The Centre for Family Equity's Healing Forward program supports parents and caregivers impacted by intimate partner and family violence by providing evidence-based coping practices and fostering long-term social connections between program participants. The program is facilitated by a registered clinical counsellor (RCCs).
Spring Cohort Dates and Information
The spring cohort will be held during the day online from 10:00 am to 12: 30 pm every other Wednesday. Please note that we vary when the program is offered in order to accommodate a diversity of schedules. Our goal is to offer three cohorts simultaneously in the evening, on the weekend, and during the day Monday to Friday - we are working towards this. If this cohort schedule oes not work for you please note we will offer varied cohorts in 2025.
Please apply for a spot in the spring cohort with this online form.
Healing Forward Workshop Dates:
- Wednesday, April 30th: 10 am to 12:30 pm
- Wednesday, May 14th: 10 am to 12:30 pm
- Wednesday, May 28th: 10 am to 12:30 pm
- Wednesday, June 11th: 10 am to 12:30 pm
- Wednesday, June 25th: 10 am to 12: 30 pm
- Wednesday, July 9th: 10 am to 12:30 pm
About the Program
Part 1: Workshop Series
The first part of the program consists of six group therapeutic online workshops offered every other week over a three-month period.
The therapeutic workshops cover the following topics:
- emotional regulation and nervous system grounding with concrete exercises;
- coping and communication strategies in high-conflict situations;
- building social connections to support family violence recovery;
- strategies and skills for parenting in challenging transitions;
- self-empowerment and self-advocacy; and
- goal-setting and future focus.
Part 2: Peer Support Meetings
Online peer support meetings led by a designated peer facilitator will take place after the workshop series has concluded. These meetings can be accessed over three months on an as-needed basis and we encourage all participants to fully participate. Each peer support meeting corresponds to one of the six workshops providing an opportunity for practice, role play, and review of what was learned in each workshop.
Facilitated peer support meetings will provide:
- on-going healing and support in a supportive peer-based setting;
- an opportunity to practice learnings from all six workshops and review content;
- sharing about progress;
- social connection through difficult times.
Who Should Apply
At this time, Healing Forward is open to women and gender-diverse parents and caregivers who have gone through the process of separating from their partner and have been impacted by intimate partner and family violence, lack of access to mental health supports, and low income.