Focus Health Information Sessions

September 23, 2026, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (In English) 

In honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Archipel is collaborating with dedicated Indigenous healer and psychotherapist, Jenny Sawanohk to offer a three-part learning series on Indigenous Healing and Wellness. We invite you participate in all three parts and share with members of your organizations.

Part 1: Spirit – Understanding Ourselves as Spiritual Beings

This session will explore Indigenous understandings of spirituality, energy, and interconnectedness as foundational elements of healing and wellness. 

Participants will learn about our relationship to spirit, community, the natural world, and the importance of humility and healing throughout our lives.

Jenny will share teachings on ceremony, including examples such as the sweat lodge, and discuss our relationship with Mother Earth, fire, and the spiritual aspects of wellness.

Topics may include:

• Understanding ourselves as spiritual beings 
• Interconnectedness and relationality
• Ceremony and healing 
• The role of humility and grief work
• Relationships with Mother Earth, fire, and the land

Registration for Part 1 - Spirit: Understanding Ourselves as Spiritual Beings

September 24, 2026, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (In English) 

In honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Archipel is collaborating with dedicated Indigenous healer and psychotherapist, Jenny Sawanohk to offer a three-part learning series on Indigenous Healing and Wellness. We invite you participate in all three parts and share with members of your organizations.

Part 2 - Body: Trauma, Healing, and Indigenous Approaches to Wellness

This session will explore the impacts of trauma on the body and Indigenous understandings of physical health and our physical relationship to the land. 

Participants will learn about traditional approaches to identifying and addressing the root causes of illness and imbalance, and how healing practices support restoration and wellness. Teachings may include examples such as Sundance and the importance of water as a source of healing and life.

Topics may include:

• The impact of unprocessed trauma on the body
• Indigenous understandings of health and physiology
• Traditional healing and "ancient doctoring"
• Healing the root causes of suffering
• The significance of land-based ceremonial practices
• Relationships with the Spirit of Water

Registration for Part 2 - Body: Trauma, Healing, and Indigenous Approaches to Wellness

September 25, 2026, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (In English) 

In honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Archipel is collaborating with dedicated Indigenous healer and psychotherapist, Jenny Sawanohk to offer a three-part learning series on Indigenous Healing and Wellness. We invite you participate in all three parts and share with members of your organizations.

Part 3 - Mind: Healing Thoughts, Identity, and Returning to Self

This session will focus on mental and emotional wellness through Indigenous teachings about belief systems, thought patterns and how it impacts the way we feel. 

Participants will explore the relationship between the mind, ego, heart and spirit, and learn about practices that support reflection, identity-based healing, and reconnection to self. Teachings may include sacred breathwork, drumming, singing, meditation, and the importance of remembering who we truly are and why we are here.

Topics may include:

• Mental and emotional wellness through Indigenous teachings 
• Separating our thoughts from our identity 
• Spirit versus ego in healing 
• Sacred breathwork, drumming, and song 
• Breaking cycles and rewiring patterns of thought 
• Reflection, visioning, and reconnecting with self and the land 
• Restoring balance to the Sacred Feminine, Mother Earth, and Sacred Masculine, Father Sky

Registation for Part 3 - Mind: Healing Thoughts, Identity, and Returning to Self

October 7, 2026, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (In English) 

Presenter: Hazel Hunt (she/her), Mental Health Counsellor, Counseling Family Services

Join us for Part 2 of Hazel Hunt's presentation on providing culturally competent care to transgender, non-binary, and gender questioning clients. 

This follow-up session will build on the previous presentation (wave 4) and include an extended Q&A to address questions and topics we didn't have time to explore during Part 1. 

Participants are encouraged to bring their questions for an interactive discussion that deepens learning and supports affirming clinical practice.

Summary of Part 1:

In this presentation, Hazel went through the concepts that are essential to providing competent care to transgender, non-binary, and gender questioning clients. She did a breakdown of the major struggles these clients face and explained how to understand and approach them. Link to the session recording.

Registration for Part 2 - Cultural Competency for Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Questioning Clients –  & Q&A 

October 9, 2026, from 12:15 to 1:00 p.m. (In English) 

Session with Holly Brown (she/her/elle/sa/they/iel) Trans Health Program Lead 

Join Holly Brown for a session on the latest updates in trans health care in primary care across the Champlain region. This presentation will support primary care teams in delivering inclusive, gender-affirming, and evidence-informed care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals.

This session is intended for family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, allied health professionals, and anyone working in primary care who wishes to expand their knowledge and strengthen their clinical practice in trans health.

Registration for Regional Primary Care Updates regarding Trans Health

October 13, 2026, from 12:15 to 1:00 p.m. (In French) 

Session with Holly Brown (she/her/elle/sa/they/iel) Trans Health Program Lead 

Join Holly Brown for a session on the latest updates in trans health care in primary care across the Champlain region. This presentation will support primary care teams in delivering inclusive, gender-affirming, and evidence-informed care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals.

This session is intended for family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, allied health professionals, and anyone working in primary care who wishes to expand their knowledge and strengthen their clinical practice in trans health.

Registration for session in French Mises à jour régionales sur la santé trans en soins primaires

October 21, 2026 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (in French)

Session led by Melissa Cardinal, R.D., Public Health Dietitian 

Food insecurity is a reality affecting a growing number of people and families in our community. This session aims to raise awareness and provide a better understanding of this phenomenon, its causes and its impact on the health and well-being of the population.

During this webinar, we will discuss:

• What is food insecurity is and its contributing factors 
• Local statistics and an overview of the situation in our region 
• The impacts of food insecurity on physical, mental and social health 
• Solutions available at individual, community and collective levels 
• The role of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit in tackling food insecurity and the available services 
• Practical steps that practitioners can take to support people experiencing food insecurity and refer them to appropriate resources

This session is aimed at community workers, in the health and social services professionals, local partners and anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of food insecurity and contribute to coordinated action within the community.

Join us to gain a better understanding of the issues, discover the resources available and explore ways to promote better access to healthy food for all.

Registration for the session in French - Comprendre l'insécurité alimentaire : mieux agir ensemble 

January 30, 2026 Session

Archipel OHT Primary Care Network is proud to present this learning session with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. 

The session was led by Erika MacPhee, Vice-President, Clinical Operations, University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

The key cardiovascular programs were reviewed and discussed.

• Guideline Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT) Clinic 
• Acute Cardiac Triage Unit (ACTU) 
• Mobile Screening Program 
• Mobile Screening Program for Valvular Heart Disease  
• Introduce the Prevention and Wellness Centre

Link to the recording of the January 30, 2026 session.

Visit the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

February 10, 2026 at noon (in English) 

Launched in July 2023, the Champlain Screening Outreach Program allows eligible individuals without a family doctor living in Eastern Ontario to access cancer screening. They provide screening for the cancers that have organized provincial programs: cervical, breast, lung, and colon cancer.

In collaboration with the Champlain Regional Cancer Program, the Archipel Ontario Health Team will host three information sessions on cancer screening in the Ottawa East and Prescott-Russell region. This is the 2nd session. The 2 others are in-person.

These sessions are intended for people, families, and health care professionals who would like more information about cancer screening and

• Are overdue for their screenings 
• Live in the Ottawa East and Prescott-Russell region 
• Want to better understand the screening options available in the region.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions to a representative from the Champlain Regional Cancer Program as well as a family physician from the Archipel OHT Primary Care Network.

The session will be held on Teams.

Link to register to the February 10, 2026 session.

Presentation by VTRAC (in English)

February 17, 2026 at noon

This presentation is made within the Black History Month. 

This session will be led by Dr. Jude Mary Cénat, PhD, MSc, C.Psych., Associate Professor, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa

The training “How to Provide Anti-Racist Mental Health Care” was developed by the V-TRaC Lab to address the real needs of Black individuals living in our communities. This training is also accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association.

