Concurrent Sessions

OUSA’s presentation seeks to highlight the importance of utilizing and providing peer-to-peer support services on post-secondary campuses. Using both recommendations from our policy library and qualitative and quantitative data collected from our Ontario Undergraduate Student Survey (OUSS), OUSA will explore the benefits of making peer-to-peer support services available to all post-secondary students.

This presentation will expand on the various ways in which peer-to-peer support services benefit both student employees and the students accessing this support. By providing student employees with training and resume-building opportunities, decreasing barriers to service accessibility, and encouraging a sense of community amongst students, peer-to-peer support programs benefit both students accessing mental health services and those working within these spaces. With the help of OUSA’s evidence-based and student-approved policy recommendations, this presentation seeks to show the necessity of peer-to-peer support programs across our member institutions.

McGill’s Student Wellness Hub (SWH) delivers an integrated, student-centered mental health model grounded in Stepped Care 2.0© and responsive to diverse and evolving needs. Central to this work is developing literacy to recognize how longstanding patterns of group-based hatred can re-emerge in context-dependent, more subtle or indirect forms, shaping both interpersonal dynamics and epistemological assumptions within academic and professional environments, and to respond in clinically appropriate ways. Guided by McGill’s Anti-Black Racism Action Plan and informed by Multicultural Competence, Deep Diversity, and the Synergy framework, the SWH has developed specialized roles, training, and programming. These include expanded supports for Black, BIPOC students and dedicated services for Jewish and Israeli students, as well as Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian students. This presentation outlines these initiatives.

This session explores how mobile access, digital environments, and the normalization of online gambling are contributing to a new generation of risk among young adults. It examines the intersection of technology, behaviour, and harm, and identifies opportunities for prevention in an increasingly connected landscape.

This interactive workshop invites participants to explore how social work education can move from dialogue to action by weaving Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing into learning spaces that support student wellness, engagement, and transformational practice. Grounded in the commitments of CASWE-ACFTS to advance the TRC Calls to Action and further the Indigenization of social work education, the session will consider how educators, students, and practitioners can cultivate authentic, humble, and reciprocal relationships while working alongside diverse communities. Participants will reflect on the opportunities and tensions involved in shifting curriculum, pedagogy, and classroom practice toward more relational, community-led, and culturally sustaining approaches.

Drawing on the Braiding Indigenous Knowledges course, this workshop will share examples of Indigenous social work theory, land-based learning, storytelling, sharing circles, reflexive practice, and decolonizing approaches to knowledge co-creation. Guided by the 5 R’s—relationality, respect, responsibility, reciprocity, and redistribution—participants will be invited to consider concrete strategies for creating learning environments that honour Indigenous worldviews, challenge colonial assumptions in mainstream social work, and strengthen the capacity of helping professionals to engage ethically and respectfully with Indigenous students, communities, and knowledges.

Students seek support for many of the problems they encounter in their student life. While there are many ways to support students, solution focused conversations offer a different perspective for helping conversations. Instead of focusing on what is wrong and how to fix it, solution focus conversations focus on what is wanted and what works. Designed for student-facing staff across roles, this session introduces key features of solution focused conversations, explanation of solution focused skills and brings them to life through a video case demonstration.

This interactive presentation explores creative approaches to fostering graduate student belonging, wellbeing, and engagement in an increasingly digital world. Rooted in the work of Grad Minds, a graduate student mental health caucus, the session examines how technology and social media can both support and hinder connection among post-secondary learners. Presenters will discuss how digital platforms can be used to promote peer-led mental health initiatives and create pathways toward meaningful in-person community-building. Drawing on student and staff perspectives, the session will highlight practical, skill-building programming including theatrical resilience workshops, virtual creative circles, nutrition-focused initiatives, collaborative music-making, and community art activities. Attendees will learn how student-centered and co-designed programming can cultivate authentic peer relationships across virtual and physical spaces while addressing the unique engagement challenges faced by graduate students.

The Innovation Initiatives grant program at the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions supports agencies in implementing and evaluating culturally responsive innovations that transform how mental health, substance use health, and addictions services engage children, young people, and families impacted by racism, exclusion, stigma, and other structural barriers. By championing evidence-based and promising practices with the potential for broader system impact, the program aims to address inequities and improve outcomes for equity-deserving communities. To date, ten projects have centered community-identified priorities, integrated lived and living expertise, and embedded cultural values and practices into service design and delivery. This session will share key learnings from these initiatives, details on culturally responsive evaluation approaches, methods of engagement, and invite participants to reflect on what it takes to move beyond access toward co-creating services that are equitable, sustainable, and truly responsive to the communities they serve.

Supporting students in distress is highly nuanced and challenging, even for mental health professionals. At post-secondary institutions, academic advisors and faculty members, are often the first to receive a disclosure of distress from students. While all post-secondary institutions have protocols in place to support students in distress, protocols are inconsistent across institutions with both downstream and upstream supports varying based on institutional size, funding, and the extent to which wellbeing, overall, is a priority.

