Strengthening skills of workers and leaders in psychological health and safety (PHS) benefits both employees and the workplace. Learning about how to be a psychologically safe and inclusive employee and improving psychologically safe leadership skills can enhance workplace wellbeing, reduce workplace absences, and improve workforce retention.

There are various webinars and online training courses that workers, employers, and leaders can take to learn more about psychological safety in the workplace and psychologically safe leadership. In addition to webinars and free courses, Nova Scotians can also access discounted courses through WCB Nova Scotia’s partnerships with the University of Fredericton and the University of New Brunswick - two of Atlantic Canada’s leading providers in PHS training.

WCB hosts regular webinars about psychological health and safety and Gradual Onset Psychological Injury.
The following University of Fredericton psychological health and safety (PHS) courses are offered at a discounted rate to Nova Scotians. For more information on these courses and to register, visit the University of Fredericton’s website.
Enhancing Workplace Resiliency - Explore stress management, realistic thinking, behavioural activation, and importance of sleep, exercise and diet for mental health
For: Employees, Leaders
Course Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $89.70
Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace: Basic Level - Understand the basic concepts of PHS in the workplace
For: Employees, Leaders
Course Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $172.50
Certificate in Managing Psychological Issues at Work - Understand the key principles and considerations for leaders in supporting employees
For: Leaders (managers)
Course Duration: 12 hours
Cost: $517.50
Advanced Certificate in Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace - Understand the foundations required to implement workplace PHS management systems
For: Leaders (organizational)
Course Duration: 20 hours
Cost: $862.50
The following University of New Brunswick psychological health and safety (PHS) courses are offered at a discounted rate to Nova Scotians. For more information on these courses and to register, visit the University of New Brunswick’s website.
Certificate in Becoming a Psychologically Safe & Inclusive Employee - Discover behaviours and habits to help create a psychological safe workplace
For: Employees
Course Duration: 15 hours
Cost: $159
Certificate in Psychologically Safe Leadership - Explore the key skills required to be a psychologically safe leader
For: Leaders
Course Duration: 15 hours
Cost: $159
Pathway to Coping - Develop skills for coping with stressful personal and professional situations
For: Employees, Leaders
Course Duration: 15-18 hours
Cost: $89
Mental Fitness Practice Fitness Practice - Understand the concept of mental fitness and how mental fitness can impact mental health
For: Employees, Leaders
Course Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $89
The following online courses were developed by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).
- Psychological Health and Safety Awareness - Understand the basics of psychological health and safety in the workplace, including psychosocial factors and the roles of employers and employees
  For: Employees, Leaders
  Course Duration: 20 mins
  Cost: Free
- Violence in the Workplace: Awareness - Understand what workplace violence is, who is affected, and what you can do about it
  For: Employees, Leaders
  Course Duration: 20 mins
  Cost: Free
- Reducing Mental Health Stigma in the Workplace - Understand what stigma is and how it is harmful, recognize the importance of words and identify appropriate language, and learn how to implement tools that can be used to reduce stigma
  For: Employees, Leaders
  Course Duration: 30 mins
  Cost: Free
- Being a Mindful Employee: Orientation to Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace - Understand the National Standard’s 13 psychosocial factors and how to apply them in the workplace
  For: Employees, Leaders
  Course Duration: .5 hours
  Cost: Free
- Psychological Health and Safety for Employers - Deeper understanding of the roles, responsibilities and factors in creating a psychologically safe workplace
  For: Leaders, Employers
  Course Duration: 2 hours
  Cost: $44.95
For more safety courses, simply create a free account at CCOHS and get started immediately.
The Nova Scotia Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration, Safety Branch in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) offer free safety courses, to keep workers safe at their jobs.

