Under new name, Resilia builds on 50 years of helping

Resilience. The ability to withstand and recover from adversity and to move through to the other side. One downtown Winnipeg wellness centre has a new strategy, new name and new brand, with resilience as its core.

Resilia Community Wellness Centre is what used to be known as the Aurora Family Therapy Centre, which marked its 50th anniversary earlier this year.

And the centre has a lot to celebrate.

“It was the right time for us to make this change,” Resilia executive director Abdi Ahmed said, noting how its services have evolved over time.

“While we still partner with the University of Winnipeg’s Marriage and Family Therapy program to offer the individual, relationship and family therapy services we are known for, we also now offer a full range of services to newcomers to Canada and specialized services for many under-represented groups who are dealing with the effects of trauma.”

The United Way Member Agency provides family, couples and individual therapy to community members on a sliding scale.

Couples and families can generally be matched with a therapist as soon as intake is completed.

The centre was selected last fall for the Lemonade Project, an initiative of Honest Agency, a Winnipeg strategy and branding firm. In October, what was then Aurora was chosen to participate in the five-month pro-bono brand transformation process, valued at $60,000.

The result of that work is the new organizational strategy, the brand and an internal system forging ahead with commitment and enthusiasm.

The name Aurora had been known to confuse some clients because of more than one business in the city with the same name.

Ahmed joined the organization in 2021 and has watched its growth and community commitment with pride.

“It’s a great place to be. We help community members with mental health issues — the invisible. We call it the invisible. When someone has a physical sickness, these are things we can feel and see. With mental health issues, many people make assumptions. There is a diverse spectrum. There are different kinds of challenges,” Ahmed said.

Stigma around mental health still lingers, and for some, it may be more difficult to ask for help. Resilia’s mental health practitioners are from diverse backgrounds, the majority of them immigrant practitioners using a variety of traditional therapy and healing practices, enabling them to reach people where they are.

Resilia works with a number of ethno-cultural and faith communities. In order to support mental healing for such a diverse group with different world views, the healing journey must reflect that, Ahmed said.

“The needs are increasing, the people are getting to know — and becoming more aware of — mental health issues, and the supports out there. We have this trauma-based mental health program that supports newcomers with moderate to severe PTSD,” explained Ahmed, adding that they planned for a clientele of about 45 to 60 people, but currently have 200 and a six-month wait-list.

Resilia helps people navigate through a variety of issues, from family and couples’ conflicts to financial problems, sibling rivalries and caring for family members.

The Community Wellness Centre supports people in their own languages. With a staff of 37, Resilia offers services in 25 of them, with community interpreters available to facilitate communication in many more.

In addition to newcomer mental health programs, vicarious trauma and resilience training, Resilia offers a range of other services, including homicide bereavement and unresolved loss, and supports community members dealing with violence and missing and murdered family members. In co-operation with Manitoba Justice Victim Services, this program operates at no cost to the participants.

“Once you see the impacts, it continues to be motivating. Many of our therapists and clinicians are leaders in their own communities. Despite the fact that these folks are not compensated like those in the public health system, they continue to do what they have to do, beyond work hours, on weekends,” Ahmed said.

There are ways to contribute to the work of Resilia, and Ahmed and his team encourage people to learn more.

“Donations are the most impactful and allow us to see more people who are looking for therapy and those struggling with unresolved loss and bereavement,” Ahmed said, adding $31 can help a low-income family with one therapy session, while $310 can provide 10 sessions for that family.

Tax receipts are available.

“We are also always looking for folks with skills who can serve as board members. We have volunteers in some of our programs,” he said, citing a community development program for those who came as refugees and have gone through significant violence.

He pointed out how close a person can be to experiencing severe mental health issues.

“It’s easy for someone to collapse under all that weight and become mentally ill. We offer group-based mental health and wellness supports to develop a rapport,” he said, adding that people are more likely to be comfortable asking for help with mental health when they’re able to make connections.

Every year, participant surveys are done, and feedback indicates transformed lives and a newfound contentment.

“Folks talk about being happy. They’ve moved from being on the verge of collapsing to full-time employment, running their own business. They’re supporting their children, grateful for the work we provide. Newcomers who are refugees, who come with potential, with resilience, who were struggling with the impacts of severe violence, come through our programs, and are able to come together. It’s amazing,” Ahmed said.

To learn more, go to resiliacentre.ca.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca