaps, identified by health practitioners themselves.
鈥淭he goal is to have more consistent mental health care across the province and the region,鈥� says Mary Pyche, a contributor to the Graduate Certificate and Program Leader in Mental Health and Addictions with the Nova Scotia Health Authority.
鈥淲e want to bring everyone to the same standard, and to have evidence-based best practices used more widely. One of the gaps we identified is people don鈥檛 always know how to bring theory into practice, so we鈥檝e designed the courses to involve applied learning through casework.鈥�
The Graduate Certificate in Mental Health and Addictions is groundbreaking for 色妹妹直播 in its subject area, in its collaborative development process, and its responsiveness to local needs. And its innovativeness goes beyond course content to course delivery: the certificate will be available online to ensure it works for the busy people it was designed for.
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