To better understand the student supporter and student user experience from a systems perspective, Campus Wellness staff at the University of Waterloo came together to “map the system” for students in distress. This session will walk participants through our system mapping process and provide them with an opportunity to map portions of their own, student in distress support systems. In doing this, we hope to identify opportunities to improve equity across these needed support tools.

According to a new study (2026) young men under 30, many of whom fall within the post-secondary student age range, represent one in five sports bettors but face disproportionately higher risks: 25% more gambling problems, 52% more gambling-related harms, and 44% higher anxiety compared to the general sports betting population. These figures represent real consequences, including financial problems, damaged relationships, and mental health struggle. Half of young men who bet on sports drink alcohol while betting, and this group also has 15% higher levels of problem gambling.

Research (2025) indicates that individuals at high risk of problem gambling report the most severe mental health indicators, including thoughts of suicide and planned suicide. People with gambling problems exhibit markedly worse mental health outcomes compared to their non-gambling counterparts. Alarmingly, a significant percentage of people who engage in gambling have reported missing school or work due to their mental health struggles, further emphasizing the far-reaching impact of gambling-related harm. These results highlight the need for comprehensive mental health support and early intervention strategies tailored to those at risk of or currently experiencing gambling-related harm.

This session explores how Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) supports The New Mentality (TNM) model translating youth engagement into meaningful, skill-building mental health programming in a digital world. Through two youth-led initiatives-Rainbow Connections (2SLGBTQIA+ youth) and Gifts of Our People (BIPOC youth), participants will learn how affinity-based virtual spaces foster peer support, belonging, and leadership to support youth and student mental health. Additionally, the Youth Action Committee (YAC), a province-wide committee, demonstrates how youth-led research and policy change can advance systems-level work, including contributions to CMHO’s provincial equity strategy.

Grounded in lived experience, these programs highlight how youth-centered approaches intentionally design for “braver spaces,” safety, identity affirmation, and engagement in digital settings. Attendees will gain insight into how youth-led facilitation, storytelling, and culturally grounded practices create impactful mental health spaces that extend beyond participation into leadership and systems change.

This session explores a transformative partnership between Western University Housing and CMHA Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services, centered on a formal MOU that provides specialized, after-hours mental health crisis support for students living in residence. By shifting from traditional security/police-led responses to a collaborative, community-based clinical model, we are actively dismantling systemic barriers and aligning with the National Standard’s call for integrated care.

Participants will gain the “future-ready” skills needed to navigate multi-agency logistics, develop sustainable MOUs, and leverage EDIAA principles to ensure student safety remains person-centered, even at 3:00 am.

Ce projet de doctorat examine comment la musique peut contribuer au bien-être et à la santé durable en soutenant la satisfaction de besoins humains universels. Il prend appui sur une observation issue de mes études de maîtrise : l’écoute de certaines œuvres musicales atténuait une émotion de tristesse liée à un besoin non satisfait, même lorsque la langue des paroles m’était inconnue. Cette observation a révélé la capacité de la musique à agir sur l’expérience intérieure.

La recherche a conduit à l’élaboration d’une méthode de composition musicale intentionnelle fondée sur l’introspection, appuyée par la Communication non violente (CNV) et le modèle Internal Family Systems (IFS). À partir de l’écoute et de l’analyse d’environ 200 pièces musicales, un corpus restreint a été dégagé afin d’en identifier des caractéristiques communes, qui ont servi à composer une œuvre répondant au besoin d’appartenance.

Ce projet propose une création musicale au service du bien-être collectif.

Good2Talk is Ontario’s 24/7/365 helpline supporting post-secondary students’ mental health. Recognizing the growing influence of social media on student well-being, the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions collaborated with Kids Help Phone, ConnexOntario, and Ontario 211 to develop an evidence-informed resource for service providers. Drawing on the literature and input from post-secondary youth advisors and clinical experts, the resource explores both the benefits and risks of social media use, offering trauma-informed and equity-focused strategies to guide supportive conversations. It equips service providers with practical tools to help students reflect on their online experiences, manage stress and anxiety, and engage with social media in healthier, more intentional ways, ensuring services are delivered effectively to meet the evolving needs of post-secondary students.

Good2Talk is Ontario’s 24/7/365 helpline providing free, confidential mental health and well-being support to post-secondary students . This presentation presents findings from a cross-sectional partnership evaluation of Good2Talk’s texting service, based on post-conversation surveys completed by 438 students who accessed the text-based support service in 2025.

The evaluation assessed students’ perceptions of helpfulness, satisfaction, reasons for reaching out, and short-term changes in distress. Two validated measures, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) and the Suicide Behaviours Questionnaire—Revised (SBQ-R), were used to assess psychological distress levels and suicidality. Open-ended responses were analyzed qualitatively to understand user experiences, perceived benefits, and opportunities for improvement. Findings suggest the service is reaching students experiencing high levels of distress and suicidality and is associated with reported emotional stabilization and high levels of perceived support. It also highlights user-identified opportunities to continue strengthening service delivery , including crisis responder connection, service responsiveness, and tailoring supports to student needs.

