Who We Are

Based in Ottawa, we offer workshops related to mental health, psychological safety in the workplace, active communication and suicide intervention.

Mandate

Working within the community as well as in the public and private sectors with groups of all sizes, we provide interactive, practical, skills-based workshops primarily focused on active communication, crisis intervention, limits and boundaries, empathy building, workplace wellness, suicide intervention, management strategies for creating psychological safety, and breaking down stigma surrounding mental illness.

Trainers

Breanna Pizzuto - Talk Tools Founder

Born and raised in Ottawa, Breanna has undergraduate degrees from the University of Ottawa in Health Sciences and Psychology. Breanna has experience working in various roles in the healthcare and social services fields, including addictions, supportive housing and crisis intervention. With a strong passion for helping others and an interest in breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide, Breanna started Talk Tools Training in 2018.

Breanna is a Silver Level LivingWorks Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST)trainer, an instructor of St. John Ambulance’s “Mental Health and Wellness in the Workplace” course and an instructor of LifeLine Workshops’ “Assessing Suicide in Kids” (ASK).

Breanna is a Registered Psychotherapist and operates a private practice, Talk Tools Psychotherapy.

Maria Redpath - Associate Trainer

Maria Redpath is a seasoned trainer and has facilitated a variety of training courses over a 30-year career including management skills and volunteer training sessions. She has been a volunteer Crisis Line Responder for 9+ years and is now combining her professional skills and volunteer experience to provide suicide alertness training. Maria is a safeTALK facilitator and an ASIST trainer.

Stéphanie Drouin - Associate Trainer

Stéphanie graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2021. She has experience working in a research assistant position for three laboratories at the University of Ottawa and at the CHEO Research Institute. Stéphanie has her Master’s of Education in Counselling Psychology from the University of Ottawa and works as a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying). In her spare time, Stéphanie likes to spend time outdoors.

Stéphanie a obtenu un baccalauréat ès sciences avec spécialisation en psychologie en 2021. Elle a de l’expérience en tant qu'assistante de recherche pour trois laboratoires de l'Université d’Ottawa et de l’Institut de recherche du CHEO. Stéphanie est titulaire d’une maîtrise en éducation en psychologie du counselling à l’Université d’Ottawa et travaille comme psychothérapeute
agréée (qualifiante). Pendant son temps libre, Stéphanie aime passer du
temps en plein air.