Building safer spaces where minds and organizations thrive.
Transforming mission driven workplace mental health
Join our program to help shape three courses that will redefine workplace mental health.
This isn’t just another mental health initiative. It’s collective action and shared learning.
Join the pilot program
No generic solutions here: well informed tailored tools and impact for charities, not-for-profit and other social purpose organizations across the sector.
Branch & Anchor is creating the educational program called “Rooted Minds”, aiming to ground individuals in emotional safety while guiding application of new knowledge and skills to bring change within organizations. As part of the founding cohort, participants will learn and share their feedback on the three specific courses designed for:
volunteers and interns
staff and employees
managers and people leaders
The program invites individual and organizational liaison participants to inform the program by sharing:
lived experiences such as workplace patterns and policies from experience in a social purpose organization.
learning needs and preferences within an online e-learning and live virtual environments.
organizational insights including workplace needs for training, experience with mental health and psychological safety professional development and funding and resource needs.
This is an educational program and does not constitute or replace counselling, psychotherapy or clinical support.
Who is this for?
The pilot welcomes social purpose organizations of any size, including:
Registered charities
Incorporated non-profits
Non-profit co-operatives
Foundations
We’re prioritizing small to large organizations (up to 250 employees) at this time. Individuals who currently or previously worked or volunteered at a social purpose organization are also welcome, from volunteers to people leaders.
Why this approach?
This is a rare opportunity to help shape the future of workplace mental health. By participating in this process, you are contributing to informing tailored and engaging content and resources, allowing for meaningful impact at your organization and across the sector.
Co-creation: You’re not just a participant, you’re a collaborator.
Shared contribution: Together, we’ll build a program that resonates and is adaptive to your and organizational needs.
Pilot experience: Engage, inform and provide feedback in the moment and afterwards.
We know this is a timely endeavour. Research shows that 48% of non-profit and charity employees are considering leaving their role in the next 6 months with burnout being a top reason (YMCA Workwell, 2024).
We can see in the figure below that burnout is represented by employees and leaders;
Mental health and psychological safety in the workplace aren’t just trends—they’re a necessity. As a former sector intern, staff and manager in the sector, the course director knows firsthand the ongoing psychological harms and challenges of working in the “grey” sector while willing to stay committed to an impactful mission.
Amongst the tailored nuanced content and resources we’ll recommend a course structure and the latest best practices to foster psychological safety and mental wellbeing. This will empower individuals and teams to implement fundamentals into the organizational culture to prevent, reduce and effectively address unsafe experiences and actions which take away from thriving at work.
Psychological safety means a culture where everyone feels able to speak up, take personal risks and raise concerns without fear of a negative impact. (Journal of Human Psychology, 2026).
Founder & Program Director
Lincoln Grey (he/they)
Registered Psychotherapist & Canadian Certified Counsellor.
Combined 10+ years of experience in e-learning, in-person & virtual workshops and education for adults and young adults.
Combined 13+ years of experiences as a volunteer and intern in the mental health and substance use sector.
Combined 8+ years of experience as staff and manager at mental health and substance use sector non-profit organizations.
Why this is important to me:
Exhausted by the continued harm (unintentional/neglectful) by organizational leaders from my own and shared experiences and determined to dedicate my energy, experience and passion into influencing and supporting change.
Disheartened by witnessing harm to colleagues, leaders and friends.
What participant can expect from me in the learning environment:
Genuine care, humour, trauma-centred, anti-oppressive and equity minded
Adaptive, curious, intentional and non-pressuring engagement
Designed specifically for organizations and individuals who want to learn and take action on mental health in their workplace.
What to Expect
For Organizations
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Apply to participate in the program.
Expect a response within 1-2 business days.
Participate in an optional discovery conversation
Review and sign agreement and pay program fee (self-serve/invoice). Rates found in FAQ section linked here.
Receive and read onboarding info. Check in with identified participants to ensure ready to participate.
Begin engaging in the pilot:
(1) needs assessment via 10-15-min survey and or 30-min conversation.
per steward
identifying key content areas, priorities and resources needed.
validating the proposed course outline and learning methods.
(February 2027)
(2) course launch and feedback.
program participants complete a pre-survey and engage with their respective course format.
provide feedback via a 10-15 min post-survey and or optional 30-min conversation.
per gatekeeper and learning participant
We will prepare a report of learnings and plans for a program iteration shared with pilot participants.
