Event Series:
From clarity to capacity – Psychological safety & sustainable systems for leaders (Faculty/Staff)
From clarity to capacity – Psychological safety & sustainable systems for leaders (Faculty/Staff)
March 3 @ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Fostering psychological safety is a leadership competency, not a bonus. This two-part series, delivered by psychotherapist Meghan Watson, supports leaders in navigating complexity, emotional labour, and cognitive load by strengthening both psychological safety and the systems that sustain it. The arc moves intentionally from how leaders show up internally and relationally to how work is structured to support long-term wellbeing and capacity.
Each session blends reflective practice, research-backed tools, and actionable strategies that support psychological safety, personal sustainability, and shared clarity.
Audience: This workshop is specifically designed for managers, supervisors, and people leaders at UBC Vancouver and Okanagan. However, all faculty and staff are welcome to attend.
Location: Zoom
Important Notes:
- We hope to see you at both sessions, as each session builds off each other. However, if you can only attend one session you are still welcome to enroll; you will get a lot of value from attending a single session.
- Participation will be via Zoom chat. There will be no breakout rooms.
- The session will not be recorded, but the slides will be shared.
Workshop #1: Psychological safety as a cornerstone of team wellbeing
Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Time: 10:30 am–12 pm
Description:
Psychological safety is the #1 predictor of team effectiveness, and a core driver of wellbeing. This session explores the conditions required for people to feel seen, heard, and safe enough to take interpersonal risks. We’ll dive into practices for leading with transparency, normalizing vulnerability, and responding to mistakes in ways that strengthen connection, rather than fear. Leaders will leave with strategies for embedding trust into team norms, 1:1 conversations, and feedback loops.
Participants will:
- Understand the difference between psychological safety and emotional safety
- Recognize how power, identity, and stress shape safety at work
- Identify common breakdown points in communication
- Practice grounded, low-lift tools that build safety in everyday leadership
- Reflect on their own patterns and safety signals
Workshop #2: Rituals, rhythms & systems – Designing for sustainable wellness
Date: Thursday, March 10, 2026
Time: 10:30 am–12 pm
Description:
Information overload, competing priorities, and digital fatigue are all part of working in a rapidly changing world. In a world of information overload and digital disruption, it’s easy to feel fragmented. This 90-minute session will focus on organizing the mind and structuring our systems for clarity, reminding us that resilience isn’t about doing more but about designing better.
Participants will explore how to build routines, rituals, and team systems that reinforce wellbeing, not as an afterthought, but as a foundation for performance and belonging. We’ll look at both personal routines (e.g. energy tracking, boundary-setting, recovery practices) and organizational rhythms (e.g. meeting practices, capacity check-ins, culture rituals) that promote long-term health and clarity.
Participants will:
- Understand the difference between systems, routines, and rituals
- Learn about the Life Quadrants on Doing/ Being/ Planning/ Processing
- Map their own energy cycles and cognitive load
- Identify friction points in their workflow
- Learn supportive structures for emotional sustainability
- Redesign one small system to reduce overwhelm
About your facilitator:
Meghan Watson (she/her) is a licensed psychotherapist, clinical director and wellness consultant with over 10 years of experience in research and mental health. Meghan is also the founder and owner of Toronto-based therapy clinic Bloom Psychology and Wellness. Meghan earned her graduate degree from Boston University School of Medicine and specializes in working with individuals and couples struggling with understanding complex emotions, navigating body image and disordered eating, managing burnout and stress, and establishing healthy relationships.
Dedicated to mental health awareness and advocacy, Meghan provides clinical insight, expert guidance and support to organizations and companies worldwide through her writing, speaking, consulting and clinical work from a mindful and growth-focused perspective.
If you have any questions, please email lauren.lee@ubc.ca.
