Sarah and Vicente will be presenting on how mindfulness is being implemented in the Ontario Correctional system. This includes two mindfulness-based resilience training programs for corrections staff: the Mindfulness Based Wellness and Resilience program (MBWR) and the Stress Resilience Training System (SRTS). They will speak about both programs, how they were assessed, their impact and lessons learned. They will be joined by two corrections staff who participated in the training who will speak about their experiences. Vicente and Sarah will also review additional mindfulness initiatives that have been implemented in corrections.
Vicente Gannam, PhD, joined the Ontario Public Service in 1999 and has been with the Ministry of the Solicitor General for the past six years as the Project Lead for the Mental Health Initiative. He started practicing meditation while using a holistic approach to recover from anxiety and depression 30 years ago. Since then, meditation has become an integral part of his life. He has received meditation and sound healing training in Canada, US, India, Nepal, Thailand and Guatemala. His PhD is in Adult Education, and his Master’s Degree, in Counselling Psychology.
Sarah Easterbrook worked as a Probation and Parole Officer for 11 years in downtown Toronto. Since December 2016, she has worked for the Corrections Employee Wellness Unit (EWU) in the Ministry of the Solicitor General. She is currently managing the roll-out of a peer support program for the ministry. She has been practicing mindfulness and meditation for over a decade and has experienced subtle but significant changes in her life as a result. Since 2014, Sarah has had a keen interest in the areas of mental & physiological wellbeing, trauma-informed care, occupational stress and resilience strategies that harness our own nervous systems’ ability to heal and recharge – modalities that have been instrumental in her own healing journey. This has led to continued research, presentations, and learning with trauma, mindfulness and neuroscience experts. She feels mindfulness and other mind/body practices are effective strategies that help people tap in to their bodies innate wisdom and capacity for resilience, even in the face of difficult life stressors, chronic stress and challenging work environments.