Activities
Pre-Conference Program
Pre-Conference Day – 2009 National CASP Conference
Building Mentally Healthy Communities
“Mental Health Promotion: The Foundation of Suicide Prevention”
While positive mental health is a goal that many of us share, we often forget to acknowledge Mental Health Promotion as a means to reaching and maintaining that goal. We all need Mental Health Promotion, and by identifying and activating the personal and social strengths that support positive mental health, people can work together to develop healthier communities.
As the requirement and need for Mental Health Promotion is fast becoming a feature of government policy, we will continue to see ongoing growth, development and implementation of guiding principles and related action across our country. We have come to understand that Mental Health Promotion requires dedication and hard work, upstream and in the community, for true success.
This one-day pre-conference event will strive to solidify the meaning of Mental Health Promotion, as well as its importance across the lifespan, for individuals, families, groups and communities, in all areas of health, and in conjunction with suicide prevention. The day will showcase the strides that Canadians have made in making Mental Health Promotion a key strategy across the country.
Keynote speakers, a showcase of Mental Health Promotion initiatives with Panel Presenters and related discussion, dialogue sessions with the experts, along with the opportunity to hear the latest about the progress being made towards developing a comprehensive mental health strategy for Canada, will give all who attend the opportunity to assist in driving the agenda forward!
Pre-Conference Day Goals:
- To solidify the meaning of Mental Health Promotion
- To identify the link between Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention
- To address the need to mainstream Mental Health Promotion across all areas of life and care.
- To showcase successful Mental Health Promotion initiatives and strategies that have impacted Canadians to date, focusing on Children and the Workplace.
- To provide an opportunity and forum for exploration, collaboration, discussion and debate with respect to Mental Health Promotion in Canada.
- To profile and build on the strides of the Mental Health Commission in developing a National Mental Health Strategy.
Distinguished Guest Speakers:
Opening Presentation - Dr. David Butler-Jones
Dr. David Butler-Jones is Canada’s first and current Chief Public Health Officer. A medical doctor, David Butler-Jones has worked throughout Canada and consulted internationally in public health and clinical medicine. He is a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba and a clinical professor with the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan. He is also a former Chief Medical Health Officer for Saskatchewan, and has served in a number of public health organizations, including as President of the Canadian Public Health Association and Vice President of the American Public Health Association. In 2007, in recognition of his years of service in public health, Dr. Butler-Jones received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from York University’s Faculty of Health.
Towards a Mental Health Strategy - Mr. Howard Chodos, PH.D.
Howard Chodos, PhD, is the Director of the Mental Health Strategy initiative for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Under his leadership, the Commission is currently completing the first phase of development of a mental health strategy for Canada - the finalization of a series of broad goals for a transformed mental health system. Prior to joining the Commission, Howard was a senior analyst with the research service of the Library of Parliament in Ottawa. In that capacity, he acted as research director and lead author of the final report on Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addictions by the Senate Social Affairs Committee - Out of the Shadows at Last - and also helped to research and write several influential reports by the Senate Social Affairs Committee on the health care system in Canada. In recognition of his contributions to the development of mental health policy in Canada, he was appointed Adjunct Professor by the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University.
Download a copy of the Pre-conference Day Program (updated October 19, 2009; PDF format)
**Pre-Conference Day will be in English only