Thanks to generous funding from the Vulnerability, Trauma, Resilience, and Culture (V-TRaC) Laboratory at the University of Ottawa and the Archipel Ontario Health Team, more than 200 organizations in the Ottawa and Prescott–Russell regions will have access to free training on anti-racist mental health care, following a funding application submitted by the Archipel Ontario Health Team and Valor & Solutions.

Main themes covered:

• Clinical assessment 
• Medication management 
• Psychotherapy 
• Interventions with children, adolescents, and families

To follow up on this innovative training, Dr. Jude Cénat will facilitate an open discussion session for all participants to review the modules, explore recurring themes, and answer your questions.

The session will be held on Teams.

Link to register to the February 17, 2026 session.

Visit VTRAC.

Presentation by Public Health Ottawa (in French)

Tuesday March 11, 2026 at noon

Présentation dans le cadre de la Journée Internationale de la Femme 

Cette séance sera animée par Geneviève Mosher, agente de projets en soins infirmiers

Santé publique Ottawa offre un programme gratuit de thérapie cognitivo-comportementale (TCC) en groupe pour les parents qui attendent un enfant ou qui viennent d’accueillir un enfant (par naissance ou adoption.

Ce programme s’adresse aux personnes qui se sentent déprimées, tristes, anxieuses, inquiètes, en colère ou dépassées.

Pendant neuf semaines, les participants se rencontrent virtuellement en groupe avec une infirmière de santé publique afin d’apprendre des stratégies pratiques pour réduire les symptômes de dépression et d’anxiété en modifiant leurs pensées, leurs émotions et leurs comportements.

Des séances en français et des séances destinées aux pères sont offertes dans toute la province de l’Ontario!

Joignez-vous à nous pour en savoir plus sur ce programme et sur la façon dont les clients peuvent s’inscrire.

La séance aura lieu par Teams. 

Lien pour l'inscription à la séance du 11 mars 2026.

Presentation by the Winning Strategies team (in French)

Tuesday March 24 mars, 2026 at noon

Dans le cadre de la Journée internationale de la Francophonie 

Cette séance sera animée par Nathalie Rochefort, coordonnatrice de projet des Stratégies gagnantes, Sharlène Clarke, chargée de projet à l'Équipe Santé Ontario Archipel et Sarah Kiobola, agente de planification et d'engagement communautaire au Réseau des services de santé en français de l'Est de l'Ontario.

Le projet Stratégies gagnantes pour servir les Francophones vise à améliorer l’offre active de services en français en outillant les fournisseurs de soins de santé et de services sociaux et communautaires. 

Par le biais de six stratégies faciles à mettre en œuvre, les organisations ciblées peuvent améliorer la sécurité du patient ainsi que la qualité et l’efficience des services, au bénéfice de leur clientèle francophone. 

Nathalie, Sarah et Sharlène feront un survol du projet, des six stratégies ainsi que des outils gratuits de mise en oeuvre, inlcuant le guide d'utilisateur et les capsules vidéos. Elles présenteront les étapes pour se lancer dans ce projet et répondront aux questions des participants.

La séance aura lieu par Teams. 

Lien pour l'inscription à la séance du 24 mars 2026.

Visiter le site des Stratégies gagnantes.  

Presentation by VTRAC (in French)

March 25, 2026 at noon

This presentation is made within the Black History Month. 

This session will be led by Dr. Jude Mary Cénat, PhD, MSc, C.Psych., Associate Professor, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa

The training “How to Provide Anti-Racist Mental Health Care” was developed by the V-TRaC Lab to address the real needs of Black individuals living in our communities. This training is also accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association.

Thanks to generous funding from the Vulnerability, Trauma, Resilience, and Culture (V-TRaC) Laboratory at the University of Ottawa and the Archipel Ontario Health Team, more than 200 organizations in the Ottawa and Prescott–Russell regions will have access to free training on anti-racist mental health care, following a funding application submitted by the Archipel Ontario Health Team and Valor & Solutions.

