Laurentian University to host mental health sessions for its staff and faculty, in wake of insolvency

Laurentian University is hosting online sessions for staff and faculty who are dealing with trauma and loss.

The session comes in the wake of the Sudbury, Ont. university's insolvency, in which nearly 200 staff and faculty members lost their jobs when Laurentian cut 69 programs in April 2021.

"Participants will gain an understanding of how trauma and loss can manifest, recognizing their feelings for what they are and developing healthy ways to cope," Laurentian said in an email to staff and faculty members.

The university plans to offer the sessions, through TelusHealth, on May 29 and 30.

Tom Fenske, president of the Laurentian University Staff Union, said he welcomes the sessions.

"We've been through a lot in the last two and a half years and we've never really talked about what happened here and how people are feeling about it," he said. 

"I think it's important because we haven't had a chance to communicate our feelings and more importantly, communicate how drastically this has affected us."

Fenske said the university's new leaders, who started earlier this year, saw there was a need for staff and faculty members to get more mental health support to deal with the fallout of the university's insolvency.

But he added he was surprised there was not more support from the government to help staff with their mental health.

"I know they've done that on the financial side, but we needed a lot more support beyond that, "Fenske said.

"And I haven't seen that. And we've kind of been left to our own devices to try to figure that out."