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A course tailored based on role
volunteers or interns
staff or employees
people leaders or managers
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Early access to the finalized program.
Recognition as a co-creation contributor on the program website and in our reports.
Only pay a reduced course fee for the pilot year
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Organizations will receive a certificate of participation recognizing their commitment to shaping workplace mental health.
Learning participants will receive a certification of completion.
All learning participants continue access to their respective course for a one year period.
The opportunity to provide a testimonial or further support promotional efforts.
A discounted rate for the next year of course commitments.
Chat with our team about integrating the course offerings into your annual plan and professional development priorities.
For Individuals
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Apply for the pilot program.
Expect a response within 1-2 business days.
Participate in an optional discovery conversation
Review, sign agreement and pay course fee. Individual rates found in FAQ section linked here.
Receive and read onboarding email and prepare to participate.
Begin engaging in the pilot (February 2026)
(1) pilot course launch and feedback.
complete a pre-survey and engage with the course experience.
provide feedback via a brief post-survey and or optional conversation.
We will prepare a report of learnings and plans for a program iteration shared with pilot participants.
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A course tailored based on your role
volunteer or intern
staff or employee
people leader or manager
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Early access to the iterated program.
(optional) Recognition as a co-creation contributor in our reports.
Only pay a reduced course fee for 2027.
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You will receive a certification of completion.
You will continue access to your respective course for a one year period.
The opportunity to provide a testimonial or support promotional efforts.
A discount code to use on your next course.
Mental health at work, designed with the social purpose sector
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Built for mission-driven work
Addressing the real pressures: tight funding, heavy work load, emotional investment.
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One shared approach, three pathways
Bringing everyone in on the fundamentals and framework tailored for their role.
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Co-designed with you
Your consultation and engagement help shape the pilot courses and future iterations.
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Leave with something to use
Tailored tools and resources that you can take to further plan, collaborate and implement meaningful change with your colleagues, teams and leaders.
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Flexible and accessible
Self-paced e-learning and virtual live facilitated learning options to support various learning preferences, needs and capacity.
Pilot Course Options
The pilot course outlines below are the first step in shaping the full program to be engaged with, refined and adapted over the winter and early spring. The concepts are informed by the National Standards of Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace, academic, lived experience, best practices and industry sources.
Volunteers & Interns
Get the basics: Become a mental health advocate in your workplace.
For interns, volunteers or early-career professionals passionate about mental health but new to workplace wellbeing.
Delivery: Self-paced online e-learning or hybrid: e-learning and virtual group workshop.
Duration: 2 hours.
What you’ll focus on:
Knowledge:
Introduction to psychological health and safety.
Recognizing stress and burnout.
Self-care and resilience.
How to support yourself and others.
Application:
Learn to promote a culture of psychological safety (e.g., awareness campaigns or policy initiatives).
Develop assertive skills (e.g., contributing in conversations or encouraging change.
Building a resource hub for peers (e.g., gathering mental health resources or strategies).
Why Join?
You’ll gain the knowledge and tools to manage your mental health and support your peers.
Staff & Contractors
Thriving at work: Empower your own wellbeing and support your peers.
For employees who want to deepen their understanding of mental health and create a supportive workplace culture.
Delivery: Self-paced online e-learning or hybrid: e-learning and virtual group workshop.
Duration: 3 hours.
What you’ll focus on:
Knowledge:
Understanding psychological health and safety in the workplace.
Identifying workplace stressors.
Building coping skills.
Navigating workplace challenges.
Application:
Learn to contribute to a mentally healthy workplace.
Learn to co-design peer support tools (e.g. check-in templates, resources lists.
Practicing difficult conversations.
Build a personal mental health toolkit. (e.g. coping strategies, boundary-setting templates).
Why Join?
You’ll gain the knowledge and skills to manage stress, advocate for wellbeing and change contributing to a healthier workplace.
People leaders & Managers
Lead with empathy: Build a mentally healthy team.
For leaders, managers and professionals responsible for team culture and wellbeing.
Delivery: Self-paced online e-learning or hybrid: e-learning and virtual group workshop.
Duration: 4 hours.
