Leadership and management in mental health services certificate program

About this certificate program

Build future-proof leadership skills to lead with confidence while managing teams, driving change, and advancing equity across mental health services.

Individual module overview

Module 1: Becoming an exceptional leader with Lucas Dufour, PhD

Date: January 18, 2027  |  Time: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET

Exceptional leaders develop through self-awareness and continuous learning. In this first module, participants will discuss some of the challenges involved in transitioning into leadership and will examine some of the relationships they need to strengthen in their leadership role. They will have the opportunity to reflect on what kind of leader they want to be and identify the leadership strengths they bring to the table. Finally, they will examine their role as learners and how they can use a reflective practice to learn and grow. 

At the end of this module, participants will be able to:  

• Define the differences between management and leadership
• Discuss some of the challenges of transitioning to management and how to handle them
• Identify the various stakeholders involved in a complex managerial situation and how to handle them
• Clarify who they want to be as a leader (their personal “why” as a leader) 
• Discuss the strengths and challenges of different leadership styles
• Use a reflective practice to learn and grow as a manager 

Module 2: Facilitating successful change with Susan Geary, PhD

Date: January 25, 2027 | Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET

Planning and implementing change effectively are essential to leadership success. In this module, participants will explore the roles and responsibilities of executives, managers, and employees in the change process. They will gain an understanding of why people can feel threatened by change and how to help them move towards commitment. They will learn practical tools and techniques to enhance their ability to plan, communicate and implement change. 

At the end of this module, participants will be able to:   

• Clarify the roles and responsibilities of executives, managers, and employees in the change process
• Define a compelling rationale and vision for change 
• Identify and appreciate the different impacts that a change may have on staff
• Recognize transition phases, and how to engage staff in each phase
• Develop an effective change management communication plan   

Module 3: Building financial acumen with Joel Clark, MBA

Date: January 27, 2027 |  Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET

Financial management is a critical component of running an effective department or program, and yet often new managers move into positions of leadership without a thorough understanding of key financial elements. Managers need to know the impact of financial decisions on their area, including budget and forecast decisions. Participants will learn basic and fundamental concepts of organizational finance, including budgeting and forecasting, planning, proposals, and essential spreadsheet skills. Together, we will demystify financial documents and learn to get comfortable, and even excited, to manage an area’s finances.  

At the end of this module, participants will be able to:  

• Read and interpret financial documents such as budgets and business proposals  

• Become more familiar and comfortable with spreadsheets as the key tool in building financial documents  

• Use day-to-day budget management to contribute to departmental success for their team and organization  

• Describe key financial documents and their uses in day-to-day budget management  

• Assess how various drivers can affect variable costs in the budget, and how to plan effectively for them  

• Project costs into the future for diverse purposes such as forecasting, preparing a multi-year budget, and creating project proposals  

Module 4: Cultivating employee performance with Susan Geary, PhD

Date: February 1 and 3  |  Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET

Effective leaders create a positive environment that encourages and cultivates great employee performance. This two-part module will focus on key tools and approaches for supporting, assessing, recognizing, and fostering high levels of performance.   

The first part of this session will cover how to set and communicate clear expectations and acknowledge employee contributions. Participants will explore their role in creating the conditions that support employee performance. We will set the foundation for performance and coaching conversations, including developing insight into the best approach for giving feedback to each employee. Lastly, we will explore a model for coaching and participants will have an opportunity to experience the model and adapt it for their use.   

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:  

• Describe their role in cultivating employee performance   
• Apply criteria for setting clear expectations    
• Use appreciative listening to foster good communication   
• Assess and leverage different factors that contribute to individual performance    
• Create an agreement for giving/receiving feedback with employees    
• Use a framework to productively lead coaching conversations    

In the second session, the focus will turn to identifying and addressing individual performance issues. We will explore the impacts of mindset and the necessary conditions for performance change. Participants will learn and practice how to conduct feedback conversations that result in clear agreements. In addition, we will discuss methods for holding people accountable and options for when performance is not improving.  

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:  

• Assess the implications of performance issues/behaviours on different parts of the organization and identify the most compelling reasons to request performance changes    
• Define and clarify performance expectations   
• Describe stages in the performance cycle and how to address employees at each stage 
• Plan how to customize feedback to engage employees in implementing changes in their performance  
• Conduct performance conversations that lead to clear agreements and accountability 

Module 5: Managing human resource accountabilities with Nives Malara, BA

Date: February 8, 2027 |  Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET

In the day-to-day management and engagement of employees, front line managers make a variety of people-related decisions. This module will help managers navigate their important human resources accountabilities. The focus is on developing a basic awareness of legislative/legal requirements in key areas. Participants will learn key obligations and how to source the information needed to guide actions and decision-making. We will also explore effective processes for recruitment and onboarding.   

At the end of this module, participants will be able to:  

• Identify areas of Human Resources that require legal compliance (employment standards, occupational health and safety, workplace harassment, human rights, workplace injury and illness, accessibility, and privacy)  
• List key manager responsibilities in each of these areas   
• Search and locate information sources to support decision-making and actions   
• Use key steps to create effective recruitment and onboarding processes   
• Explain the unique characteristics of managing a unionized team 

Module 6 - Part 1: Fostering inclusive, equitable and anti-racist organizations with Breanna Phillip, MSW, RSW

Date: February 10, 2027  |  Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET

Experiences of racism undoubtedly negatively impact mental health. Research shows that individuals who experience racism have increased chances of psychological and physiological health challenges. This is why it is extremely important that mental health professionals understand the history of race and its systemic impacts. 

