In this category, you will professionally facilitated Yoga sessions, Grief Circles, and Visually Exploring Your Story workshops.
Yoga
Join us for a comforting 4-week yoga experience with Janis Isaman from M-Powered Living. Our Trauma-Centered Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) sessions integrate neuroscience, and attachment theory to provide a nurturing environment for healing. This class has been designed with personal choice in movement, supporting you to focus on the present moment and develop a stable sense of self.
This workshop will run on Saturday mornings at the PILSC Centre in Calgary for the month of November for a total of 4 sessions. No experience is necessary, and all levels are welcome. Join us to find connection, healing, and support on your journey through movement.
Facilitators: Janis Isaman
Workshop Facilitators
Chelle (she/her)Group Facilitator
Chelle (she/her)
Group Facilitator
Chelle (she/her/hers) is a seasoned facilitator with 20+ years of experience supporting individuals, families, and couples in peer support, community engagement, and private practice. Volunteering with PILSC for two years, she offers post-abortion peer mentoring and group facilitation, drawing from her own journey of healing after a traumatic abortion. As the director of a Calgary women’s shelter where she has worked for 16+ years, Chelle focuses on empowerment and resilience, emphasizing the transformative power of peer-to-peer relationships. A solo mother of three, she brings humility, honesty, and gratitude to her roles both personally and professionally.
Steven (he/him)Group Facilitator
Steven (he/him)
Steven (he/him/his) is a 34 year old father of two who has spent the last ten years in theatre and film and now is on a journey to practice Counselling and Social Work. He feels drawn to helping those at the Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre as he and his wife lost their daughter in early 2020 and the support provided to them was incredible. He hopes to support others in the same way and show people they are not alone in these woods. Steven looks forward to speaking to you all.
Janis Isaman (she/her)Workshop Facilitator
Janis Isaman (she/her)
Janis Isaman is a Trauma Sensitive Movement Specialist focused on providing customized, personalized body-focused services to clients. She is a leader in approaching mental health and wellness from a body-first lens. Her trauma credentials include the Compassionate Inquiry® psychotherapy approach developed by Gabor Mate, Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), Somatic Experiencing® International developed by Peter Levine and Trauma Research Foundations Traumatic Stress Certificate Program with Bessel van der Kolk.
She also leads professional teacher training to help other movement professionals gain certifications and to help studios add new modalities to their programming. In her personal life, she is a mother and passionate community volunteer with the Calgary Stampede, 17th Avenue Business District, Heritage Park and Kids Up Front. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Alberta.
Richard Carroll (he/him)Group Facilitator
Richard Carroll (he/him)
Richard Carroll moved to Calgary in 2003 from the UK. A huge fan of music and movies, he is highly skilled at “Dad jokes” and can make his grandchildren roll their eyes as a result. Richard came to PILSC in 2024 as part of his Canadian Mental Health Association Peer Support School practicum. He is Nonviolent Crisis Intervention trained and volunteers as a PILSC group facilitator as well as being available for Peer Support. Richard is very happy to have found the PILSC community and be able to share his lived experiences.
FAQ
What to expect at a PILSC peer support group
A hybrid group is a peer support group that gives you the option of attending in person at the PILSC office in downtown Calgary or attending virtually on Zoom for those living outside of Calgary and for anyone who prefers to attend virtually.
Your hybrid group will have a designated facilitator for those who attend in person and the second facilitator will be supporting the group on Zoom. We have technology called Meeting Owl that allows for a seamless interaction experience between those attending in person and those who attend virtually.
(PILSC hybrid group using Meeting Owl technology with in-person and virtual attendees)
To see a video of a Hybrid group, see this video
For our 7-Week Groups, we require that all participants attend either the first or second session and as many sessions as possible to allow for a safe and consistent group environment. That being said, life happens and let us know if you are unable to attend a session by emailing info@pilsc.org.
As with all of our services at PILSC, we believe in the importance of removing barriers to accessing services. All of our groups are offered at no cost to participants. For those who have the means and ability to help support the centre and our groups programming, we graciously accept donations: https://pilsc.org/donate-to-pilsc
All of our online groups are open for anyone to attend anywhere in the world. Some of our groups that meet in person will have a hybrid option so you can attend any group virtually, regardless of your physical location.
You will receive a confirmation email from the Jane booking system and the day before your group you will receive an email welcoming you to your group. For 7-week groups, there are forms to fill out in the Jane booking system so please fill those out as we require your mailing information to send you materials for your group.
Yes, you are welcome to attend a group more than once. Every time you attend will be different because so much is determined by the people in a group with you. We also have various monthly groups that you can try after an 7-week group to meet others who have experienced.
We are dedicated to supporting individuals of all faiths, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.