Spotlight on Well Being

The University of Calgary Recovery Community (UCRC) is an inclusive safe space for students, faculty, and staff who are in recovery, or seeking recovery from substance use or other addictive behaviors. The UCRC is here to support campus members in recovery, but to also provide a support system to family members and friends.

All recovery pathways and identities are welcome

We aim to support recovery, build community, and reduce addiction stigma on campus by creating a more recovery-friendly campus. We want to ensure those who are struggling with addiction, or are in recovery, feel welcome and supported at UCalgary so they're able to thrive.

The UCRC is committed to providing a variety of social and informational events that help reduce stigma, celebrate recovery, and educate about addiction and recovery. Check back often for updates on how to get involved and participate.

Hello everyone,

This is the second week in our ongoing series aimed at supporting mental health in the faculty. This series came about following one of our dialogue sessions with MSW students in which the challenge of finding time for self-care was underscored. We promised to send out a list of resources that people may find interesting, helpful, or even inspiring. Many thanks to FSW members Will, Liz, Amy, and Victoria for your contributions! Feel free to let me know what you found helpful AND if you have some good links to share, reach out to me at lakloren@ucalgary.ca and we will make a point to include them next time.

Liza Lorenzetti

>> Video (Speaker Series):

Ermine, W. (2011) What is ethical space? Collective ethics as a path to resisting

burnout. Insights, Differently Knowings Speaker Series.

>>Webinar:

Decolonizing mental health and well-being (York University). Can be found here:

>>Article:

Zapata, K. (2020, Feb). Decolonizing mental health: The importance of an oppression-focused mental health system. Calgary Journal.

Dear FSW Students and Colleagues,

As winter sets upon us, I have been thankful for the many sunny days and seek – not always successfully- to find moments of gratitude and catch my breath. As a social work community, we are often called to offer support and care to people around us in the many roles that we occupy on a daily basis. At times, we can find ourselves at the very bottom of the long ‘to-do’ lists in our heads. In one of our Dialogue Sessions with MSW students, the challenge of finding time for self-care was underscored. We promised to send out a list of resources that people may find interesting, helpful, or even inspiring. Many thanks to FSW members Will, Liz, Amy, and Victoria for your contributions!

Feel free to let me know what you found helpful AND if you have some good links to share, reach out to me at lakloren@ucalgary.ca and we will make a point to include them next time.

Sending my best wishes to everyone as we all move towards the end of a busy semester and most unusual year. When I am in doubt, this is one of my go-to quotes: The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members. – Coretta Scott King

Liza Lorenzetti

Some On-campus Resources

• UCalgary Mental Health Services

• Empower Me! A Program of the  GSA

Some Resources to Browse

• Dr. Gabor Maté’s extensive work on the mind-body connection available on his website.
• Podcast: Secret Feminist Agenda – this is a treasure trove for mental health and self-care resources. The host, Dr. Hannah McGreggor is a faculty member at Simon Fraser University - she brings a critical, social justice lens to this work.
• Book: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, Nagoski, E., & Nagoski, A. (2020) The authors take a structural look at burnout and stress rather than bringing it down to an individual problem. 
• Another wonderful resources is from Suzanne L. Stewart (2008) Promoting Indigenous mental health: Cultural perspectives on healing from Native counsellors in Canadaproposes a “model of Indigenous mental health and healing." 
• The Self-Care Starter Kit from University at Buffalo School of Social Work is another great resource.
• Also, consider embracing Ashley Davis Bush's concept of Micro Self-Care. Here are a couple of brief online posts about it: No Time for Self Careor Talking About Therapy