Main themes covered:

• Clinical assessment 
• Medication management 
• Psychotherapy 
• Interventions with children, adolescents, and families

To follow up on this innovative training, Dr. Jude Cénat will facilitate an open discussion session for all participants to review the modules, explore recurring themes, and answer your questions.

The session will be held on Teams.

Link to register to the March 25, 2026 session.

Visit VTRAC.

Tuesday April 21, 2026 at noon (in French)

This session will present a summary of the initiatives undertaken by  Archipel Ontario Health Team over the past year. 

The team members will present the key achievements and projects carried out as well as the challenges and lessons learned. 

Main topics:

• Primary care and the new Primary Care Network   
• Digital health 
• Mental health  
• Community engagement and the Patient, Client and Family Advisory Committee   
• 2026 outlook

The session will be held by Teams. 

Registration for the April 21, 2026 session.  

Presentation par Counselling Family Services

Tuesday May 26, 2026 at noon (in English)

This session will be led by Hazel Hunt (she/her), Mental Health Counsellor, Counseling and Family Services.

Hazel will go through the essential concepts for providing competent care to transgender, non-binary, and gender-questioning clients. 

She will breakdown the major struggles these clients face and explain how to understand and approach them.

The session will be held on Teams.

Link to the May 2026 information session recording.

Visit the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Visiter le site de Counselling Family Services. 

Presentation by the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (in French)

Tuesday June 23, 2026 at noon

Cette session était animée par Julie Graham, éducatrice en santé publique, praticienne Triple P (Programme de parentalité positive).

Triple P pour bébé est une série universelle de transition à la parentalité pour les parents/soignants qui attendent ou ont des enfants jusqu'à l'âge d'un an. 

Le programme Triple P pour bébé veut aider les parents à favoriser le développement social, émotionnel et comportemental de leur bébé.

La série favorisera les compétences et la confiance des parents face à l’éducation de leur bébé en ciblant les facteurs de risque communs qui accompagnent la transition à la parentalité. Plus précisément, les cours couvrent des techniques parentales positives qui aident les nouveaux parents à renforcer leur confiance et leurs compétences dans la gestion du comportement de leur nourrisson, ainsi que des techniques d'adaptation pour faire face au stress parental. 

Les cours expliquent également comment les nouveaux parents peuvent soutenir leur partenaire pendant cette période enrichissante mais difficile.

The session was held on Teams. Link to the session video recording.

Visit the Eastern Ontario Health Unit.

Présentation du 10 juin 2025 (en français) par Montfort Renaissance

Ce programme vise à encourager le rétablissement et la participation communautaire des personnes francophones aux prises avec un trouble de santé mentale. 

En collaboration avec les participants de l’Élan, les conseillers et les conseillères élaborent un calendrier mensuel d’activités qui reflètent leurs besoins et leurs intérêts. 

Chaque calendrier comprend des activités dans ces quatre domaines :

• Activités artistiques 
• Activités de culture physique et de santé mentale 
• Activités sociales, récréatives et collaboratives 
• Activités de développement personnel 

Voir l'enregistrement du 10 juin 2025.

Visiter la page des Ateliers de l'Élan.

Présentation du 17 juin 2025 en français

TAO Tel-Aide offre un service d’écoute et de référence en français, 24/7, gratuit, anonyme, confidentiel, empathique et sans jugement par une équipe de bénévoles formés pour contribuer au bien-être mental des francophones adultes.

Ligne d’écoute

Outaouais : 819-775-3223

Ottawa : 613-741-6433

Sans frais : 1-800-567-9699

Voir l'enregistrement du 17 juin 2025.

Visiter le site de TAO Tel-Aide.

