Moms Discuss Effective Communication with the Nova Scotia College of Social Work

By Nancy Saunders

Members of NS Moms, Nancy, Denis, and Cyndi, met with Alec Stratford, the Executive Director/Registrar of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW), on Thurs., Feb. 5th. The Moms believe that their lived experience in caring for loved ones with serious mental illness is valuable to social workers and their clients.

Mr. Stratford agrees. He thinks that the moms’ contributions will be most valuable to those social workers who work in the Health Care System. We were asked to provide a proposal for educational material to be considered for inclusion in NSCSW’s on-going professional development. Mr. Stratford also sees opportunities for NS Moms to be involved in family collaboration training of MSW and BSW students at Dalhousie University. We will be approaching the Dal School of Social Work to pursue this further.

We are very encouraged by the possibilities of partnering with social workers to raise awareness of the crucial role chosen family plays in caring for those who live with serious mental illness. Mr. Stratford ended our meeting with an important take away when he said, “Living is an everyday emergency for many Nova Scotians.” This is characterized by a convergence of housing, food, cost-of-living, and health services crises.

The NS Moms continue to fight for family carers to be an active, integrated part of the ‘village’ that is needed for individuals with mental illness. We thank the NSCSW for their support and look forward to future collaboration.