Workplace stress and mental health in the settlement sector
With Irma Molina, PhD (Lead, Peer Program Evaluation Project, Canadian Mental Health Association), Reuben Hodari Clarke (Chair, Health and Mental Health Working Group, Toronto South West Local Immigration Partnership), and Nadia Umadat, RSW (Manager, Toronto South West Local Immigration Partnership).
May 14, 2025
Description:
Workplace stress and mental health challenges among Canadian settlement service providers have intensified, particularly in the aftermath of COVID-19, significantly impacting employee well-being. Despite the sector's critical role in integrating immigrants and refugees amid unprecedented migration, limited research exists on these issues. To address this gap, the Canadian Mental Health Association (Toronto branch), in collaboration with Toronto South West Local Immigration, conducted an online survey of settlement sector employees.
At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Gain an understanding of the extent of workplace stress and burnout among settlement sector employees in Toronto, based on survey findings.
- Understand the key factors contributing to stress and burnout as well as the factors, which positively impact employee mental health.
- Learn about employee-recommended changes to improve mental health in the workplace.
Irma Molina, PhD leads qualitative research at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), bringing extensive expertise in participatory methodologies and critical research ethics.
She holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Toronto and has led comprehensive qualitative research initiatives across multiple projects and institutions.
With over a decade of experience, Irma’s work is anchored in ethical frameworks that prioritize the protection, agency, and self-determination of vulnerable populations. Her ethics review experience includes the areas of precarious status, undocumented, immigrant, racialized, unhoused, and neurodivergent populations. Irma is also a dedicated mentor focused on fostering the growth and professional development of fellow researchers.
Reuben Hodari Clarke is Chair, Health and Mental Health Working Group, Toronto South West Local Immigration Partnership
Reuben has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social and Political Thought. His work focuses on anti-racism, reconciliation, and community wellness. Creatively, he’s building an interactive musical story series imagining abolitionist futures through rhythm, rhyme, and ancestral harmony. Highlights include producing Water is Alive for Project EarthDiver (imagineNATIVE 2023) and coordinating the Imani Mentorship Program at University of Toronto, Scarborough, advancing mentorship and support for Black students.
Nadia Umadat, RSW is theManager of Toronto South West Local Immigration Partnership and is a registered social worker and author. Through the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture, she manages the Toronto South West Local Immigration Partnership, a project focused on creating welcoming communities for newcomers. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and a Graduate Diploma in Refugee and Migration Studies from York University. Until 2021, Nadia was a Youth Mental Health Counsellor, primarily supporting refugee families who had lived experiences of war, torture, crimes against humanity and genocide. Nadia is an alumna of the Leading Social Justice Collective through the University of Toronto's School of Cities and serves on the Board of Directors for Scarborough Community Legal Services.