This module will help leaders in the mental health sector understand the ways that racism intersects with mental health. Participants will learn how to identify, challenge and navigate their own implicit biases in addition to critiquing their organizations' programs, services, policies, and processes through an anti-racism and anti-oppressive lens.

At the end of this module, participants will be able to:  

• Explore the history of race and anti-Black racism in Canada and understand its implications on social systems 
• Understand the concept of implicit bias and learn how to challenge them 
• Understand the intrapersonal work that must be done to effectively engage racialized clients 
• Recognize the ways in which Eurocentrism has shaped the current mental health field 
• Analyze their organization’s current programs and services, and find opportunities to increase cultural relevance

Module 6 - Part 2: Fostering inclusive, equitable and anti-racist organizations with Natalie Kalb, PhD, C.Psych

Date: February 22, 2027 |  Time: 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. ET

Racism and discrimination in the workplace are an ongoing threat to the mental health and well-being of employees and clients. Marginalized people continue to experience disparities in mental health care, which in turn, interfere with their ability to receive adequate treatment. This module will help managers better recognize and understand oppressive systems as they relate to discrimination, racism, anti-Black racism, Indigenous peoples, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people in the workplace. Participants will learn how to challenge and navigate their own perceptions and implicit biases, in addition to managing individual and team dynamics through the lens of diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.  

At the end of this module, participants will be able to:  

• Describe the social determinants of health   
• Detect oppressive systems within White supremacy   
• Identify microaggressions as they relate to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and racialized communities (not mutually exclusive)   
• Explore, reflect on and challenge perceptions and implicit biases    
• Manage team dynamics and conflict from an inclusive multicultural lens   
• Apply a modality to help employees interact better with marginalized clients and identify barriers that create treatment gaps  

Module 7: Developing effective teams with Carolynne Wintrip, BASc, MBA, CTPC, PRC

Date: February 24, 2027 | Time: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET

Effective teams help support client, program, and organizational success. This module supports leaders in building and developing high performing teams. Participants will apply a model for assessing and developing a current team. High performing teams use practices that enable productivity (the team’s ability to produce results) and positivity (how the team can co-create a collaborative culture). We will explore some common challenges of inter-disciplinary teams and identify approaches for preventing and addressing these challenges. We will share approaches for effective team start up and rejuvenation. Participants will create an action plan for a current team.  

At the end of this module, participants will be able to:    

• Support successful team formation and development    
• Establish team alignment by creating shared purpose, norms, and commitments with team members    
• Assess strengths and opportunities for an existing team through the lens of productivity and positivity (team culture)   
• Create a plan for supporting a team in enhancing work practices and/or team culture    
• Facilitate healthy and productive dialogue, conflict, and decision-making within inter-professional teams   
• Adapt team practices for remote and hybrid teams 

Module 8: The strategic plan - Achieving impact through intentional and active leadership with Chris Bartha, MSW, RSW

Date: March 1, 2027 |  Time: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET

Managers and directors in mental health organizations are integral to the effective implementation of organizational strategy.  While senior leaders and board trustees define the vision that informs a strategic plan, it is people leaders, operational managers and directors, who are uniquely positioned to define, communicate, lead and engage staff in transformative initiatives.    

This module focuses on how middle management can establish goals and deliver on plans to effectively support the implementation of a strategic plan. Practical examples and approaches will be integrated into the session.

Learning objectives:

1. Understand the purpose and role of a strategic plan as a blueprint for organizational strategy and transformation
2. Describe the role of middle management and people leaders in the successful implementation of strategic goals and objectives
3. Identify the key skills required to support front line staff and middle management accountabilities to senior leadership
4. Understand the required elements of successful implementation which include:  

• well-defined annual initiatives and deliverables 
• a plan for staff and team engagement
• indicators, measurement and dashboards 
• intentional communication strategies
• an integrative approach that links all activities

Optional independent project

To support the practical application of learning, participants will receive an independent project guide designed to help them bring together concepts, tools and strategies from across the program and apply them to a meaningful leadership issue or opportunity within their own workplace.

Participants can choose from a range of project options focused on organizational strategy, people and relationships, or the transition to management. The guide provides structured prompts to support reflection, analysis, action planning and consideration of how progress and impact can be measured.

The optional independent project is a self-directed learning exercise and is not submitted, graded or formally assessed. Its value is in helping participants translate learning into practice and deepen their leadership development by:

• Applying learning from multiple program modules to a real leadership issue or opportunity
• Strengthening critical thinking and reflective practice
• Exploring individual, team or organizational challenges from different perspectives
• Developing practical actions and next steps that can be applied in the workplace
• Considering how progress, outcomes and impact can be measured
• Building greater self-awareness and confidence in their leadership practice
• Identifying areas for continued leadership growth and development beyond the program

Please note: Once the online registration is complete, any modifications to a registration must be done by contacting Mary Anne Van Rooyen via email at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca

Accessibility

We strive to ensure our online learning programs are easy for everyone, everywhere. If you have any accessibility requirements (closed-captioning, ASL interpreters, advanced access to program materials), please email Mary Anne Van Rooyen at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca to let us know how we can best support your learning experience.

Photography is being used  for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the content is  a model, except where indicated.