About Us
History of the
Fountain of Health’s
Thrive Learning Centre
What is the Thrive Learning Centre?
Launched in Spring 2022, Fountain of Health’s “Thrive Learning Centre” helps people learn how to put wellbeing science into action in their lives, to help people to thrive. The Thrive Learning Centre is a knowledge translation project of the Fountain of Health sharing our wellbeing tools, training and support more widely.
Our Thrive Learning Centre offers training and tools for individuals including older adults and caregivers, for organizations, training and resources for all clinicians, and Thrive MD, a special wellness program for physicians. Our resources include courses, webinars and The Wellness App.
To learn more, watch our 4 - minute video:
The Thrive Learning Centre shares
the THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing
What does it mean to “thrive”?
Definition: To thrive means to grow, flourish; To progress toward or realize (a) goal(s) -- despite or because of circumstances. – Merriam- Webster Dictionary
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all our lives. These changes are stressful and also an opportunity to reflect on what matters most. The Fountain of Health developed the “THRIVE © Approach of Wellbeing” to integrate the science of wellbeing, preventative medicine, coping, behaviour change and optimal aging to help people thrive, even in these stressful times.
Learn about the Fountain of Health’s THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing, including two new domains
(Healthy Eating and Valued Goals). See below:
What is the Fountain of Health™?
The Fountain of Health™ is a Canadian non-profit initiative started at Dalhousie University Department of Psychiatry in 2011. The Fountain of Health is dedicated to sharing the science of brain health and resilience and to translating that knowledge into practical action. The Fountain of Health offers tools for clinicians to use in frontline care to invite and support health behavior change in 5 key health areas known to support long-term well-being.
All our clinical resources are free and available for use on both the Fountain of Health and our Thrive Learning Centre websites.
The Fountain of Health’s guiding principles are to:
Our mission is to share knowledge about the science of wellbeing and behaviour change, and offer training and tools to translate science into action.
Our vision is to share wellbeing science to help people to thrive at all stages of life.
Our History
The Fountain of Health™ was founded in 2010 by Dr. Keri-Leigh Cassidy, Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Academic Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Program at Dalhousie University in the Nova Scotia Health Authority. The Fountain of Health™ is a pioneer initiative in Canada called “Positive Psychiatry” dedicated to the science and practice of promoting wellbeing across the lifespan. The Fountain of Health™ was established as a national non-profit organization in 2017. The Fountain of Health™ materials were disseminated to over 2000 clinicians across Canada as part of the Brain Health and Wellness Project in 2019. To learn more, click here
The Fountain of Health™ initiative has evolved in phases over the past twelve years as follows:
Initiated by Geriatric Psychiatry Department at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, and funded by the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, Phase 1 was focused on different provincial organizations serving seniors' were brought together on the topic of seniors' mental health promotion. The organizations agreed to collaborate together with the goal of increasing public awareness about the new science of brain health and optimal aging.
Lead by Caregivers of Nova Scotia and Geriatric Psychiatry at Dalhousie, and funded by Department of Health and Wellness and the Department of Seniors, academic, non-profit and government organizations worked to develop five, evidence-based mental health related messages on brain health and optimal aging, vetted by an advisory board of older adults and shared by webpage. In 2014 national collaborators joined the effort including the Mental Health Core Working Group and Advisory Board and our first clinician educational materials were developed.
The focus in Phase 3 was national and international expansion. With funding from the Department of Seniors and a New Horizons grant, two pilot projects were implemented: 1) Family Physician engagement project and 2) Workshop project. The website was revised, an educational video developed, and materials were disseminated and shared nationally and internationally. Positive Psychiatry Section of the World Psychiatric Association and a National Leadership Team was established - see Our People(link is external). The World Aging and Brain Health Institute was founded to synergize research in FoH topics, hosting the first International Think Tank on Optimal Aging. The FoH was highlighted as a keynote address at the 2016 25th anniversary Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry Annual Scientific Meeting, and at the 2017 Canadian Conference on Dementia.
Phase 4 focused on sustainability, funding, and expanding the Fountain of HealthTM message across all age groups and the development of The Wellness App. With two competitive grants from the Canadian Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CCABHI) and one from the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation, our Behaviour Change Toolkit and The Wellness App were shared with over 2000 clinicians in frontline care across Canada.
In Phase 5, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fountain of Health’s mission shifted from “Brain Health” and “Optimal Aging” to a larger focus on “Thriving” and “Wellbeing”. Fountain of Health’s “THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing” targets a wide audience. In 2022, the Fountain of Health “Thrive Learning Centre” was launched to offer wellbeing webinars, training and tools for individuals, organizations and clinicians. In 2021-22, the “Thrive MD Physician Wellness Program” was offered in collaboration with Doctors Nova Scotia, funded by the Affinity Fund (CMA, Scotiabank and MD Management).
To learn more visit the FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH main site
Links to THRIVE Actions
About
Wellbeing
Thrive Learning Centre
CONTACT US
Fountain of Health
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Email: info@fountainofhealth.ca (link sends e-mail)
2022 © Fountain of Health All Rights Reserved.
