Training & Development Experts
Based in Canada’s National Capital Region, our in-person and virtual facilitation options bring team building, mental health education, and first aid training to wherever you are!
We tailor solution-focused programs and workshops to achieve the valuable takeaways you are looking for and address the unique challenges your team is facing.
Our services create powerful outcomes because of our comprehensive and holistic approach, equipping participants to experience success not just in their workplace, but within their communities and families as well.
We’re Your Solution For
Facilitation Training & Team Building Programs
Build connections through a shared, memorable experience and strengthen the skills we need to thrive together in strong teams and healthy communities!
Let us know what you are hoping to achieve and we will tailor a play-based program to make that happen! Team building sessions create powerful outcomes and the following are just a few of the possibilities.
- Employment program participants build better connections with each other and increase their chances of successful, long-term work placements when they strengthen their team and community skills with us early in their program
- Give your students a boost, building resilience and strengthening their leadership skills or helping them see the strengths they didn’t know they had while feeling confident about improving in their areas for growth
- Make your event memorable with an icebreaker session or professional development that helps your staff provide team-building as a value-add service to your clients
Mental Health Workshops
Reduce fear about mental illness and mental health issues by equipping participants with the knowledge and tools for prevention, navigation, and recovery, giving them confidence they have strong influence over their ability to thrive. Participants learn about mental health in a community context so they know how to build life-giving support networks, how to communicate clearly with their healthcare providers, and how to navigate crisis as a team.
You can request a workshop specifically designed to address your group’s unique needs or ask about our Increasing Our Personal Resources mental health workshop.
Therapeutic First Aid Training
Many people have experienced trauma that makes participating in a first aid course designed for the general public overwhelming when course content triggers memories and stress responses that undermine learning and success. We provide Standard First Aid including CPR Level C and AED Training that is facilitated with mental health and the impacts of trauma in mind. These are therapeutic opportunities for participants to learn in a supportive environment with a skilled instructor. We also provide therapeutic training for participants overcoming a history of violence.
As Training Partners with the Canadian Red Cross, the certificates your participants receive are nationally recognized and great for building a resume or professional portfolio. Tailored workshops to address specific topics are available upon request.
Building strong teams and healthy communities!
Lindsay Walton
Program Director and Founder of Open Door Development
Hello! I’ve been designing and delivering experiential education programs for over 20 years, tailoring everything from mental health workshops for professionals who work with at-risk populations to train-the-trainer courses for elite-level law enforcement. From outdoor adventure programs for students struggling in traditional classrooms to first aid training for participants recovering from trauma. I’m passionate about ensuring training meets the unique needs of participants and the teams they belong to across North America and beyond and look forward to hearing from you! What kind of training experience are you looking for and what are you hoping to achieve? If our team is not the right fit to meet your need, I am happy to point you in the direction of trusted connections who will do a great job for you. Email me with your training hopes and goals at lindsay@opendoordevelopment.ca.
Author Of:
Why Asking Donors For Money Causes Donors To Give Less: A Team Builder’s Guide To Why Treating Your Donors Like A Community Rather Than As Individuals MATTERS (Lulu Press)
Take the Resilient Nonprofits online course, a masterclass for exponentially increasing and stabilizing resources to achieve growth and permanently remove money fears from the table.
The Diagram Debrief: A Powerful Team Building Tool Based on Jungian Play Therapy. Foreword by Jim Cain. (Lulu Press)
Featured In:
Extraordinary Facilitation: Insights From Half a Century of Working and Playing With Groups (Jim Cain, Healthy Learning)
The Learning Curve: Navigating the Transition From Facilitating In The Real World to Facilitating in a Virtual One (Jim Cain, Healthy Learning)
Virtual Facilitation: A Collection of Lessons Learned to Virtually Create Connections and Magic (John Berkley & Jeff Goldberg, Healthy Learning)
Provide encouragement. Give direction. Address the issue, not the person. Commit to your team and the challenge. Recognize everyone has strengths to leverage and areas for growth to invest in.
Do this and you will Succeed.