SUMMARY Veteran/advocate Brian McKenna and psychologist Dr. Candice Monson explore veterans’ mental health issues. Drawing on lived experience with PTSD – and the treatments and activism that helped him heal – Brian shares about the psychological challenges and opportunities faced by veterans who’ve served both at home and abroad. Dr. Monson, a clinician and researcher […]
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e-MENTAL HEALTH: Vast and Profound Opportunities for Better Care
SUMMARY Danielle Impey (Mental Health Commission of Canada) and Debra Coffey (Registered Professional Counsellor) explore the emerging field of e-mental health, which uses the Internet and other technologies to provide care faster and from rural and remote locations. Drawing on stories of Canadians using various e-tools effectively, Impey explains the phenomenon and talks about the […]
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MENTAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS: Downstream Losses vs Upstream Wins
SUMMARY Drs. Trevor Hancock and Warren Bell share invaluable insights about the inefficiencies of our existing “downstream” mental health care system, and the opportunities provided by an “upstream” approach that better serves individuals, families, workplaces, and communities through prevention and health promotion. Dr. Hancock, a public health scholar, also touches on ‘shit life syndrome’, ‘social […]
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‘Upstream’ Opportunities For Mentally Healthy Communities
There is a famous story about the vital work of health promotion and disease/injury prevention. It concerns a village by the side of a river where growing numbers of people are seen floating downstream, struggling and drowning. The villagers, being compassionate and humane, organize a complex and sophisticated rescue and treatment response. But they’re all […]
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Countering Substance-Use Stigma with Compassion
Chances are you know people affected by substance-use issues. And, odds are even greater that they have experienced the “stigma” caused by society’s uninformed beliefs about them, and negative attitudes directed toward them and their families. Take Andrea (not a real person, but based on real experiences)… she’s a 35-year-old Vancouverite who has lived with […]
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LONELINESS: ‘Planting’ the Seed of Social Inclusion
Imagine this… an RX from your GP recommends you take two spider plants and call her in the morning! You visited your doctor complaining of loneliness… of feeling isolated from your grown children and friends who are increasingly frail and less mobile. You’ve lost your appetite and you’re not sleeping well. You expect a prescription […]
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From Open Heads to Open Minds
Steeped in a serious mental health crisis about 15 years back, I asked my doctor what would have become of me if I’d lived a few centuries ago. He said that I’d likely have been diagnosed as an “hysterical” woman and institutionalized and/or treated with “Who knows what!” As I healed from that anxiety and […]
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CUZ? The Buzz!
I established the Fresh Outlook Foundation in 2006 to expand on the public outreach and engagement work I was doing for local governments throughout BC. My overarching goal was to create events that engaged whole communities in vigorous conversations about important sustainability issues. It’s now 2019, and I’m thrilled with what I’ve learned from the […]
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C5H2O – A Formula for Water Management
In scientific terms, C5H20 is a molecular formula. In human terms, however, it’s a formula that combines the human elements of creativity, communication, consultation, consensus, and collaboration with traditional approaches to maximize water management efforts. Arguably, people throughout the ages have talked with one another about common water concerns, and have worked together to achieve […]
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More People Are Hitting the Bottle
On the label there’s an image of a mountain glacier, snow capped mountains, or perhaps a pristine mountain lake. The label may also contain words like: clear, refreshing, healthy, pure, and natural. When you combine these images with aggressive marketing campaigns that promote the benefits of drinking their products, it’s little wonder the bottled water […]
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Water is a Basic Human Right!
Lack of access to safe drinking water is a situation that plagues approximately 783 million people, many of them being among the world’s poorest. Additionally, 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. The use of contaminated water causes many serious diseases, which results in the death of millions of people every year. The lack […]
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Women’s Involvement Key to Sustainable Water Management
In many countries, men and women have different roles pertaining to the use and management of water. Because of these different roles and the way they are assessed, women are often left out of the decision-making process when water issues are discussed. In addition, women’s water needs are often given a lower priority than men’s. […]
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