CMHA Get Set & Connect Program
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Community Inclusion

Get Set & Connect is a peer-driven program designed for people who have lived experience with a mental health concern and/or substance use issue. The program focuses on enhancing mental health and well-being through leisure and/or volunteer activities in the community.  The goals are to encourage community inclusion and building meaningful connections.  

Contact a coach!

Is Get Set & Connect for You?                                  

Looking to connect with others, make new friends, be more involved in your community
​and have support with your goals?

Criteria to Join Get Set & Connect

What Does the Program Offer?

  • Have a lived experience of a mental health and/or addiction concern 
  • Have community inclusion as a goal
  • Be 19 years of age or older
  • Be a resident of Vancouver
  • Have other professional mental health supports  
  • One to One Leisure and Volunteer Access Coaching
  • Connecting with others through peer led leisure activities in the community
  • Independent & Group Volunteer Exploration 
Next Volunteer Exploration Workshop

Participant Quotes about Get Set & Connect 

"It has made me feel more positive and more connected to others"
"A chance to do activities with other people who have the same interests as me and to make new friends"
“My coach is easy to reach when I have questions about certain activities. She also really listens to my concerns and appreciates my needs”
“It was easy to become comfortable with the participants in the group and I began to develop friendships”

Upcoming 2023 Orientations

We have NEW phone numbers!  
Please note our brand new phone numbers when wanting to connect with your coach.

Telephone
​
​Marnie L. 
                   office:   236-317-3312
                   cell:   604-512-7294

Christine
​                    office:  236-317-3314
                     cell:  778-991-3637

Marnie A. (New Coach Marnie)
                   office: 236-317-3313
                   cell 778-387-9495

A message from the staff of CMHA Vancouver-Fraser Branch

As the situation related to COVID-19 continues to evolve, please know that the staff at CMHA VF are thinking about you and hope that things are as well as can be with you and your loved ones.

Dr. Bonnie Henry has asked that everyone maintain social distancing and as such, effective immediately our Delta, Vancouver and New Westminster Offices will be closed to visitors and program participants. The ECHO Clubhouse remains open however has reduced the number of people who can attend at one time to ensure we maintain social distancing within the Clubhouse.

Program managers and team leads are working tirelessly to ensure that the best possible supports are available to you during this time.

Please take a few minutes to read the following from our Resilient Minds workshop, that seems particularly applicable to the time we are living in. This helps to remind all of us of the self-care skills and knowledge we likely already have, but from time to time need to be reminded about.
 
“Often in times of uncertainty we experience negative thoughts, we question our actions and we can feel an overwhelming sense of anxiousness. This is normal. We are working/living in totally uncharted waters and all of us are impacted on a whole new level. I want to share some tips/advice to help with these feelings and emotions:

 This content is based on research and is part of CMHA's Resilient Minds™ program for Building the Psychological Strength of Fire Fighters, 2017.

1. Breathe deeply:
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath – until your abdomen rises. Breath in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, then out for 4. Hold for 4 seconds. Repeat. Box breathing is a simple technique to help ground us. This not only slows the heart rate, it lowers blood pressure and improves focus. This is a strategy that has been used for centuries and is used by top athletes. It allows us to be in the moment and gives us the ability to focus on the task at hand. Use this frequently, even when you are feeling okay.
→  Read more about breathing deeply.
 
2. Realistic optimism:
This is not pretending to feel good about a situation, but rather changing the meaning of an event by generating a perspective that is both truthful and positive.  We can’t control the weather, stock market, other people’s behaviour… ultimately, things that concern us. We can avoid wasting our energy on things we can't control, and put our energy and focus on what we say and do. We can consider the possible consequences and make different choices to effect the outcome - therefore increasing our ability to grow. Working from a place of control increases our ability to have positive impact.
→  Read more about realistic optimism.
 
3. Self-efficacy:
This is simply our perceived ability to meet the demands and cope with life experiences. It’s the capacity to organize and use available resources. It involves responding mindfully to internal and external stressors rather than reacting. Ultimately it’s trusting yourself, your skills and your teams. Preparation, planning and clear thinking, mean fewer variables and less anxiety, helping us to remain agile for responding to changing circumstances.
→  Read more about self-efficacy.”

 ​By Seia Roots and Steve Fraser.


Above all else… take care of each other. 

​We at Get Set & Connect acknowledge that our program is based on unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

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