On March 24, 2026, second year BScN students in the course NUR1 333 attended a unique workshop designed to destigmatize mental health called Living Books. A project of the a non-profit organization in Dorval that provides support and assistance to adults living with mental health challenges, Living Books humanizes mental health while helping clients heal by writing their stories and sharing them in the community.
Over the course of the three-hour workshop, Jenna鈥慠ose, Lisa, Alain, Danny, Peggy, and Nicholas briefly shared their stories, giving insights into the realities of living with mental health challenges as well as the importance of community support in fostering acceptance and resilience. Students then had the opportunity to meet with each presenter individually.
鈥淎ll of our participants found the experience profoundly rewarding. Each student they met was incredibly kind and asked thoughtful questions,鈥� reports Olivia Pisano, Mental Health Facilitator with the Day Centre at Omega Community Resources and co-organizer of the project with Catherine Champigny.
Associate Professor Lia Sanzone and Faculty Lecturer Bruna Fernandez taught the course in the winter semester and had the pleasure of welcoming the group to the Ingram School of Nursing. As Prof. Sanzone explains, 鈥淐linical placements in mental health often take place on psychiatric units, where hospitalized patients are in the depths of depression, psychosis and other debilitating conditions. This can be traumatic for students and can have the effect of stigmatizing mental illness as a whole. The beauty of this Living Books project is that it showed students that resilience is possible.鈥�
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