Friday, September 18, 2026
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET | Online
Presented by Amar Ghelani PhD, RSW

As communities continue to expand alternatives to police-led crisis response, social workers and mental health professionals are increasingly supporting individuals experiencing mental health and substance use crises in community settings. This practical workshop explores core knowledge and skills for effective mobile crisis intervention, including engagement, deescalation, risk assessment, safety planning, brief addiction counselling, conflict management, linking clients with community referrals, advocating for change, challenging systemic racism, building constructive relationships, and to effectively document services. Attendees will learn how to balance client well-being, client safety, and community safety while preventing harm and achieving positive program outcomes.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand the role and context of mobile crisis intervention in Canada
• Develop engagement, deescalation, and assessment skills for clients with risk to harm themselves or others in community settings
• Enhance practical crisis intervention skills, including safety planning, conflict management, brief addiction counselling, and community referral

Presenter Bio:

Dr. Ghelani is an Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) with the University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Instructor with the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Social Work Professional Development program. He is also a social worker with 20 years of experience supporting individuals, families, and groups with complex mental health concerns. He has worked in healthcare, addiction treatment, prisons, shelters, schools, mobile crisis units, private practice, and outpatient mental health settings. Dr. Ghelani is a passionate educator who brings his extensive practice experience into the workshops he teaches to make learning practical. 

  Pricing:

• OASW Members: $80 + HST (early-bird rate ends Aug.31) (OASW member ID # required)
• Non-Members: $200 + HST

Pricing for OLC Workshops is per person.  If you wish to register staff members, placement students or others, please ensure each learner is registered with their full name and contact email. Each participant will receive materials and a Zoom link before the event.  OASW reserves the right to remove participants who are not registered.  

 NOTE ABOUT REGISTRATION QUESTIONS:
OASW is committed to inclusion and promoting a diverse range of identities, experiences, perspectives, and voices across all areas of the Association. As such, the registration contains some optional questions that are intended to assist us to better understand our social work community and ensure that our work is reflective of the diverse membership of OASW and our profession.

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