The SCALE Program aims to empower caregivers with practical information and skills to focus on their own mental health and well-being. Participants will receive strategies, tools, and resources to better cope with difficult caregiving emotions.

Our Program

Weekly Psychoeducational Webinars

• You can sign up for the entire session or individual weeks, depending on your availability and/or interest.
• Watch live or recorded. All live webinars have been recorded and will be posted exclusively on the Ontario Caregiver Organization YouTube channel after the live event. Only registered participants will be emailed a link after the webinar.

Online Group Coaching and Individual Counselling

• Counselling is free and confidential as well as optional to register for.

• Spaces are limited, and registration is based on a first-come, first-served basis.
• To receive the maximum benefit from the group and individual counselling, it is highly encouraged to also take part in the weekly webinars.

Registration

• A zoom link to join live will be emailed to those who register.
• An online booking link will also be sent to everyone who registers with the opportunity to register for group and/or individual counselling through Dynamic Health.

Other Information

• Frequently asked questions
• For more information, please visit The Scale Program on our website.
• Please contact info@archive.ontariocaregiver.ca with any questions about participating in this webinar.

This program is brought to you in partnership with the Ontario Caregiver Organization and Dynamic Health.

Please note that all live webinars are from 12 p.m – 1 p.m Eastern Time

SESSION 1: UNDERSTANDING THE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE OF CAREGIVING

The following topics will be explored each week:

Week 1: Your Caregiving Journey (February 8th)

Explore the stages of caregiving while heightening your understanding of the care recipient’s experience. The transition into the role of a caregiver evolves through these three stages:

1. The Catastrophic Event
2. Taking on the Role
3. Moving into Advocacy

Together, we will explore each stage to understand the impact of each event within your own caregiving role, as well as the shifts it brings to your relationship with your care recipient. We will also begin to discuss the shifts you can make to improve your experience as a caregiver and manage the stress the caregiving relationship has on you.

Week 2: How Caregiving Stress Affects You (February 15th)

Explore the physical, emotional, and mental impacts of caregiving.

The stress of caring for a person with an illness can take both a physical and mental toll on a caregiver. In this session, you will begin to understand how the nervous system responds to this stress and how this can be both helpful and harmful to the body. Together, we will explore the difference between stress and burnout and key signs of when you should seek help.

Week 3: How Caregivers can Manage Anxiety & Anger (February 22nd)

Explore where the feelings of anxiety and anger come from, and how to manage them in the context of your caregiving role.

Understand anger and recognize that it is an acceptable emotion to express as a caregiver. Learn about anxiety and how it can be a positive emotion that alerts us to any danger but can also be a negative emotion that starts to impact our mental health when we become overwhelmed.

This session will help you differentiate between two coping pathways: (1) thoughts and (2) emotion and unpack the cognitive distortions we face when dealing with feelings of anxiety and anger. In addition, we will also be working on non-violent communication with our negative thoughts, allowing us to consider a different way to speak to ourselves and giving us more self-compassion.

Week 4: How Caregivers can Manage Sadness & Guilt (March 1st)

Explore the feelings that drag you down and keep reminding you that you aren’t doing enough and about the cognitive distortions that keep you in the shame-cycle.

Understand different caregiver’s experiences of sadness and guilt. Learn about the signs of guilt and the common themes often associated with guilt as a caregiver. This session will help you differentiate between two coping pathways: (1) thoughts and (2) emotion. Too often we face cognitive distortions, the sneaky ways your mind convinces you of something that isn’t really true. Learn to identify and unpack these cognitive distortions that you may be having as a caregiver like “I should be able to care for her on my own at home” or “I’m a failure as a daughter.” We will question these negative thoughts and ask, “is this 100% true?”. We will also explore the emotion of sadness and the triggers that cause it, including the grieving process.

SESSION 2: STRATEGIES FOR CAREGIVERS MENTAL WELLBEING

The following topics will be explored each week:

Week 1: Become a Mindful Caregiver (March 8th)

Explore the seven attitudes of mindfulness and how this can be integrated into your caregiving relationship.

