Programs & Services
Learn more about our current programs and service offerings.
For more information about our daily programming, check out our monthly calendar.
Recovery Wellness
NISA believes that the whole person is important, and when you are here you will consider the many dimensions of wellness, like physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, and social wellness. Our monthly calendar is full of opportunities to explore your wellness.
Peer Support
You are not alone. Your peers are here to accompany you shoulder-to-shoulder as you navigate your recovery. There are many ways you can access peer support at NISA, in groups or one-to-one.
Research
NISA was created out of research, and we continue to believe that if we ask the right questions, the answers can improve life for all of us. NISA’s ParNorth Research Unit regularly partners with community researchers to ask questions about the experience of mental health recovery and other topics important to us.
Skills and Goals
NISA aims to help you feel the satisfaction of doing a good job, knowing that your work is benefiting someone else in the community. At NISA, you can do that in the Northern Computer Recycling Depot (we call it ‘NCRD’) or in Warm Hearts/Warm Bodies (‘WH/WB’), our quilting program.
Creative Expression
Sometimes we have no words for our experience. Sometimes we have a lot. No matter how you express yourself, you will have the chance at NISA to tap into yourself and share it with others. Our creative expression programs include Artists’ Loft, the Writers’ Circle, and Open Minds Quarterly.
Social Action
NISA regularly participates in the
community, offering presentations,
organizing events, and advocating for
the needs of people living with mental
health challenges/illness. If this is
your passion, talk to us! We’ll find a
way to get you involved.
Our Recovery/Wellness groups run weekly and involve topic-based structured discussion, where the themes revolve around recovery-based topics such as self-esteem and positive affirmations. We also offer a space to discuss the realities of living with mental illness and chronic illnesses. We have also offered various workshops informing members of housing rights and their rights on the Ontario Disability Support Program and will continue to organize these sessions according to member interest.
ParNorth is the research branch of NISA offering consumers an environment for exploring and discussing practical questions about mental health and illness. The “Par” in ParNorth stands for Participatory Action Research. This is a social research method by which the actual participants in a social situation learn to examine what is happening to them and to describe it as a significant, observable process.
NISA aims to utilize the knowledge acquired to enhance the mental health, well-being, and quality of life for persons with mental illness, and to provide an educated and well-informed voice on policies which affect psychiatric consumers. ParNorth offers consultation services to groups interested in learning about the uniqueness of the NISA model.
The Artists’ Loft provides the opportunity for artists to participate in the fine arts, develop skills and to exhibit their work within the community. Our artists — beginners and professionals — explore the many types of media, from acrylics and oils, to sculpture and wood-burning. Stop in at NISA to see our permanent exhibition of artwork created here in The Artist’s Loft. You’re certain to find a piece that moves you.
It feels good to express yourself and to be heard and understood, and that’s what we practice in The Writers’ Circle. Having the skills to put your experience into words is useful personally and professionally. Narrative writing has been shown to help some people process and recover from traumatic experiences. Writing helps you make sense of your world and The Writers’ Circle provides space and resources to do that.
NISA’s weekly Writers’ Circle meets on Tuesdays from 1-3 p.m. The group is always open to new members, providing a supportive and educational space to explore the craft and value of writing.
To learn more or to get involved, contact us at writerscircle@nisa.on.ca or by phone at 705-222-6472 ext. 303
The blog—appropriately titled Writing in Circles—is a place for writing and reflection: some of the work may touch directly on people’s mental health, some may touch on intersecting topics, and some will simply explore and develop the craft of writing.
Check out some of the contributions so far by going to: www.writingincircles.blog
Share it with others who enjoy reading, and, if you would like to learn about how to have your own writing included in the blog, contact us at writerscircle@nisa.on.ca
Open Minds Quarterly
The Regional Warm Line
Give us a call when you need to talk: 1-866-856-9276 (WARM)