"I loved that your guest speaker Sarah included case studies and talked about the process of assessing participants from a mental health perspective, the outcome, and the consequences for the expedition. 

You guys are SUCH a great resource for the industry and putting events like this on!  THANK YOU!!"
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  - Jes Logher, Head of Outdoor Education, West Point Grey Academy, Vancouver B.C.
Photo credit: Pavel Fiala

Upcoming events

MHWFA hosts regular guest speakers, all professionals with expertise in a mental health field, speaking on topics relevant to remote areas and wilderness. These online live events are an awesome way to network with others in the industry as well as access and learn directly from a variety of experts in the mental health field.
Views expressed are the guest speakers' own and may or may not reflect the views of MHWFA.

Online Live event: Monday June 12, 2023, 5:30-7pm Pacific
Trauma, Healing, and the Mountains

Catherine says: My interest in trauma, from the physical aspect, was sparked when I trained as a Registered Nurse and worked in various hospitals and the Arctic for 24 years. Soon after graduation from nursing, I trained as a Rolfer (Structural Integration), which supports physical manipulation and movement education to allow the body to be at ease in gravity. Often, a poor posture occurs when a person adapts to physical or emotional management to avoid pain or discomfort.  I later began to study Somatic Experiencing, to explore how trauma affects the nervous system and supports the body to survive, long after the experience has passed.  A trauma symptom may seem to be a negative trait, but may really be a coping mechanism that kept you alive.
 
As I journeyed through my own life, I was exposed to adventures in the outdoors that occasionally had negative effects, from decision-making to witnessing a small avalanche my husband was caught in.  I noticed when I was in more of my threat response system, I was unable to access healthy decision-making. This supported my work to become a counsellor, and I facilitated the first Mountain Muskox Mentorship Program (MMMP) chapter in Revelstoke.   I currently run my practice, Balance and Renewal Therapy, from Revelstoke, B.C. 

Trauma, Healing and the Mountains will discuss a somatic (body-based) perspective on trauma and healing, a bit about Catherine's work with the MMMP, and facilitating healing for those of us who want to use our experiences especially in wild landscapes. 
  • Overview of a healthy nervous system and when it gets caught in survival modes of freeze & threat.
  • Supportive ways to notice the body and bring it back to regulation.
  • Adaptable ways to use this work in any field of work.
The interactive presentation will be followed by a time for questions and answers.

Catherine Allen
​Somatic Experiencing Therapist, Mountaineer

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Online Live event: Wednesday Sepetember 27, 2023, 5:30pm Pacific
De-escalation tools for fieldworkers

​​Aaron Lyons is an internationally experienced restorative justice specialist with 20 years’ service in case facilitation, training, implementation, research, consulting and coalition-building. He is a Co-Founder of Just Outcomes, a national consulting organization dedicated to supporting communities and organizations in developing just responses to harm and crime. Aaron brings a decade of experience facilitating victim offender dialogue in cases of serious and violent crime within the Canadian correctional system, and offers a keen practical understanding of trauma to his work with individuals relationships and systems. Aaron has worked across several continents and wide array of cultural contexts, from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to remote hamlets in the Canadian Arctic. He holds a Masters’ Degree in Conflict Transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (USA). Aaron is a firm believer in the ability of people to grow and discover their own creative ways through even the most difficult life experiences; and the need for well-designed systems to support this growth. He lives on Saltspring Island, BC, with his wife and two young boys.

Tailored to those who work in field settings where a risk of escalation, conflict, or even potential violence may exist, De-escalation Strategies for Fieldworkers will cover the anger/arousal cycle, including appropriate strategies for de-escalation at different points on the cycle. We will also explore skills for shifting from "position-based" to "interest-based" decision-making, using field-oriented scenarios.  This interactive presentation will be followed by a time for questions and answers.

Aaron Lyons
MA, Conflict Transformation; Restorative Justice Facilitator

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Online Live event: Tuesday October 24, 2023, 5:30pm Pacific
Critical Incident Stress Management & Debriefing

​Search & Rescue volunteers can be impacted by Critical Incidents while responding to rescue calls in the backcountry. These incidents include dealing with accidents with associated traumatic injuries, dangerous near misses and involvement in body recoveries.  These situations may cause them to experience unusually strong emotional reactions and physiological symptoms which have the potential to interfere with their ability to function either at the time or later.  It is recognized that a peer based Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) program can provide help for those who have experienced a critical incident.

​This presentation will touch on:
  • What is CISM, and how can it help? 
  • Who are CISM facilitators?
  • ​Who can access CISM services, and how to request them?
  • What other resources can other organizations consider (if, for instance, there is a critical incident at a planting camp, or in the kayaking community?)
    ​
Chris Mushumanski has been a ground search and rescue volunteer since 1997 based in Vanderhoof BC, and CISM peer on the provincial CISM team since 2013. He is also the current President of the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association representing the GSAR community across BC.  When not active with search and rescue he is teacher counselor for an online K-12 school, loves the outdoors including fly fishing, hunting and backpacking and spending time with his wonderful little hound, Pippa.  Chris has his Masters in Counseling and is certified with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation in Individual, Group and Advanced CISM interventions.

Greg Miller is the Chair of the Steering Committee for the BC Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA) Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team. He is part of the core group that built and developed that team and has been working as a Critical Incident Stress responder for over 20 years.  He has also been a volunteer with the North Shore Rescue team for over 40 years. As an active Search Manager, he has led numerous rescues in the backcountry.  Greg has his Master’s in Applied Behavioural Science (MA ABS) and is an Organizational Development specialist. He is certified with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) in Individual, Group and Advanced Interventions for CISM.
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Chris Mushumanski
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Greg Miller

Chris Mushumanski & Greg Miller
Critical incident stress management team, Search & Rescue B.C.

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Past Events & Guest Speakers

Past Events

Kennedy Lewis, CCC
The Neurology of Self-Care for Frontline Workers
Jeremy Addleman, CCC
The Power of Nature in Healing Trauma - Somatic Psychotherapy
Kate Pinsonneault, RCC
​Managing Dual Relationships in Remote Communities
Tara Souch, RCC, CCC
Tuning in to Natural Cycles as a Model for Healing
Sarah Hagar, RCC
Neurobiology of Trauma and Healing in Outdoor Pursuits
Daye Hagel, CCC
​Trauma & Resilience after the Colorado Marshall Fires
Joelle Prevost, CCC
The Conversation Guide
Michael McCarthy, Counsellor
Traditional Healing Practices of Our Ancestors
We do not require personal medical information from our students, volunteers,
staff, or contractors as a condition of providing services.