(Practicum) Bursary Application Process

Western Canada Peer Training Society (WCPTS) is a Registered Charity which serves to promote social wellness and education by providing tuition bursaries for mental health peer support training within Calgary and Western Canada. 

Our goal is to increase the number of trained mental health peers in our communities and broaden the understanding of this valuable mental health support. Peer Support Canada defines Peer Support as “An emotional and practical support between two people who share a common experience, such as a mental health challenge or illness. A Peer Supporter has lived through that similar experience and is trained to support others.” 

Bursaries help reduce the financial burden that many peers face and allow them to participate in training opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach for them. Training outcomes include increased self awareness and self management of mental health concerns, resulting in healthier choices and outlooks on day-to-day challenges. 

We envision that the broader community will experience the transformational benefits of trained peers through reduced stigma, increased societal acceptance of people living with mental health concerns, improved stability of graduates who model the effectiveness of the training in their own lives and with those around them and decreased overall health costs as peers share strategies amongst themselves that have improved their overall health thereby improving that of their community at large.

Bursary Criteria:

A prospective student self-identifies as a mental health consumer, has limited financial resources, is stable in their mental health recovery and has the desire to learn and share their knowledge.

Bursary Awards Process:

• Prospective student contacts training organization of their choice to apply.
• Complete training organizations’ application form.
• Once accepted into the training, complete WCPTS application in partnership with representative of the training organization, indicating the bursary amount being sought.
• Training Organization will submit completed application to WCPTS for WCPTS approval.
• Training Organization will submit their invoice listing the student(s) and bursary amount(s) agreed upon once training is completed.

Bursaries will vary in amount for various reasons:

• The financial circumstance of the individual applying.
• 0rganizations training fees differ.
• Some individuals find additional financial supports to help defray the cost. These may include professional development funds available to them if they are working, support from their personal network, payment plans available from the training organization, etc.

Contact Information:

Website:  wcpeertrainingsociety.ca

Email:  vicepres.wcpts@gmail.com

Address:  Western Canada Peer Training Society

1316 Pensacola Way SE

Calgary, AB T2A 2H2