CHFconnect
Growing Stronger Together
With an empathetic approach and a respectful response to mental health issues or a crisis, we can increase mental health literacy and awareness at the community level.
DECREASING THE STIGMA
Promoting Mental Wellness
CHFconnect’s workshops and training courses are designed to help decrease the stigma surrounding mental health and build capacity within professionals and communities. Christa Haywood-Farmer, the owner and operator of CHFconnect, has worked in the community mental health field for over 20 years, developing, delivering and evaluating workshops and training courses. Within her roles through the years, Christa has worked to promote mental health literacy among industries, businesses, mental health professionals, families, and government bodies. She is a contract trainer with the Mental Health Commission of Canada and is certified to teach Mental Health First Aid and The Working Mind.
Christa won the Kamloops This Week’s Community Leader Awards – Mentor in June 2023 and currently sits on the Community Advisory Board for the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre. With additional training in leadership, substance use, psychosocial rehabilitation, cultural safety and trauma-informed care, she’s passionate about increasing mental health awareness in the community.
FINDING CONFIDENCE
Recognizing the Need for Mental Health Support
Having lived in many small communities as a child and moving every five years, Christa built resiliency and acceptance, with an ability to adapt in a variety of settings. These life experiences as well as her training and work in the community mental health field give her an empathetic approach to helping people. She has a strong awareness of community resources, which contributes to participants feeling more confident and hopeful within their learning.
Over the years, Christa has provided training to the following groups:
- First responders: RCMP, paramedics, and firefighters
- Unions
- Industry
- Corporate
- Municipalities
- Families & Volunteers
- Educational Institutions: students, faculty, directors, and staff
- School Districts
- Service providers: health authorities, non-profit and for-profit organizations
REACH OUT
Resources for Mental Health Help
For mental health emergencies, call 911
If you or someone you know needs emotional support or is in a mental health crisis, call the Suicide Crisis Helpline at 988 to speak with a crisis responder without judgement.
Additional resources for non-emergencies:
