Pilot Project
With the university of calgary
I’m honoured to join the pilot project as a co-researcher and first-trained RHMD.
In 2022, I joined the project as a co-researcher to develop the program. We gathered in focus groups with people from numerous demographics to discuss how to create a program to serve the mental health care industry gaps.
In April 2023, I will be among the first to train as a Radical Mental Health Doula. After the educational component, I will be involved in six months of practicum to do hands-on training and research.
I look forward to reporting my findings here and working with people once the apprenticeship completes and the program launches for general usage.
Check it out here:
the journey so far
I entered the project as a co-researcher in the spring of 2022, along with many others from numerous demographics. I met up with social workers, past residents of the psychiatry ward, single mothers, students, housewives, corporate workers, counsellors, domestic violence support workers, activists, and the average joe.
Everyone was invited to discuss their experience with the private and public mental health care system.
After the rounds of discussions concluded, we gathered again in the fall to discuss the curriculum. I was glad to be a part of this as well. Three rounds of questionnaires were fill out about what we thought an RMHD program should achieve. I discussed being trauma-informed and the many resources that have helped my support groups and me on our journeys.
In the spring of 2023, the first rounds of training will occur. After education, we will have two clients to work with for six months, exploring practices and reporting our findings. This is still part of the research phase.
The project is led by two doulas, birth and death, who want to expand the field into mental health. It was fantastic to join them in their quest to help in what I think is a crisis in our society.
Doulas are emotional support providers. Often done privately, they help people with intense times such as birth and death.
I am unsure when the public launch will occur but I am excited for it! Stay tuned for more updates and how to access the program once it’s launched.
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