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Area mental health care workers will be better equipped to deal with an increased number of patients struggling through the recession, thanks to a certification program taught by UWindsor social work professors.
About 150 people—psychologists, social workers, child and youth care workers, parental relief workers, managers and support staff—took part in the School of Social Work Child and Youth Mental Health Certification Program.
The program, which consists of three, three-day training modules, is designed to help mental health care workers gain an advanced understanding of best practice assessment and intervention strategies to help children separated from their families; work more effectively with the families of children suffering from mental health issues; and gain knowledge and employ new methods in working with families where the parents are facing mental health challenges.
Cory Saunders, director of crisis services at Windsor Regional Hospital, helped to develop the program. He said there has been an appreciable increase in the caseload of people who aren’t coping well with the stress caused by the economy’s downturn.
Saunders said the sessions, led by Angell and social work professors Jill Grant and Jim Coyle, could help prevent some of the negative effects recessions can have on families by making certain that caseworkers in all the city’s agencies are following the same best practices.
Dr. Angell said the program was developed long before the recession hit. Area agencies wanted credible training for their employees delivered locally to reduce costs and send more people. They also wanted the legitimacy that comes with being a University of Windsor program, he said. An anticipated outcome of the series is increased inter-agency collaboration, program planning and service delivery.
The program received $29,392 from Windsor Regional Hospital, funding which comes from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. A consortium of agencies including Windsor Regional Children's Centre, Glengarda Child and Family Services, Maryvale Adolescent and Family Services, Windsor-Essex Children's Aid Society and many other partners, decided it wanted that money spent on training for its case workers.
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