2015 EPION 10th Anniversary Celebration and Conference: Toronto, ON. October 14, 2015. Workshop/Paper Presentation C.LEM, S. NADIN, S. COOK, M. KATT, C. CHENG

1. Getting the Message Right:
NorthBEAT’s Innovative Knowledge Exchange
Carole Lem (CAHR - St. Joseph’s Care Group)
Shevaun Nadin (CAHR – St. Joseph’s Care Group)
Sheila Cook (InVizzen Knowledge Brokers Inc)
Mae Katt (Lakehead University)
Chiachen Cheng (CAHR, CMHA-Thunder Bay)

2. Session Learning Objectives
1. Participants will learn about innovative knowledge
exchange activities to engage stakeholder communities
in research projects
2. Participants will discuss other engagement strategies
with specific stakeholder communities, including First
Nations communities, and youth.

3. NorthBEAT

4. Research Question
What are the perceived service needs
of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth
in Northern Ontario who experience
psychosis?

6. Project Setting

7. Service Models
NorthWest NorthEast

8. KTE Workshops

10. Youth Workshop

11. Activity: Design a t-shirt to encourage
others to get help

14. Activity: write a facebook post to teach
others about psychosis

16. Activity: Draw a map of your journey

18. Activity:
Show us where you would like to get help
think out side of the box

20. People make it seem like,
“Oh, just go get help.”
Like it’s easy. But, it’s not.

21. Sometimes you’re
sick of needing help.

22. Family Workshop

23. Activity: Education
who is our target audience
what are the key messages
most promising vehicles

25. Target Audience Key Messages Most Promising
Vehicles/Channels
Youth  Be honest & open
 Ask someone you trust for help
 Facebook
 Texting
Parents  Don’t bury it – look into it
 Ask for help
 Crisis Centre
 Health care providers
Health Care
Providers
 Recognize signs & understand to
refer
 Don’t know
Teachers  Help us (family) help them
(student) understand
 Please help by accommodations
 Learn to communicate with
parents & youth
 They don’t learn the same as
they used to (decreased
concentration)
 Guidance counsellors
 Staff
meetings/Professional
development ay
Aboriginal
Communities
 Recognize psychosis
(signs/symptoms)
 Get them help
 Mental health is not contagious
 Churches
 Schools
 Band office
 Pow Wow
 Public schools
Other
(post-it = ‘General
Public’)
 Mental illness is a disease

26. Activity:
what is it like for families now?

28. I went to school for mental
health and I didn’t recognize
what my son had was
psychosis; despite having
learned it in school and read
it in text books.

29. I was going crazy not being
able to get my kid help.

30. Stakeholder Workshop

32. Activity:
where should youth receive help?

36. Seeing their paths
made me feel sad
and angry.

37. Answer to the question:
what surprised you
about the findings
That young people and
their families are often
not believed.

38. Highlights
• Arts-based knowledge exchange is extremely effective

39. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

40.  Our funders:
• Sick Kids Foundation-jointly with the Canadian
Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
 Our participants
• Youth
• Family members
• Service providers

41. Our Team

42. Other Researchers
• Research Mentors:
– Bruce Minore, Professor Emeritus
(Centre for Rural and Northern
Health Research, Lakehead
University)
– Carolyn Dewa, Professor
University of Toronto (Centre for
Research on Employment and
Workplace Health)

43. Collaborators
• Collaborators:
– Canadian Mental Health Association-Thunder Bay Branch
– Health Sciences North (Sudbury)
– CMHA Cochrane Timiskaming
– Minto Counselling Services
– Muskoka Parry Sound
Community Mental Health
Service
– North Bay Regional Health
Sciences Centre
– Payukotayno Family Services
– Sault Area Hospital
– St. Joseph’s Care Group
– Weenebayko Area Health Authority
* Staff at the project sites!

44. Contact Information
Chiachen Cheng
NorthBEAT Coordinating Centre
(Centre for Applied Health Research, St. Joseph’s Care Group)
northbeat@tbh.net
1-807-346-3693 (1-855-383-1226)