The introduction of a pandemic has forced workplaces across the country to pivot, and in some cases reimagine the way they do business. As we begin to create action plans post-pandemic, we need to be mindful of how workplace cultures have shifted and further invest in the mental health and well-being of employees to promote resilience, and ultimately thriving workplaces. The way to do this is by learning from innovators on the ground, like you, who have taken steps to prioritize mental health in the workplace.

The Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario and our partners invite you or your organization to submit for consideration abstracts for our IMPACT virtual conference being held December 1-2, 2021.

We are looking for participatory, ground-breaking sessions that explore the IMPACT people and organizations are having on mental health and well-being in the workplace. The following streams are being considered:

Managing mental health for leaders
Over the last year, leaders have been challenged with navigating different ways of doing business in addition to supporting employees’ experiences to changing structures, all while continuing to uphold day-to-day responsibilities. Presentations in this stream will seek to address the successes, challenges, and lessons learned when it comes to working in a pandemic and addressing issues of mental health in the workplace.

Examples could include: integrating mental health and well-being into organizational culture, building mental health strategies from the bottom up informed by employee engagement, or workload management - especially when working from home and striving to experience work-life balance.

Advancing psychological health and safety in the workplace
Presentations in this stream will focus on the unique expeirences related to first responders, offering specific attention to their community service roles, as well as strategies to promote psychologically healthy and safe workplaces.  Some areas of focus could be: workplace harassment/violence (external/internal), substance use, suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder or trauma recovery, peer support, and stigma in the sector.

First responders and mental health
Presentations in this stream will focus on the unique experiences related to first responders, offering specific attention to their community service roles, as well as strategies to promote psychologically healthy and safe workplaces. Some areas of focus could be: workplace violence(external/internal), addictions (substance and alcohol) and suicide, trauma recovery and stigma in the sector.

Frontline workers and mental health
Presentations in this stream will focus on the unique needs and experiences of frontline health care workers. This includes workers from across health care settings including, but not limited to: long-term care, community health providers, hospitals, midwives, public health units, etc.  Areas of focus may include: compassion fatigure, burnout, strategies for sustaining resilience, understanding the impact of trauma, mental health and cultural competence.

Workshops will be 60 minutes in length. The conference will also accept research posters on the above topics for display on our virtual platform.

Abstract submissions will close on August 12, 2021.

Presenters will be notified if their abstracts have been accepted by August 27, 2021.

Presenters must agree to be paid registrants of the conference. Presenters will be presenting live during the virtual conference rather than pre-recorded.  Presentations will be recorded and made available on the virtual platform for up to a year after the conference.

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Conference sessions will be offered in 2 formats: 60 Minute Concurrent Session and Poster Presentation

60 Minute Concurrent Session (45-50-minute presentation plus 5-10 minutes for questions)

Poster Presentation: The poster presentation will be in PDF format.  11x17 and 96 dpi.

Please note: Based on the number of presentations we receive, we may have to combine presentations. If your abstract is not accepted, you may have an opportunity to present a poster presentation.

The presenter may submit multiple abstracts for the conference. One submission for each presentation. If your abstract is accepted, we will reach out for your full abstract and your AV/Tech needs.

If your abstract is accepted, we will reach out for your full abstract and AV/Tech needs.

All submissions will be evaluated using the following criteria:

• Relevance to the conference theme
• Clarity and coherence of submission
•  Relevance and utility to participants
•  Evidence that the submission will encourage interaction with conference participants
•  It is encouraged that presenters include a lived experience component or perspective where relevant.
  

ACCEPTANCE AS A PRESENTER:

•  Presenters must register and pay to attend the conference.
•  Presenters will be asked to submit an electronic version of their presentation prior to the conference.
• The presentations will be recorded and made available to conference delegates for a year.
•  Powerpoint & reference handouts provided by presenters will be uploaded to the virtual platformin pdf format.
•  Presenters will be provided with a designated time to present by the conference committee.