Inter-professional Collaboration to Promote Mental Health

Date: November 9th, 2017

Nutrition and mental health co-exist. The importance of public health practice to support mental health (MH) and promote healthy eating is emerging. A Registered Nurse and a Registered Dietitian collaborated to develop and provide a workshop for nutrition educators (professional and non-professional frontline staff). The goal of this interprofessional project was to increase knowledge, understanding and staff capacity of mental health and mental health promotion through nutrition respectively. Following the workshop, staff were provided with resources and a revised curriculum that integrated evidence-based, nutrition-related messages. These resources are used during group education of minority/marginalised populations and with individuals during nutrition counselling sessions.

About the presenters:

Ana Lina Arayon (Community Nutrition Educator, Toronto Public Health) is a Community Nutrition Educator for the Peer Nutrition Program of Toronto Public Health. She provides training to parents and caregivers of children six years old and under within ethno-racial / cultural communities about healthy eating. She facilitates group discussions on nutrition issues in Tagalog and English, and is involved with two workgroups, the Mental Health Workgroup and Curriculum and Policy Workgroup. She was a Clinical Dietitian at Philippine General Hospital.

Anjali Gopinath (Consultant, Nutrition Promotion, Peer Nutrition, Early Years Child Health & Development, Toronto Public Health) holds a Nutrition Promotionrole at Toronto Public Health. Her work includes planning, implementing and evaluating nutrition programmes for Toronto’s Indigenous & ethno-cultural communities. She has worked with other City Divisions and community consultants, across disciplines, to bring about change in the way traditional nutrition programs have been delivered.