What you’ll focus on:
Knowledge:
The role of leadership in psychological safety.
Recognizing and addressing workplace risks.
Supporting team mental health.
Building a mentally healthy team culture
Application:
Your role in a mental health struggle or crisis
Measuring and improving psychological health
Developing team-specific mental health policies (e.g., meeting norms, workload management guidelines).
Practice leading with empathy in real scenarios (e.g., role-playing difficult conversations).
Why Join?
You’ll gain the knowledge and skills to model and lead teams with empathy, identify risk and foster a culture of safety and wellbeing.
Accessibility & Inclusion Statement
We are committed to ensuring the program is safer, accessible, anti-oppressive and inclusive. We aim to curate the content and learning tools to support various learning and cognitive abilities/disabilities using various formats and flexible participation. If we missed a particular need, please reach out to us via email at workplace@branchanchor.com or phone 1-877-391-0396 ext. 2.
The following practices can be expected as a pilot participant:
trauma-centred learning; acknowledging the awareness and unaware presence of systemic and industry harm. We are responsible in ensuring the content and learning experiences are curated to support a safer learning experience acknowledging the possibility of activation/triggering due to current or past experiences in the workplace. The course flow will include safety preamble and alternative scenario options. Throughout the course offering information on mental health support options will be included to reach out to if needed.
flexible participation; prioritizing autonomy during the course experience where participants can skip content, activities or opt for another format option (e.g. off-camera self-reflection instead of an on-camera live group discussion.
cultural responsiveness; the curated content will acknowledge the various perspectives on mental health e.g., including experiences from various cultures and identities, how cultural beliefs of individuals are referenced in a scenario activity or ensuring we include mental health resources for specific identities/communities. We will also ensure the content represents a range of family, relationship structures, religious beliefs and work styles in the content.
Program Learning Participant Rights
All participants have the right to the following:
The right to opt out of any activity or the whole pilot without penalty.
The right to request accommodations e.g., alternative formats or participation.
The right to provide anonymous feedback.
The right to set boundaries e.g., limit or pass on sharing of personal experiences - especially in public/live settings.
Help us build this with the sector, not for it
The Social Purpose Workplace Pilot is being co-designed with people who work, lead, and volunteer in the social purpose sector. If you care about psychological safety and want to help this program reflect real workplaces, there are several ways to be involved, whether or not you’re taking a course yourself.
Ways to support:
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Introduce us to colleagues/peers, organizations, networks, or associations that may be a good fit for the pilot, or share the opportunity with your community.
Please email Lincoln at workplace@branchanchor.com
Please follow this page linked here for copy or social media content to use.
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Look at draft course content or resources between November and January and tell us what lands and what doesn’t.
Please complete the form below and Lincoln will contact you.
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Offer subject-matter, accessibility, equity, learning design, graphic design, or sector-specific input in areas like leadership, HR, volunteer management, or mental health.
Please complete the form below and Lincoln will contact you.
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Sponsor the program so more smaller and equity-deserving organizations can take part at reduced or no cost.
Please email us at workplace@branchanchor.co
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Tell us your idea(s).
Email us at workplace@branchanchor.com
Submit your interest to collaborate:
Frequently Asked Questions
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We welcome any size social purpose organization to apply for the pilot program. Though we will be prioritizing small to large (250 max) size organizations for the pilot.
Examples of what is considered “purpose” or “impact” organizations:
registered charities
incorporated non-profits
non-profit co-operatives
foundations
Social Innovation and Social Finance – Glossary
Individuals who have previously or currently work at a social purpose organization. We invite all positions from volunteers, staff, manager and people leaders. The content may also benefit directors and executive leadership. Though will be tailored more so to mid-level management.
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The design and creation process for the pilot begins in November 2026 until July 2027 which includes:
Organizational stewards: a brief needs assessment survey and optional interview - once invitation is accepted via email between November-January 2026.
Internal course creation between November to January 2027.
Program courses launch in February 2027.
Participation and feedback phase between February and April 2027.
a learning summary report will be published in May 2027 with program revisions worked on during the spring and summer with the course re-launch in August 2027.
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Organizational participant
Commit dedicated course participants from your organization.
Sign a pilot program agreement form and pay the applicable fee.
Complete a brief needs assessment survey and or conversation.
