Member Profile- Sherry Lachine

Engineering Communities for Better Mental Health.

A short but ‘not-boring’ career in the Canadian Military (Air Force) in the 1980s and 90s left Sherry Lachine with a deep appreciation of the importance of community and belonging on our sense of wellbeing. The years immediately after leaving the military, she married a military man (“a lovely human”) and her career in systems engineering was regularly interrupted by postings. Upon arrival at each new location Sherry had to re-engineer, re-build and re-think herself and her identity. She knows she is not alone in that process.

In the years that followed, supported by her husband, Sherry put down her engineering hat and trained to become a mental health professional. It was a career pivot that, in 2010 before mental health was on many people’s radars, had left many questioning its wisdom.

“When I look back, what is clear is that nothing in my background was wasted” she says. “For example, my engineering relied a lot on human factors and a systems perspective and I bring that to my mental health course design and delivery.” Having experienced first-hand the deep and lasting sense of connection that comes from shared experiences of high stress and purpose as found in the military, Sherry works to help business teams find real connection with each other. Studies show that this sense of belonging directly leads to higher productivity and better retention. “There are times when I am facilitating a session and I see that sense of connection, realization and/or validation and I think that THIS is what work is all about” she says.

From Mental Health First Aid to real cultural change to help teams support one another, Sherry has something for most teams. Who is in your network is an HR Executive or Training Manager who would like for their teams to be happier, more productive and to stay longer? Suggest that they connect with [email protected]