Welcome to the official website for the 2016 Mental Health Summit, Vancouver. This half-day conference will feature practical content for plan sponsors interested in imporving the mental health of their workforce.
The theme of this year's conference is-
The Elephant in the Workplace: Tackling Mental Health Challenges
You may not always be able to see mental health in your employees, but you can see the results in your workplace. Did you know that approximately 30 per cent of short and long term disability claims are due to mental health issues? As well, mental health issues account for over $6 billion in productivity costs. What causes and exacerbates mental health issues, how can you recognize when an employee is having difficulties and how can you help?
At the 2016 Mental Health Summits, experts will provide insight into mental health issues in a work environment and provide actionable takeaways for how to address these issues and create a mentally healthy and productive workplace.
CONFERENCE RATES:
Price: $129 + TAX
Questions?
For information on the speakers, please contact Lauren Harris, Conference Editor, Benefits Canada
For information on the speakers, please contact Danielle Walker, Event Manager.
Join the conversation on Twitter: #mentalhealth16 @BenCanMag
Mental Health Summit Vancouver
December 13, 2016
Fairmont Hotel, Vancouver
(*Please note this is a draft and subject to change)
7:20 - 8:10 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast
8:10 - 8:15 a.m.
Benefits Canada Opening Remarks
8:15 - 8:45 a.m.
Connections: Linking Financial and Physical Wellness to Mental Health
Financial stress is a driver of mental health challenges. In fact, the stress that employees may feel from personal financial issues can significantly impact both mental and physical health. The Sun Life Canadian Health Index cites top drivers of excessive stress among Canadians are related to finances. Learn about the dynamics of this issue, such as how financial stress may affect different groups in the workforce and whether they differ based on generation or economic contexts. You'll hear how targeted programs and overall mental health strategies in the workplace can mean positive change for employees.
Speaker:
Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier, assistant vice-president, workplace mental health, integrated health solutions, Sun Life Financial
8:45 - 9:15 a.m.
An elephant and an insurer walk into a room…
Managers and employees aren’t talking enough about mental health in the workplace. But insurers ARE having that conversation with employees who are on leave because of mental health issues. Ray Parker will share valuable insights on how to handle mental health issues, and give concrete examples of what employers can do to help eliminate the stigma.
Speaker:
Ray Parker, director, group disability and rehabilitation, Desjardins Insurance
9:15 - 9:45 a.m.
Personalized Medicine and Antidepressants: Promises, Perils and Pitfalls
Antidepressants are effective treatments, but selecting an antidepressant for an individual patient is currently based on trial and error. Plan sponsors will learn that many researchers are attempting to discover biomarkers (biological tests) to guide antidepressant selection, including blood tests for genetic differences in drug metabolism (pharmacogenetics). The evidence shows that biomarkers for antidepressant response, while promising, are not yet ready for "prime time" clinical use.
Speaker:
Dr. Raymond W. Lam, professor of psychiatry, University of British Columbia (participation made possible by Lundbeck)
9:45 - 10:05 a.m.
Networking Break
10:05 - 10:50 a.m.
The Medicalization of Unhappiness
Peter Gove, GSC’s Health Innovation Leader, examines the past few decades and zeroes in on the changing medical and social landscape that has led to the proliferation of mental health diagnoses and the widespread prescribing of anti-depressants. Have normal, expected bouts of sadness become “medicalized”? And are we in turn medicating large portions of the population - young, middle-aged, and old - that could be better served by other strategies for care? Last, given this new environment, what is the implication for organizations aiming to create impactful strategies to manage mental health in their workplaces?
Speaker:
Peter Gove, health innovation leader, Green Shield Canada
10:50 - 11:40 a.m.
Expert Panel: Supporting Employees with PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder can happen to anyone, whether the affected employees are first responders and encounter emergencies daily or have experienced distressing situations in their personal or work lives. Being exposed to trauma can trigger reactions that may affect employees' daily lives and interfere with their ability to remain active and productive members of the workforce. In this session, join us as a panel of experts outline what PTSD is, what can trigger it, how it can manifest in the workforce and how you can provide your employees with the support they need to cope. The panel will also dig into peer support and how it can have broader applicability beyond PTSD.
Panellists:
Paul Bruce, fire chief, Victoria Fire Department
Rob Clarke, RCMP officer and former member of parliament
Stacey Ferland, national practice lead, trauma services, Homewood Health
Debbie JoustraPel, manager, occupational health, Coast Mountain Bus Company
11:40 a.m. - 12:25 p.m.
Mental Fitness & Resiliency Building Blocks: A Proactive and preventative Approach to Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing
The mind, like the body, responds to training. In this session, learn how mental fitness and proactive strategies to build resiliency can better help your employees handle life’s ever changing conditions and challenges. Mental fitness is an area of training that is often overlooked and under-valued. Join us as Sara Wegwitz, a mental fitness and performance coach, teaches the building blocks to help your employees thrive and flourish. Paul Bruce, fire chief for the Victoria Fire Department, will also share a case study example of how he uses mental fitness in the workplace with his employees during this session. As providers of emergency services, it is accepted that members of the Victoria Fire Department are responsible for providing first responder services to a multitude of serious and dangerous situations. As an employer, the fire department cannot control the scheduling of emergency experiences or the potential for physical or psychological injuries to its members. Bruce will share insights into how he uses peer supported Critical Incident Stress Debriefing sessions and other strategies to help employees prepare themselves for the potential psychological processing associated with exposure to these extraordinary events.
Speakers:
Paul Bruce, fire chief, Victoria Fire Department
Sara Wegwitz, registered nurse and mental fitness and performance coach
12:25 p.m.
Closing Remarks