Our well-being is inextricably linked to our lived experience, our environment, and our social relationships.

The Nova Scotia College of Social Workers has just published a research paper about mental health in our province. We now invite our wider community to join us for a conversation about mental health, and to explore how we can create a better future for all Nova Scotians.

If the Zoom event reaches capacity, we intend to livestream on the NSCSW Facebook page, and we plan to share a recording there afterwards for those who are unable to join the live event.

Panelists:

Anna Quon is a Halifax poet, novelist, visual artist and filmmaker who likes to make paintings and short animated films of her original poetry. She is also a middle-aged, mixed race Mad woman, a writing workshop facilitator, and maker of messes. Anna holds a BA in English literature and has worked contracts in the not for profit sector all her adult life, except for several years as a freelance writer. She has traveled as far as the Czech Republic and Russia to work on her writing, spent a year of her life in the mental hospital, likes to swim and walk and spends way too much time on social media for her own good. Anna's motto is "Be kind, be careful, be curious, but above all be kind."

Sean Ponnambalam has been working or volunteering with the Canadian Mental Health Association Halifax-Dartmouth Branch for the past decade and currently sits as Chair of the Board of Directors. He holds a BSc in psychology and a law degree from Dalhousie. Before being admitted to the Nova Scotia Bar, Sean completed placements at the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and at Dalhousie Legal Aid Service. He is a Past Chair of the Khyber Centre For the Arts and the current Chair of the College of Occupational Therapists of Nova Scotia. He also acts as Treasurer for the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology, where he is the founding Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and is active in complaints investigation.

Nancy Ross, PhD, RSW, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work, Dalhousie University. Her previous work as a clinical therapist in Mental Health and Addiction Services informs her research interests which include a focus on the role of social work in mental health, gender-based violence, adverse childhood experiences and resilience. She applies a peacebuilding and intersectional lens to analysis of justice system responses to domestic violence and systemic and policy responses to adverse childhood experiences. She has produced a short film, Women of Substance, which profiled stories of women meeting challenges of substance misuse, and co-produced a second film, I Work for Change, which explored the complexity of social work while celebrating the profession. Dr. Ross is also a co-author of Repositioning Social Work Practice in Mental Health in Nova Scotia, the mental health research paper published by NSCSW in January 2021.