Sherbourne Health Centre

LGBT Health Program

Internship Position:
Our Mad Selves: Queer and Trans Youth Exploring Our Mental Health*
Sherbourne Health Centre is a community-based health centre that provides health care services to
marginalized populations in south-east Toronto. Sherbournes populations of focus include homeless
and under housed people; newcomers, immigrants and refugees; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans
(LGBT) people. Sherbourne provides a range of primary health care services to LGBT people in
Toronto, including primary care, mental health counselling, and health promotion.
Supporting Our Youth (SOY), a program of Sherbourne, provides diverse community engagement and
community development programs for queer and trans youth 15 29 years of age. Our Mad Selves:
Queer and Trans Youth Exploring Our Mental Health is part of the continuum of services that
Sherbourne provides for queer and trans youth.
Participants in this group are youth living with or affected by experiences often diagnosed and labeled as
psychiatric conditions. The group offers an opportunity to confront the shame and oppression we have
experienced as a result of our psychiatric histories/experiences and encounters with the mental health
system. It takes the perspective that our psychiatric conditions can be mad gifts which need cultivation
and care; and that as mad people, we have unique ways of experiencing the world, making meaning,
developing community and creating culture. It not about trying to fit our lives and experiences into
conventional frameworks of mental health, but to envision new ways that resonate with our actual
experiences. In other words, turning the conversation away from pathology, and looking at the social
and political systems that cause distress and other creative ways to conceptualize our experiences.
The goals of the group are:
To inspire hope and transformation by linking creativity, madness, collaboration and care
To create a safe space for people to tell their stories and find common ground
To share experiences and information about care, coping skills and treatments
To create networks for better peer support
To discuss particular topics identified by participants (eg. suicide, psych drugs, alternative care)
To offer information and referrals for resources and programs in the community
The group will run for 10 sessions each, 4 times between July 2015 and June 2016. The group will be
held on Wednesday evenings from 7 pm 9 pm at Sherbourne Health Centre.
Contract:
We are seeking to hire an Intern for 6 hours per week for the full period during which these groups run.
Working with the Project Coordinator and the Mental Health Counsellor, this internship would enable the
successful candidate to gain knowledge and skills in community/alternative approaches to mental health,
group coordination, group facilitation, program planning, outreach and promotion, program evaluation,
managing conflict and the intersectionality of oppression.

Applicants should have:

lived experience of negotiating mental health, either within or outside the psychiatric system
an interest in exploring Mad history and activism, as well as the limitations of the Mad movement
a good understanding of the needs of queer and trans youth
familiarity with Torontos diverse queer and trans communities
experience as a peer leader or a participant in a community-based group program
an understanding of the intersection of oppression
good communication and interpersonal skills
be self reflective, and interested in working in a collaborative way

Day-to-day mentorship and direction will be provided by the Peer Coordinator and Mental Health
Counsellor. This position formally reports to the Program Director, LGBT Health, at Sherbourne Health
Centre. Compensation is $20.00 per hour.
Start Date:

As soon as possible.

Application: Send resume and cover letter to:

Laura Krahn, Administrative Coordinator
LGBT Health Program
Sherbourne Health Centre
333 Sherbourne Street
Toronto ON M5A 2SA
fax: 416-324-4262
email: LKrahn@sherbourne.on.ca
Deadline for Applications:

Thursday, July 9, 2014 at 9:00 am.

*This program is funded by a grant from Toronto Public Health Urban Health Fund