For Community Social Services
Frontline and community-based work is rewarding but often exhausting—especially with ongoing challenges like the opioid crisis, increasing mental health needs, and the lasting effects of the pandemic. In this session, Brian shares his personal story of recovery, and how mindfulness became a vital tool in his healing.
You’ll explore how mindfulness supports well-being, the neuroscience behind how it works, and some of its real-world limitations. Together, we’ll try simple mindfulness practices, discuss how to apply them in everyday settings, and explore how they can strengthen team resilience and reduce burnout. You’ll also receive resources to help you, and your team build or refresh skills that support long-term sustainability in your work.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand how mindfulness impacts the brain and nervous system and recognize both its benefits and limitations.
- Practice and reflect on mindfulness techniques that can be used individually or with teams in high-stress settings.
- Distinguish between formal and everyday mindfulness and how to apply both to worker safety, emotional regulation, and therapeutic presence.
- Identify resources and strategies to support sustainable personal and team care.
About the presenter
Brian Dean Williams is a registered clinical counsellor and approved clinical supervisor. Brian has worked on the frontlines for 28 years with folks struggling with mental health, substance use, housing, and marginalization. He has worked in the downtown eastside in Vancouver, and in small First Nations (Indigenous) communities. Brian’s main modalities are narrative therapy and Buddhist psychology, although he also draws from other collaborative forms of counselling and community work. He has taught at Correctional Services of Canada, Raincity Housing, Vancouver Coastal Health, the Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nation, and many more. Brian lives on the traditional unceded territories of the shíshálh Nation with his wife and three kids, where he loves mountain biking, playing hockey / basketball, and singing with his community. www.briandeanwilliams.com