Led by the Mental Health Commission of Canada and Indspire – a national Indigenous charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis People – this session will explore the latest research from Indspire on Indigenous student mental wellness in post-secondary through the lens of a student-led dialogue to center the experiences of Indigenous youth.

A student panel of Indigenous youth will share their priorities and perspectives on key findings and calls to action from the research reports, offering insights for post-secondary institutions to create inclusive spaces that address systemic barriers and support Indigenous students in tangible ways. Grounded in student perspectives, this session will support staff to keep student needs at the forefront of decision-making in mental health and well-being efforts in ways that reflect Indigenous student priorities, including in their implementation of the National Standard of Canada for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students.

In an era of shifting social landscapes, leadership within post-secondary institutions isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about the courage to ask the right questions and find comfort within systemic tension. This session explores how the “Adaptive Leadership Framework” and Stepped Care 2.0 (SC2.0?) can empower the campus workforce to navigate complexity with empathy and agility.

By moving toward person-centric ecosystems, we can bridge the gap between systemic constraints and the evolving needs of students, staff, faculty and other community members. Discover how the “leading from where you stand” principle fosters individual agency and collective action, transforming every community member into a resilient steward of the system. Participants will gain practical skills to apply contextualization and discernment in their work, ensuring wellbeing and mental health resources are integrated, equitable, and sustainable for the future of campus wellbeing.

This presentation will explore the design, implementation, and impact of Sankofa: An Invitation to Return, a culturally grounded Black Student Wellness Retreat developed collaboratively through the Office of Black Student Affairs and the Counselling Centre at Acadia University. The retreat was created in response to an ongoing need for culturally responsive, community-rooted mental health programming for Black students navigating racial stress, academic pressure, and institutional environments not originally designed with their wellbeing in mind.

Hosted in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, a historically significant site for Black settlement in the province, the retreat intentionally connected students to place, lineage, and intergenerational community. It also created space for Black students from diverse countries and cultural backgrounds to learn with and from one another. This session will examine how student services can move beyond traditional programming toward immersive, identity-affirming, and culturally anchored wellness initiatives.

Unmasking Connections is a structured, neurodiversity-affirming support group, peer-informed support model designed to promote wellbeing, prevent escalation of distress, and strengthen system navigation for neurodiverse post-secondary students. This session presents a facilitated group model that integrates psychoeducation, experiential learning, guided peer dialogue and on-campus field trips to support social communication, emotional regulation and functional engagement in campus life.

Each session introduces a wellbeing focused topic such as relationships, burnout, emotional regulation or wellness strategies; and invites students to explore it through shared discussion, with facilitators providing structure, scaffolding, and in-the-moment support. Purposeful field trips to key campus services reduce access barriers, increase familiarity, and support early help-seeking through supported exposure.

Grounded in trauma-informed and neuro-affirming practices, this model highlights a scalable, collaborative approach between Counselling and Accommodation services that strengthens institutional capacity while enhancing support for neurodiverse students. Attendees will leave with practical strategies and adaptable tools aligned with CICMH pillars of promotion, prevention, access, and systems.

In this project, the Mamidosewin Centre @ Algonquin College and Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health facilitated and organized two land-based activities for post-secondary Indigenous students and campus community members that involved medicine walks, lectures, and land-based cultural craft work with teachings about Indigenous approaches to health and wellness. Events took place in the October 3, 2025 and February 13, 2026 and attended by 57 students.

Growing diversity in Canadian postsecondary institutions underscores the need for inclusive, equitable teaching. This interactive session introduces the basics of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and its application in postsecondary settings. Participants will explore practical strategies, successes, and challenges from Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s 2023–24 pilot project, which expanded faculty and administrative capacity through training and support. UDL promotes flexible ways for students to access, engage with, and demonstrate learning, benefiting all learners, with and without disabilities.
Using UDL in the classroom puts Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, & Anti-Racism principles into practice by creating environments where all students can develop academic, social, and professional skills, supporting equitable participation and preparation for diverse communities and workplaces.

This educational session explores the connection between trauma and substance use, highlighting how social determinants of health shape individual experiences and outcomes within our community. Participants will examine how factors such as poverty, housing instability, and stigma contribute to substance use and barriers to care. Through a compassionate, non-judgmental lens, the session challenges participants to deepen their understanding of addiction as a coping response to difficult life circumstances. It emphasizes that substance use exists on a spectrum and can affect anyone, encouraging reflection on our shared human tendency toward maladaptive coping. A strong focus is placed on harm reduction as a practical, evidence-informed approach to minimizing risk and supporting safer substance use. Participants will leave with increased empathy, reduced stigma, and actionable strategies to support individuals and promote safer, more inclusive communities.