Interactive Mindfulness Workshop
Presented by Seneca's Personal Counselling Services and Accessibility Learning Services
Take time for you.
Mindfulness is a practice wherein our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future. This grounding technique has immense effect on our mental well-being.
Learn how to relax your body and mind, reduce stress and be in the moment, through breathing, guided imagery and other techniques - in a comfortable and supportive environment.
MICHAEL LANDSBERG
#SickNotWeak - Destigmatizing Mental Health
Michael Landsberg has been a prominent face and voice on the Canadian sports scene since 1984. With his unique style, he quickly became one of this country's most polarizing personalities- perceived by some as forthright and others as arrogant.
In 2009 people began to agree more with Michael after he publicly shared his, then decade long, struggle with severe depression and anxiety. Since then, he has become one of this country's loudest voices- pushing for all Canadians to see mental illness as a sickness, not a weakness. Michael frequently used his platform as producer and host of Off the Record on TSN to change people's opinions of mental illness.
Michael has been an official spokesperson for Bell Let's Talk Day since that initiative was launched. In 2016 Michael launched his initiative, a not-for-profit, called SickNotWeak. SickNotWeak is dedicated to changing the way Canadians see mental illness. In 2018 #SickNotWeak was given charity status. SickNotWeak.com gives a voice to celebrities and everyday folks to share their struggles and their views on mental health issues.
SickNotWeak is dedicated to helping people understand that mental illness is a sickness, not a weakness. SickNotWeak, like Michael, approaches the conversation surrounding mental illness in a raw and candid way, mixed with a dash of Landsberg attitude and humour.
BEN MEISNER
Mental Health in Sports & My Hockey Career Experience
Ben is a German/Canadian Professional Ice Hockey Goaltender Playing in Germany. Born and raised in New Germany and Halifax, Nova Scotia. He played 10 seasons of professional hockey in Germany, and one and a half years as a professional in North America in the ECHL and AHL, with a brief taste of the NHL with the San Jose Sharks. Before turning Professional, he received a full scholarship to play NCAA Division 1 Hockey at American International College in Springfield, MA, graduating in 2013 with a 3.9 GPA and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. He retired from the game he loved in 2021 and 2023 after capturing a DEL2 Championship with the Ravensburg Towerstars. He currently works as the Director of Goaltending Development for TASA minor hockey in Halifax Nova Scotia, and as a professional public speaker.
Growing up, he had a hard time fitting in. He was bullied and tormented constantly. It led him to pull away from the world and go down a dark path and develop mental illness. He became a compulsive worrier riddled with anxiety about anything and everything and hockey became his escape. Through the years, he developed full-blown anxiety, depression, and later obsessive-compulsive disorder. The stress, fear, anxiety, and depression were so heavily rooted in him that despite playing a children’s game for a living, he was ready to take his own life. One day after practice, he found himself preparing to die; getting things for the action he had planned to take. He was ready to take his last breath and end his life. All he had to do was step off the chair on which he was standing.
It was in that moment of being seconds from death that he stepped down and decided to get help. It was because of this help that he is here today. Today, he is a healthy and happy man, living a life he never knew could exist for himself. After beating his mental illness, he wanted to speak up and stop hiding as both a professional athlete and a human being. He published his story for millions to read in The Players' Tribune in August of 2018 and has been overwhelmed with love and support ever since.
He is now a proud mental health advocate and has loved meeting new people, spreading hope, and helping to save lives. He has partnered with numerous groups, and foundations, and does public speaking to help end the stigma surrounding mental health, not just for athletes, but for everyone.
MISHKA BLACKER
Mental Health Literacy and Mental Toughness in Sport
Mishka is a PhD Candidate at Brock University researching sport psychology and mental health in sports. She holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Ryerson University and an MA in Applied Health Science from Brock University. While her MA research focused on the influence of athletes' Attachment Style on sports performance under pressure, her current dissertation research focuses on athlete Mental Toughness and its relationship to risk-taking behaviours in sports.
Mishka is also a Mental Performance Consultant (MPC) with the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA). In this role, she typically consults individual athletes and teams and has worked within a variety of different sports contexts. Both personal and familial competitive sports experiences inspired Mishka's professional and academic pursuit of sport psychology and mental health.
