Responding with Respect Programs

Workshops are skill-based and include dynamic activities, discussions, and practice of the 4R Action Toolkit®

Responding with Respect™ (RWR) Programs

All RWR workshops are evidence-based and trauma-informed and apply the 4R Action Toolkit® (Recognize, Respond, Resource, Reconnect) to ensure participants develop safe and supportive communication skills. This toolkit equips participants to recognize and respond to an employee or co-worker when they notice a behaviour cue or change. Training managers and employees in these skills ensure your organization establishes shared literacy on mental health and support skills that contribute to a Psychologically Healthy and Safe Workplace culture.

RWR Workplace Mental Health Skills for Managers

A practical skill and knowledge-building workshop designed to normalize workplace conversations about mental health and increase early intervention if needed.  1 in 3 Canadians will experience a mental health or substance use disorder in their lifetime, while others will experience challenges that don’t meet the threshold for a diagnosed illness. Both realities can impact an employee’s wellness and performance.

You don’t need to become a mental health expert to support your teams; what is required is to know how to have a safe, respectful, and supportive conversation with an employee who is not themselves.  This knowledge and skill-building workshop will help managers support an employee who is struggling with what may be a mental health challenge or with a situation that is affecting their mental well-being.  Activities, discussions, and practicing the 4R Action Toolkit® engage participants throughout the workshop.  

Managers will:

• Build mental health knowledge.
• Explore the workplace as a risk and a protective factor for mental well-being.
• Learn about the impact of stigma and mitigation strategies.
• Identify practices for cultivating approachable leadership
• Use the 4R Action Toolkit® for effective results.

The 7-hour workshop includes all the above plus:

• Two case scenario opportunities to practice the 4R Action Toolkit®
• Using the 4R Action Toolkit® in Urgent Situations, which includes a scenario.
• Two case scenarios for discussion.
• Introduction to the National Standard for a Psychologically Healthy and Safe Workplace.

Length:  7-hour workshop, in-person (1 day) or virtual (2 or 3 consecutive days). A 4-hour version is also available.

Maximum number of participants: 25 in-person; 15 virtual

RWR Workplace Mental Health Skills for Employees

Early recognition and intervention can mitigate the negative impacts of mental health challenges. Employees are often the first to notice a change in a co-worker’s behaviour but don’t know how to speak with a colleague about what they see. In this workshop, participants will learn to approach their co-workers using the trauma-informed 4R Action Toolkit®.

Participants will:

• Explore stigmatizing language and the impact of stigma.
• Be introduced to the Mental Health Continuum.
• Discover the importance of self-awareness.
• Be made aware of the impacts of mental illness.
• Practice the 4R Action Toolkit® for effective results. 

Length:  4-hour workshop delivered in-person (1 day) or virtual (2 consecutive days)

Maximum number of participants: 25 in-person; 15 virtual

Responding with Respect: Mental Health Skills for Learning Environments

Designed with the education sector in mind – this workshop for faculty and staff builds on their knowledge and skills in supporting students and co-workers’ mental health. Including, when students and co-workers are struggling with what may be a mental health challenge, or with a situation that is affecting their mental health. Participants will learn that they don’tneed to become mental health experts to support their teams and students.

This skill-building workshop is highly interactive, focusing on how to have a respectful conversation using the 4R Action Toolkit® (Recognize, Respond, Resource, & Reconnect). It includes relevant case scenarios, a variety of activities and discussions to ensure engagement.

Participants will:

• Build mental health knowledge and skills
• Explore stigmatizing language and the impacts of stigma.
• Learn about the Mental Health Continuum.
• Discover the importance of self-awareness.
• Practice the 4R Action Toolkit® to effectively engage in supportive conversations in the workplace (Learning Environments).

Length: 4-hour workshop delivered in-person (1 day) or virtual (2 consecutive days)

Maximum number of participants: 25 in-person; 15 virtual

RWR On the Frontline

Acknowledging the service expertise of your frontline staff and recognizing their role as the first point of contact, this workshop builds on participants’ mental health knowledge. It elevates skills for serving citizens/clients/customers struggling with a mental health challenge. Participants gain confidence in their interactions by practicing the 4R Action Toolkit® model, to ensure a trauma-informed approach in a case scenario and engaging in relevant activities and discussions. 

Frontline employees will:

• Build knowledge on mental health.
• Navigate and mitigate the language of stigma.
• Use the 4R Action Toolkit® to practice this trauma-informed model.
• Explore strategies for creating a safe space.
• Explore self-awareness for mental wellbeing.

Length:  4 hour workshop delivered in-person (1 day) or virtual (2 or 3 consecutive days)

Maximum number of participants: 15 virtually – 25 in-person

RWR On the Frontline – Help & Hope

This training has now been upgraded to the new Resilient Minds®: Building the Psychological Strength of Community Workers, which focuses on building the psychological strength of and protecting the well-being of individuals working on the frontline in potentially distressing environments. Check back soon for more details!

© 2023 by Canadian Mental Health Association, Vancouver-Fraser Branch.