News
Inaugural DTI Mental Health & Wellness Diploma Cohort
Article by Dennis Warkentine, DTI Program Coordinator. Image by GDI Communications Team.
Jul 28, 2023
Posted in: DTI, Education, health, mental health
The following article was originally published in the GDI Communicator Vol. 17 Issue 5, May 2023. The Communicator is a monthly internal newsletter intended to increase communication between management and staff of the Gabriel Dumont Institute. You can find the archive of previous issues in the Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture.
Starting September 2023, Dumont Technical Institute (DTI) will start its first cohort of students in the Mental Health and Wellness diploma Program. The excitement is building as we get closer to the start date of this new two-year program offered to students through a partnership with Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT).
The Mental Health and Wellness program will be offered in Meadow Lake at the Northwest College Campus over the next two years, creating a larger DTI and Gabriel Dumont Institute presence in the community. There is great hope that we find the success envisioned for such a program, especially with the training need existing within communities today.
After the last few years during and post-pandemic, there has become a greater need for awareness, services, and service providers in the area of mental health and wellness. We are hoping this program helps fill in these gaps. Our new program will not only allow students to become better aware but also help develop a foundation of wellness through a variety of course offerings. Course topics for the first year of the program include wellness, youth care, addictions, facilitation and public speaking, interpersonal communication, therapeutic interventions for families, case management and assessment, introduction to psychology, pharmacology, Indigenous models of healing, and critical issues with youth.
With a general rise in concern for mental health and wellness across Canada, particularly in Saskatchewan, this program will allow students to better deal with the problems that arise but, more importantly, train students to be able to work in ways to help the public in various service roles found within the government and health care systems.
Once students complete the program, they can expect to work as social and community service workers in social service and government agencies, mental health agencies, group homes, shelters, substance abuse centers, school boards, correctional facilities, and various other organizations. We anticipate a great start to the year and success on the horizon!