In this session, we will explore practical suggestions to activate your parasympathetic nervous system to trigger a state of relaxation, while learning mindfulness-based exercises you can easily do at home as a caregiver. We also learn and unpack the seven attitudes of mindfulness to help you within your caregiving relationship: (1) non-judgement, (2) patience, (3) A beginner’s mind, (4) trust, (5) non-striving, (6) acceptance and (7) and letting go.

Week 2: The Self-Compassionate Caregiver (March 15th)

Manage your inner critic through developing your soothing self.

In this session, we will learn how to utilize the mind-body connection to bring relaxation, self- compassion, and overall mindfulness to our experiences. There is significant research demonstrating the positive impact of practicing mindfulness techniques on one’s emotional health and ability to cope with ongoing stress. Together, we will explore the meaning of self-compassion and its three components: (1) notice your suffering, (2) treat yourself with kindness and (3) remembering that you are human. You will walk away with practical tips and strategies to incorporate self-compassion into your life and caregiving role.

Week 3: Find Your Caregiving Strengths (March 22nd)

Explore the top attributes and resources that you already possess that enable you to succeed in your caregiving role.

In this session, you will learn about your own character strengths, understand how they impact your caregiving role, and learn how to maximize these strengths to bring about hope and well-being. You will learn about the 24-character strengths in the Values in Action Model and understand how we can overuse or underuse them. You will have the opportunity to take a free survey to discover your own character strengths based on the science of well-being and learn how your strengths can empower you within your caregiving role. You will also learn how to start noticing strengths in others, particularly your care recipient, and how this can impact your relationship.

Week 4: Time for Self-Care while Caregiving (March 29th)

Explore strategies on how to integrate psychological and physical tools to manage your mental health daily.

In this session, you will learn the concept of self-care and the repercussions of not prioritizing some time for yourself as a caregiver. Together, we will explore the ABC’s of self-care, as well as, its five dimensions and suggestions to improve each dimension: (1) professional self-care, (2) spiritual self-care, (3) social self-care, (4), emotional self-care and (5) physical self-care. Strategies and tools presented are based on Motivational Interviewing skills, health coaching techniques and integrative health assessment quizzes.

Our Speakers

Shoshana Kulik (MSW RSW) is a Registered Social Worker who provides psychotherapy to individuals and couples at Dynamic Health Collaborative in North York. Shoshana has provided support to caregivers through the SCALE program since fall 2020. She works compassionately to help caregivers feel supported and has a strong awareness of the physical and emotional challenges that caregivers experience. She has run many support groups, including those for individuals struggling with grief and for those impacted by a loved one’s illness. Shoshana utilizes the strengths-based model which capitalizes on a client’s strengths to foster growth, as well as a solution-focused approach. Her history of being a spiritual leader can help those who appreciate spirituality to find strength from the spiritual to help deal with challenging times.

Naomi Levine (MSW RSW) is a Registered Social Worker who provides psychotherapy to individuals, families, and groups at Dynamic Health Collaborative in North York. She has worked in youth corrections, a trauma program for children, youth and their families, and, currently, practices trauma-informed psychotherapy with adults and families. She has been an intersessional lecturer at McMaster University, teaching Mindfulness and Cognitive Therapy to undergraduate students. She also supervises graduate students who are completing their clinical internships. Naomi completed her master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Toronto in 2008. Naomi brings curiosity and compassion to her work with caregivers, giving them the space to explore their struggles and cultivate self-compassion and effective self-care.

Malki Nadoff (AAPC CMCC) is a Certified Coach and Counsellor providing relationship and emotion coaching at Dynamic Health Collaborative in North York. Malki has personal experience caring for aging parents who struggled with Alzheimer’s Disease and other complex medical issues. Using both positive psychology and a goal-oriented approach, Malki helps caregivers navigate the difficulty inherent in caring from aging parents. She works with compassion and sensitivity helping caregivers acknowledge and appreciate the rewards that can come with caring for one’s parents. She is also a speaker at non-profit events empowering individuals to work through difficult family dynamics.