Thrive Week returns Nov. 4-8 with Queen’s Human Resources offering a full schedule of events focused on the importance of mental health and well-being, while also highlighting the resources available to the Queen’s community.

“Thrive Week is about connecting with the Queen’s community and getting people to think more about the skills and resources they require to thrive throughout the year,” says Steve Millan, Associate Vice-Principal (Human Resources). “This is a great opportunity to participate in some interesting activities while also learning more about well-being and the importance of mental health.”

New this year is a special keynote speaker event featuring Françoise Mathieu, a registered psychotherapist and co-executive director of TEND, an organization that provides resources and training to address the complex needs of high stress, trauma-exposed workplaces.

Mathieu, an expert on compassion fatigue and secondary trauma, has more than 20 years of experience as a mental health professional. A sought-after speaker, she has delivered hundreds of seminars across North America.

In recent years Mathieu has seen a growing awareness of compassion fatigue and secondary trauma, which is a positive.

“When we first started offering educational sessions 17 years ago it was challenging to convince people that the issue of compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress were occurring,” she says. “I think that we have made good progress to combat the stigma surrounding provider impairment and also convincing leadership that investing in staff mental health and addressing secondary trauma exposure can help everyone work better and stay well.” 

Her talk, “The Edge of Compassion – Staying well while working in high-stress environments” is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 5, 9-10 am at Dupuis Hall.

Other events with a lighter-side include a Haunted Walk and the always-popular Take a Paws, that brings a group of friendly dogs to campus. Also planned are several workshops and sessions, including ‘Creating a personalized self-care plan’ and ‘Beyond Stigma: Increasing our understanding of mental health in the workplace,’ and much more.

Visit the Thrive website to view and register for events.