Mental Health

Your mental health is a priority, to us, and to you!

The Mental Health Committee was established in January 2017 as one of IWOO’s professional committees. Fariba Bashiri founded the committee with the help of Sama Bassidj, Selora Lazarjani, Tina Hesami and Noushin Khavarian. Their main purpose is to increase awareness about the importance of mental wellness, while reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness and depression in our communities. The Mental Health Committee meets monthly and focuses on goals facilitating Mental Health workshops, Seminars, Mental Health clinics, Yoga, Meditation and Art classes.

Director: Dr. Fariba Bashiri

For further info, check our calendar at the bottom of this page.

Our Objective

The current objective of our Mental Health Committee is based on the needs of our community, which include:

• Building Self- confidence
• Parenting our children in a new environment
• Supporting families who have a family member with a mental illness
• Raising awareness on LGBTQ + rights and supporting LGBTQ+ communities
• Promoting seniors’ mental health

Our Services

IWOO’s mental health committee is devoted to increasing awareness about the importance of mental wellness, while reducing the stigma that surrounds mental illness across our diverse communities.

The current objectives of the committee include:

• Mental Health Counselling
• Mental Health Webinars
• Parenting Workshops
• Self-Development Courses
• Support Group

Mental health Counselling

Mental Health Councelling

Counselling is a confidential process that is designed to help a person address their needs and become familiar with understanding themselves and how they cope with their personal and interpersonal coping strategies. This involves a certified psychotherapist that is available throughout the process. IWOO offers these counselling services to the Farsi-speaking community.

Lead by: Hossein Abdollahi Sani, Badri Daneshamouz

Mental Health Workshops & Webinars

We provide educational webinars with valuable information and knowledge in different aspects of mental and wellness. These webinars are held once a month.

educational courses
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Parenting Classes

We educate and inform parents on optimal skills and essential aspects of a child’s development. We promote positive relationships, positive discipline, and behaviour management by providing different parenting workshops.

Self Development Course

Providing courses that include Mindfulness, Self- Compassion, Non- Violent Communication, and Transforming your life, will enhance our community to practice the necessary skills for improved well-being & leadership roles in life.

Lead by: Behnaz Moeinzadeh, Noushin Khasteganan

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Support Group

We offer a safe environment in our support groups for people facing common issues.

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Want to be the first to know about the next webinar IWOO has instore for you?

Then subscribe to our mailing list today to get an email as soon as we are planning to launch an event that you maybe interested in.

Dr. Noushin Khasteganan

Dr. Noushin Khasteganan is a Certified Canadian Addiction Counsellor and graduated from McMaster University. She has a Medical Doctorate earned in Iran in 1996. With her extensive background as an experienced Medical Doctor in the mental health care field, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her practice and employs a variety of therapeutic models to support the community.

Leyly Mirsanjari

Leyly has a bachelor in French language and language & civilization diploma Aix -en provence faculty,  Event management diploma from CDI college ,Peer leadership certificate from Family service Toronto,Early development (Mother craft college),Child care assistant from TDSB.

She has extensive experience in teaching French.
She also coordinate and facilitates several multicultural groups in various ages, peer support group,senior focus group, women support group focused on violence against women and healthy family healthy community.She worked 10 years at Family service Toronto, as a failitator.
Currently she is working at TDSB as an education assistant.
She has volunteered for Tirgan festival ( as outreach coordinator, guest and dignitaries coordinator and event assistant),Behnam foundation ,Karafarin and Iwoo organization.

Saharnaz Nahidi

Saharnaz has Bachelor of Art and two Master’s Degree in Psychology and research of Art from Iran. She has also studied “Addiction Recovery Support “in Canada. She was a consultant of Psychology in a Psychiatry clinic in Iran and has experience of providing help and relief for addiction, mental disorders and child care here in Canada. She is currently work as a direct support worker full time job at Community Living Toronto with mental health and disabilities residents. Also doing counselling under supervision of Ms.Akerman at Karma cares community in Toronto. Saharnaz joined IWOO as a volunteer in 2017 and has been a member of mental health committee from 2020. She has dedicated herself for educating and helping women and girls to their maximum capacity enabling them overcome barriers. Saharnaz would like to support Farsi speaking women and girls in Iranian- Canadian community.

Yasmin Fouladvand

Yasmin Fouladvand holds a Master of Finance degree from the Schulich School of Business. Through her experience in the banking sector, Yasmin stands out for her expertise in financial analysis and investment strategy development. Her unwavering passion lies in fostering fairness and promoting community growth by overcoming challenges and making a positive impact. Yasmin is passionately focused on meeting the specific needs of women and fostering opportunities for gender equity and meaningful progress.

Amin Azad

Amin Azad is pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto at the intersection of engineering and entrepreneurship, with the goal of identifying educational tools to promote opportunity identification for venture creation. Amin has previously been a business mentor and educator in this space and has put together various courses and workshops with the purpose of helping entrepreneurial teams identify a need in the market and build a business around it.

Presently, he manages a consultancy service and is committed to supporting IWOO by leveraging his expertise in organizing workshops and encouraging community engagement within the entrepreneurship domain.

Guita Movallali

Guita Movallali holds a PHD in Psychology and BSc in Audiology. She is a retired Associate Professor at the USWR University. for Her extensive career spans over two decades, showcasing a remarkable blend of skills and expertise. Her influence extends to nonprofit organizations, where she has actively served on boards and spearheaded significant projects.

She has consistently displayed her dedication to knowledge transfer and community engagement, making her an invaluable asset in academia. Her roles as a researcher, educator, and leader within nonprofit organizations have made a significant impact.

Guita’s stellar track record includes the development of resources and programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and their families. Guita’s notable role as the CEO and Founder of the Faranak Clinic for Deaf children and the Program & Development Manager at VOICE for deaf kids exemplifies her commitment to supporting many families. Her dedication to the Deaf community has yielded numerous successful initiatives, coupled with her proficiency in Project Management techniques.

Her pivotal role as an Executive Director and Early Years Director has been instrumental in fostering the Parent-Child Mother Goose program in Canada. Guita’s skills, passion, and unwavering commitment continue to drive positive change and empower communities.

Amir Azad

Amir works at a Toronto-based Private Investment Office to manage assets on behalf of Canadian family offices. Previously Amir worked at a Financial Communication firm, supporting NASDAQ, NYSE, TSX and other Stock Exchanges. Amir has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Concordia University of Edmonton, and a Master of International Business from Queen’s University with a focus on Investments. Amir‘s professional background includes Venture Capital, Private Equity, Investments, and sustainable finance. Amir is the Director of Funding & Grants Committee at IWOO, and he overlooks the grants and fundraising efforts. Amir also has a Golden Retriever named Simba in which he enjoys hiking with.

Hengameh Saberi

Hengameh Saberi teaches at Osgoode Hall Law School. Outside academia, she has served on various nonprofit board of directors, worked as a consultant with a number of human rights institutions and brings to IWOO multi-jurisdictional experiences of organizational design and planning.