Présentation du 3 juillet 2025 en français 

Six stratégie gagnantes pour améliorer l'offre active de soins et services de santé en français

Le projet Stratégies gagnantes pour servir les Francophones vise à aider les organismes prestataires de services à mettre en place une série d’actions favorisant l’offre active de services en français. 

Le projet comprend des ressources et de l'accompagnement gratuit.

Voir l'enregistrement du 3 juillet 2025.

Visiter le site des Stratégies gagnantes pour servir les Francophones.

Peer support engagement by Psychiatric Survivors of Ottawa 

July 15, 2025 MHA information session

The session will cover:

• What is Psychiatric Survivors of Ottawa (PSO) ? 
• Best practices for engaging with peer workers 
• Important resources 
• Question period

PSO provides free phone, in-person and video counselling. More than 100 counsellors from more than 20 community-based mental health and substance use organizations make free counselling appointments available to book through this website. 

PSO is client-led and focused on equity. This service is for everyone: children, youth, adults and families in Ottawa and the surrounding area.

Counselling Connect services are provided by counsellors of diverse backgrounds and experience including Indigenous communities; African, Caribbean and Black communities; other racialized communities; and LGBT2SQ+ communities. In English, French or Arabic.

For more information, visit Psychiatric Survivors of Ottawa.

New Ottawa Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic opening in the summer of 2025 

July 29, 2025 MHA information session

The Ottawa Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (Ottawa NPLC) is a not-for-profit organization funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. It was officially incorporated on April 24, 2024.

The clinic is under construction and will be opening its doors late Summer 2025.

The clinic does NOT charge for services provided. We use a team-based approach to address the physical, emotional, mental and social aspects of patients’ health. This means that our Nurse Practitioners can refer patients to specialists and other healthcare professionals, including those within our clinic.

For more information, visit Ottawa NPLC.

Présentation du 5 août 2025 par l’Hôpital Montfort (en français)

Ce service offre un traitement intensif et s’adresse à des personnes qui vivent avec un problème de santé mentale sévère et persistant ou un problème modéré qui altère leur fonctionnement. 

Le traitement suit une approche basée sur la thérapie cognitivo-comportementale (TCC) et la thérapie dialectique comportementale (TDC), qui aident la personne à mieux comprendre ses symptômes, à les gérer et à mieux fonctionner à la maison, au travail et dans sa communauté.

Les composantes du programme sont : l’évaluation, les thérapies de groupes, les rencontres individuelles et une rencontre avec le psychiatre.

Voir l’enregistrement du 5 août 2025.

Présentation du 12 août 2025 par l’Hôpital Montfort (en français)

La clinique de santé mentale de Montfort accepte les demandes d’inscription pour un nouveau groupe : Rétablissement par l’activité pour la psychose (RAP). 

Le groupe est basé sur le modèle de l’occupation humaine et est conçu pour améliorer le bien-être grâce à la valeur de l’activité. 

Ce programme offre aux participants la possibilité de réfléchir à leur participation occupationnelle et à son impact sur leur santé mentale, ainsi que de discuter et de pratiquer des choix de vie sains qui répondent à leurs besoins. 

En mettant l’accent sur la participation au groupe, le programme encourage l’engagement dans diverses occupations, y compris les soins personnels, les activités productives (ex. : tâches domestiques, vocations) et les loisirs (ex. : activités créatives et physiques).

Voir l’enregistrement du 12 août 2025.

Free counselling sessions and support groups for residents of Ottawa and surrounding area 

August 26, 2025 MHA information session

When life is challenging, we’re here for you.

Free phone, in-person and video counselling.

More than 100 counsellors from more than 20 community-based mental health and substance use organizations make free counselling appointments available to book through this website. 

We are client-led and focused on equity. This service is for everyone: children, youth, adults and families in Ottawa and the surrounding area. Counselling Connect services are provided by counsellors of diverse backgrounds and experience including Indigenous communities; African, Caribbean and Black communities; other racialized communities; and LGBT2SQ+ communities. In English, French or Arabic.

For more information, visit Counselling Connect.