A commitment to one of our three courses (volunteers/interns, staff or people leader/managers.
Willingness to engage with the course experience and share feedback.
Individual participant
Sign a pilot agreement form and pay the fee.
Complete a brief needs assessment survey and or conversation
A commitment to one of our three courses (volunteers/interns, staff or people leader/managers.
Willingness to engage with the course experience and share feedback via survey and or conversation.
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Yes, we are asking organizations and individuals who would like to participate in the founding cohort to pay 30% off the planned standard course rates.
Organizational flat rates are established based on size and equity-led organizations:
*Equity-Deserving Community-Led rate (EDCL): Offered to organizations governed and operated by people from a specific marginalized community(s) in recognition of documented, structural funding disparities within Canada's social purpose sector. Funding gaps disproportionately affect equity-deserving community organizations, whose discretionary training and professional development budgets are often among the first constrained under restricted or short-term funding models. Organizations will be asked to self-identify in the application.
Micro-size Organizations (under 10 employees) - up to 10 participants
Full async: $840 ($53 per additional participant). EDCL rate: $720
Hybrid Workshop: $1,400 ($70 per additional participant). EDCL: $1200
Small-size Organizations (10-49 employees) - up to 20 participants
Full async: $1,400 ($70 per additional participant). EDCL rate: $1,200
Hybrid Workshop: $2,100 ($105 per additional participant). EDCL rate $1,800
Mid-size Organizations (50-150 employees) - up to 30 participants
Full async: $2,100 ($84 per additional participant). EDCL rate: $1,800
Hybrid Workshop: $3,150 ($109 per additional participant). EDCL rate: $2,700
Large-size Organizations (150-250 employees) - up to 40 participants
Full async: $2,800 ($105 per additional participant). EDCL rate: $2,400
Hybrid Workshop: $3,850 ($116 per additional participant). EDCL rate: $3,300
Individual Participants (not joining via an organization)
Equity-deserving rate explanation:
We want the courses to reflect the diversity of people in the social purpose sector. Some communities historically and presently face financial barriers because of structures that don’t treat everyone equitably.
We also offer a “supported” rate for individuals who would consider themselves financially insecure, out of work, facing job loss, precarious income, or struggling to meet basic needs. We don’t ask for any details to access this option.
Full async: Standard rate $70, Supporter rate $84, Supported rate $56, Equity-deserving community member rate: $60
Hybrid Workshop: Standard rate $175, Supporter rate $245 Supported rate $105, Equity-deserving community member rate: $150
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The pilot courses will be designed with universal design learning practices. We are proposing two main learning formats:
full asynchronous online e-learning
hybrid workshop - asynchronous online e-learning and a live group session (20 participants max).
We plan to include the following learning features:
various ways to access information (written, audio, video, screen reader accessible, etc.).
Hybrid participants will be grouped based on course schedule and group sizes. This may involve blending multiple organizations in one group.
Mid to large organizations will be provided with multiple sessions to ensure a maximum group size in support of the learning dynamic for participants and the facilitator.
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No. The pilot will help shape three standard courses that will be available post-pilot. However, the tools and resource you co-design can be adapted to your workplace.
We may explore tailored courses, workshops or mix and match course package.
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Yes. All feedback shared during the pilot is anonymous and aggregated unless you opt-in to being recognized as a participant.
For individuals participating through their organization. We will not be reporting back to your organization on your feedback.
Ways to keep in the loop:
Follow us on social media
Broader practice content
We acknowledge that our program spans the unceded and ceded lands now known as Ontario which includes 46 treaties and agreements with First Nations and the Crown. We are humbled by the First Nations and Métis communities who have stewarded and lived in a good way on these lands for many generations.
We acknowledge the responsibility of the Crown and their representatives, of settlers and beneficiaries from settler colonialism in supporting efforts to ensure the truth of the past and ongoing oppression continue to be spoken and the harms and violence are ended through collective action. We encourage governments to engage in genuine consultation and consensual partnership working towards reconciliation, healing and prosperity.
As a practice, we are currently located in Tiohtià:ke known as Montréal. Historically a gathering place for many First Nations. These unceded lands have been stewarded by the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) Nation and are now home to many First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities.
1-877-391-0396 ext. 2.
© 2026 by Branch & Anchor Mental Health & Wellness Services