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A mental health and wellness expo at the Aud in Simcoe on Saturday — put on by South Coast Wellness Addictions and Mental Health in collaboration with the Canadian Mental Health Association of Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk — featured more than 38 booths with information and services available in Norfolk County.
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“Nowadays, I don’t know if there is an individual who wouldn’t know someone — a family member, friend or neighbour — who is struggling with mental health or addictions-related concerns,” said Aaron Deketelaere, a South Coast addictions facilitator. “It’s an opportunity for people to learn more about resources or learn more about how they can be supportive to those people.”
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Southcoast CEO Lynn Wardell said Saturday’s event was the first mental health expo in the area for quite some time, and she was pleased with the attendance.
“It wraps up mental health week, and we’ve been working in partnership with CMHA Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk to ensure that we had events here in Haldimand and Norfolk dounties,” Wardell noted. “I think it highlights mental health and wellness. It’s important to learn coping strategies and self-care so that we can take care of ourselves and our mental health.
“The vendors here are all promoting strategies, ways, and techniques that you can use. Anything we can do to promote awareness and fight the stigma is really great.”
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Some independent vendors offered information on how to explore creating and crafting as part of wellness.
William Hartsgrove of Taoist Tai Chi Simcoe said practising tai chi improves strength, flexibility, relaxation and mindfulness.
William Hartsgrove (left) of Simcoe leads fellow Taoist Tai Chi members through an exercise at the Mental Health and Wellness Expo on Saturday, May 9 at The Aud in Simcoe. Brian Thompson/Brantford Expositor/Postmedia Network Photo by Brian Thompson /Brian Thompson/The Expositor
“It’s a very gentle exercise that we do that almost anybody can do,” he explained. “This style is more of an internal healing style.”
Hartsgrove said classes are offered twice each week at 25 Peel St/, along with an evening class at the Army-Navy-Airforce Club.
“The philosophy is that we are there to help everyone out,” he said. “When you are in class doing at least one hour — concentrating on what you’re doing — you’re not worrying about the problems you have. If you can take that out into your life, you can talk yourself into calming down (in stressful situations).
“That benefits your own psychological well-being.”
Haldimand-Norfolk MP Leslyn Lewis said that mental health is health care, and no one should have to suffer with mental health conditions alone.
“This expo demonstrates that there are a number of organizations, volunteers, and community members that are willing to join in to ensure that people have the supports they need to navigate through their mental health crises and situations,” Lewis observed.
bethompson@postmedia.com
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