The courses can be accessed through the Safety Branch’s Health and Safety webpage.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Opening Minds division is a leading provider of evidence-based mental health training programs and stigma reduction initiatives across Canada.
In particular, they offer courses on workplace psychological health and safety:
Psychological Health and Safety: Building Team Success – Designed to help people leaders better understand their role and what their involvement might look like as their organization implements a psychological health and safety strategy.
For: Leaders
Course Duration: 1.5 hours
Cost: $69 (group discounts available upon inquiry)
The CN Centre for Occupational Health & Safety (CNCOHS) is a research, training, and community outreach centre based out of Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We examine and inform best Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practices in creating physically and psychologically safe and healthy workplaces.
The goals of the CNCOHS are to provide outreach, support, and coaching to support and increase OHS knowledge in workplaces. Our experts offer several programs that help to support individual workers, groups, leaders, and overall workplace / organizational goals.
Most CNCOHS programs can be presented in multiple formats, such as 3-hour interactive in-person or online workshops, or as a customized workshop with additional 4+ weeks of tailored individual online coaching sessions to support worker and leader health and safety.
CNCOHS programs are detailed below. Program costs depend on attendee numbers, types and amount of training required, etc. Organizations should email cncohs@smu.ca to learn more about these offerings, what may be best suited to them, and discuss costs.
ACTion: Acceptance & Commitment Training in Organizational Networks – As part of a healthy workplace strategy, ACTion is designed to support individuals in addressing personal and work challenges, developing individual skill and resilience.
For: All organizational employees/members
Duration: 3-hour workshop, with optional 4+ weeks of individual coaching
Cost: Available upon enquiry
Creating Healthy Organizational Change through BUILDs – Provides an introduction to organizational change, with a focus on healthy workplace initiatives. Learners will develop actionable steps through BUILDs and initiatives to promote a culture of safety, respect, and inclusivity within one’s own workplace. Additionally, they will learn strategies will be develop buy-in, understand the status quo, identify best practices, and measure outcomes.
For: All organizational employees/members
Duration: 3-hour workshop
Cost: Available upon enquiry
WORC: Worker & Organization Respect & Civility Program – Program based on the validated CREW model (Civility, Respect, & Engagement in the Workplace) and helps organizations who are wanting to improve interpersonal relationships at work. At the end of this program, learners will: understand causes of inappropriate work behaviours, understand the impact of unsafe or disrespectful workplace culture, be able to identify potentially inappropriate behaviours, develop respectful communication skills, and more.
For: Teams and leaders
Duration: 3-hour workshop, with optional 4+ weeks of team development OR individual virtual coaching & skill development
Cost: Available upon enquiry
Leader Self-Care – This program is aimed at leaders but can be taken by all organizational members to help support their own health and self-care, and to support the health and self-care of their team. Upon completion of this program leaders will be able to: identify individual and organizational resources that support their health and self-care, identify demands and challenges that hinder their self-care, understand how to increase self-care allyship with ream members, and more.
For: Managers / leaders, prospective or aspiring leaders, all workplace employees
Duration: 3-hour workshop, with optional 4+ individual virtual coaching sessions
Cost: Available upon enquiry
Wellness Leadership: Skills for leaders to reduce burnout and foster wellness – Wellness Leadership combines leading evidence-based practices from clinical psychology and organizational psychology on leadership, communication, and psychological health and safety, to foster wellness, prevent burnout, and increase engagement for high-performance leaders and teams. Behaviour change skills, designed to ensure that training has a lasting impact, are embedded into every session. Learners will: adopt evidence based strategies for burnout management, develop skills to transform workplace culture to prioritize wellness, and target workplace factors that impact well-being for all employees.
For: Managers, leaders, C-Suite executives, prospective or aspiring leaders
Duration: (Option a) Awareness session: 1-hour virtual or in-person live presentation; (Option b) Group coaching: Teams of 5-10, virtual session; (Option c) Individual coaching: Personalized 1:1 coaching, virtual phone/text support; (Option d) Self-paced learning; Short, self-paced learning via an app
Cost: Available upon enquiry
iLEAD: Inclusive Leadership, Equity, Accessibility, & Diversity – The iLEAD program aims to help organizations develop supportive and inclusive leadership that focuses on creating a high-functioning diverse, equitable, and accessible work environment. Upon completion of the program, learners will be able to: link inclusion, equity, accessibility, accommodation, and diversity with healthy work environments, understand how to engage in the 4 A’s of inclusive leadership, identify potential implicit biases (in self and others) to help increase inclusion, integrate leaders, individuals and group roles to shape and sustain a safe and respectful workplace culture, identify tools to discuss inclusion, and more.
For: Managers / leaders, prospective or aspiring leaders
Duration: 3-hour workshop, with optional 4+ weeks of individual coaching Cost: Available upon enquiry
LEADing Healthy Workplaces – This program is based on two validated programs (LEAD and LHW), integrating key leadership develop practices, and linking them to healthy worker and team outcomes. Upon completion of the program, learners will be able to: Understand their own specific demands and resources in being an effective leader, identify common barriers and challenges to create a supportive and psychologically safe workplace culture, integrate the 4 aspects of effective Transformational Leadership with their individual leadership behavioural goals, and understand the key behaviours necessary to lead a Psychologically Healthy Workplace.
For: Managers / leaders, prospective or aspiring leaders
Duration: 3-hour workshop, with optional 4+ weeks of individual coaching Cost: Available upon enquiry