Anita discovered her passion and purpose through her work in mental health advocacy, education and research.
She is a certified Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) facilitator (Copeland Centre for Wellness and Recovery) which focuses on self-awareness and building a self-care plan to support wellness, illness, recovery and maintenance. She is also a certified Mental Health First Aid facilitator with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, where she teaches participants about mental health, mental illness and how to be the first line of support in a crisis.
As a Community Based Research Associate and Patient Partner, Anita works on numerous research projects and committees with community organizations, universities, and health authorities in British Columbia. She is a member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Hallway Group, a lived experience committee who advises and supports the strategic initiatives of the organization to support the mental health of all Canadians. Although Anita is extremely busy, she makes time for self-care including cuddling with her cat named Caaaaaat, stretching her imagination by writing and improv theatre, and finding balance through yoga and meditation.
Anita will lead the Guided Meditation on Wednesday, October 20 and deliver the workshop, Self-Aware for Self-Care at the 2021 Fall Education Conference on Thursday, October 21.