Shannon Gander - Mental Health Speaker, Trainer & Counsellor

Over the years of working as a counsellor both in private practice and in the community mental health, I have witnessed a theme. By the time people seek help, they have waited and suffered far too long.  I am highly motivated to do something about this.

My goal is to use my skills and background to reach people earlier. I borrow from neuroscience to teach strategies for prevention - what we can do as individuals to increase our resilience and protect our mental health, right now. Balanced with actions that organizations can take to positively contribute to systems that promote positive mental health at work. Most importantly, reducing mental health stigma so that we treat our mental health as we do our overall health because we all have mental health and are innately resilient.

So I see myself as a mental health & resiliency strategist, supporting individuals & organization in the following ways:

• Speaking & Training focused on inspiring employees and leaders to engage in behaviours that move them toward their mental health goals (individually, in their teams and organization-wide). For an example of my speaking and perspective, click here for a clip on “the home office is here to stay”, a Walrus Talks Event (Ottawa, Ont. April 2022)

• Counselling: This is where my passion for mental health started. When I am not speaking or training, I am working in my small private practice seeing clients or running small groups and retreats on a range of mental health topics.

Book Project for Educators

During the pandemic, I had the opportunity to be the mental health project lead and one of the authors for a book resource called Teacher Take Care - A guide for to well-being and workplace wellness for educators. To learn more about this book authored by 15 educators and grounded in an indigenous perspective on wellness, click here.

Academic Background

I have a dynamic background that has provided me with the good fortune to help people and get clients and audiences excited about what is possible. In my work, I draw on my extensive training in clinical counselling, certification in mediation and conflict resolution, and education in Corporate Health and Wellness from the University of Western Australia. I am also certified in Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace from the University of Fredericton to support organizations with current evidence-based practice on supporting employee mental wellness.

Prior to transitioning to the mental health field, I completed a degree in Physical Education from the University of Alberta, specializing in Fitness and Health Promotion.  

My Story

After my first degree, I partnered in a personal training and corporate health business. Working with clients on their physical well-being while rewarding, fell short for me as it left out the psycho-emotional aspects of well-being. This lead me to the mental health field and supporting people in a more fulsome way.

When I am not working with clients, I have a family life that keeps me very busy. I have young adult children navigating school, work and what to do next in their lives. I appreciate and understand the juggle between work and home life and have to apply daily, the skills that I share with the people I support.

My Happiness

Time with friends, cooking, travel, walking in nature and a hot cup of coffee with the newspaper on a Saturday morning.

My books

Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman because it raised my awareness so many years ago of the power of optimism over pessimism for living a better life.

Just One Thing by Rick Hanson because it is a good reminder that no matter how busy we are on any given day, we always have a moment (if just seconds) to do one thing that contributes to our wellness (and everything counts)