TYCHON CARTER-NEWMAN
Mental Health - It's A Journey Not A Destination
Tychon's debut as a public figure stemmed from being crowned as the first Black winner of Big Brother Canada (Season 9). As an influencer, Tychon's work has been dedicated to Community Building, mostly as an Urban Planner, Content Creator, Basketball Coach, and Youth Program Director. Through being an Ambassador for Diversity and Inclusion, Mental Health, Education, and Active Living, Tychon uses his influence to help others be the best version of themselves.
VENKY RAO
Performance Anxiety
Venky Rao is passionate about mental health and has served in this field for over 25 years in various roles. He is trained in clinical psychology and has extensively researched “Effect of Yoga and Meditation in Health and Illness”. He is a Sr. Manager at Seneca Polytechnic supporting the Personal Counselling Services team.
He is a registered psychotherapist with a wide range of experience in positive mental health and interventional psychotherapies. He has a particular interest in brief psychotherapies, transcultural psychiatry, and cognitive neuroscience. His hobbies include painting, woodworking, photography and travel. Venky volunteers as a board member at Meta Centre, supporting people with developmental disabilities.
Meet our EMCEES
Have questions?
Email us at Seneca Talks
Seneca Talks: Mental Health Matters is planned and coordinated by the students of Sports, Entertainment & Event Marketing (SEM) program at Seneca
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#MentalHealthMatters #EndTheStigma
A big THANK YOU to all our supporters...
Land Acknowledgement
Seneca’s campuses are located on the Land stewarded by Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat Nations. We acknowledge Treaty 13 (Toronto Purchase) signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We are all interconnected as treaty people with a shared obligation to learn, respect, honour, and sustain.
Today, this land continues to be home for many diverse Indigenous people, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit. We are grateful for the continuous and unceasing Indigenous stewardship of these lands and waters.
Sports, Entertainment & Event Marketing (SEM)
Sports, entertainment and events represent a multibillion-dollar global industry that is dynamically evolving. Consumer demand for sports, esports and entertainment in live, virtual or hybrid formats is driving industry innovation and growth. So, too, is the prevalence of brand experiential and sponsorship marketing.
In this eight-month graduate certificate program, you will learn about this industry and the integrated roles that event properties, marketing agencies and brand sponsors play. You will learn to apply the principles of strategic marketing and brand management to the development of event properties and experiential marketing campaigns. This program prepares you for careers in the sports, entertainment and event marketing fields that span the private, non-profit and public sectors.
Getting mental health support from Personal Counselling at Seneca
Seneca cares deeply about our students' mental health and has many supports in place to help those in need.
Our Personal Counselling team offers short-term one-on-one counselling services and help for both domestic and international students residing in Ontario. Services are free, confidential and available to all registered students of Seneca.
Our Personal Counsellors are registered health professionals who are trained to provide supportive counselling and psychotherapy for a range of issues, including but not limited to:
- feelings of loneliness, shyness, self-doubt, anger or depression
- traumatic stress and grief
- gender, sexual identity or sexual orientation
- mental health or emotional conditions or disorders
- lack of motivation and fear of failure
- exploitative, abusive or violent relationships
- stress associated with school-life balance
- substance and drug abuse
- survivors of assault and abuse
- sexual assault, rape or voyeurism
- bullying and harassment
- discrimination, racism, sexism and systemic hate or bias
- cyberstalking or cyberbullying
- eating disorders
- emotional abuse or toxic environment
- thoughts of suicide or self harm
We also have a Personal Counsellor who specializes in working with individuals who have experienced sexual assault and gender-based violence, as well as Student Support and Intervention Specialists (SSIS).
The Personal Counselling office is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. Personal Counselling is available by phone, face-to-face virtually or in-person. For the phone numbers, email address and room numbers at each campus, see Contact Us.
If you need mental health support when the Personal Counselling offices are closed, the following resources are available:
- Good2Talk for domestic students: call 1.866.925.5454 or text GOOD2TALKON to 686868
- WeConnect for international students
- Mental Health Helpline from ConnexOntario: call 1.866.531.2600
If you are experiencing an immediate threat, such as extreme violence, the use of weapons or firearms, an active stalker or sexual predator, or are witnessing someone experiencing an immediate threat, find a safe location and call Seneca Security at 416.764.0911. Learn more about Security and Emergency Management Services.
Learn more about Personal Counselling.
Web Page created by:
Seneca's Sports, Entertainment and Event Marketing (SEM) students
🗓️ 2023
Credits:
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