by Melissa Mortimer *Check out discussion questions after article At the age of 60, with more than 30 years as a sustainability outreach and engagement specialist behind her, Jo de Vries sometimes felt old, irrelevant, and invisible. “Many of my colleagues were in their 20s and 30s, and some seemed uninterested in listening to my […]
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‘MIND’ING NATURE: Cultivating Childhood Wellness Outdoors
SUMMARY People have become less connected to nature, particularly with increasing urbanization. However, many studies are now clearly demonstrating that nature connectedness is crucial to our physical and mental health, and to the future of our communities’ social, cultural, environmental, and economic well-being. Audrey Hystad, farm manager for the Clubhouse Farm in Kelowna, BC and […]
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LONELINESS: A Student’s Experience Abroad
Stock Photo Loneliness. I attempted to push it down when I first moved to Canada, whispering a sad goodbye as the people I’d known since birth disappeared behind airport lines. I tried to stop the tears, but instead shed thousands. For days on end, I relived fond memories in an attempt to fill the growing […]
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THE CHOKING GAME: A Growing Threat to Teen Mental Health & Survival
Stock Photo Have you ever done something you regret? Or experienced a time where you had your own life in your hands, and took a gamble? If you have, then you can undoubtedly relate to this… a story of courage and vulnerability from my friend Justin about his encounter with the choking game. “Pressure got […]
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NATURE’S PLAN: Using Natural Frameworks to Build Mentally Healthy Communities
SUMMARY Creating mentally healthy communities is becoming an issue of increasing importance. Dr. Marilyn Hamilton, an author and international thought leader, and Mark Holland, an author and award-winning community planner, discuss how we can use what we know about nature to plan, design, and build more livable, socially connected, and mentally healthy communities. They also […]
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PERFECTIONISM: It’s not Always the Villain
It’s 10:00 pm and Angela’s eyelids are drooping, but she’s still at the office working on a presentation for the following morning. Back at home, Caleb protests as his dad closes his son’s computer and tells him his project is good enough. It’s time for bed. Whether you’re a professional or a student, you’ve been […]
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FROM KENYA TO CANADA: An Immigrant’s Take on Comparative Happiness
Things that make me happy include a hot cup of tea on a rainy Vancouver Sunday morning, a day out with my friends at Stanley Park, or even a simple walk along Kitsilano beach. Having immigrated to Canada in 2019 to pursue higher education in psychology, I’m thankful for these simple pleasures and the mental […]
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GRATITUDE VS TOXIC POSITIVITY: Understanding Their Impacts on Your Mental Health
It’s healthy to be grateful, but how much is too much? As a psychology student I wanted to know, so I started digging… In the late 1960s, psychologist and educator Martin Seligman’s discovery of learned helplessness kick-started a field that would later be coined by Seligman as positive psychology. Many mental health professionals have embraced […]
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A Parents’ Guide to Social Media & Youth Mental Health
Without a doubt, social media is a culturally ingrained digital platform among the younger generation. A powerful means to connect and share with others, social media is a part of everyday life even for young children. In fact, a PubMed Central study on social media use reveals that Canadians as young as six years old […]
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SCHIZOPHRENIA: Part 2 – Integrating Bio-Psycho-Social-Vocational-Spiritual Recovery Approaches
SUMMARY In Part 2 of this podcast on Schizophrenia, we’re joined again by Katrina Tinman (peer support worker with lived experience of schizophrenia), Chris Summerville (CEO of the Canadian Schizophrenia Society), and Dr. Phil Tibbo (clinical/research psychiatrist who specializes in psychosis-related illnesses). They dig deep into emerging holistic recovery approaches that integrate biological, psychological, social, […]
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RESILIENCE: Choosing How to Feel, Think & Behave
Video Version Audio Version SUMMARY Resilience is one of the most misunderstood concepts in mental health today. Simply, it is the outcome of optimizing life experience by being mindful about what you can control, can’t control, and have little control over. Join industrial psychologist and human capital specialist Peter Comrie as he explains the differences […]
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SCHIZOPHRENIA: Part 1 – Stories, Signs, Myths & Recovery Movements
SUMMARY Schizophrenia affects about 80 million people from all countries, cultures, ages, abilities, and genders. This two-part podcast explores their widespread challenges, and the hope and healing opportunities available to them and their families via integrated bio-psycho-social-spiritual-vocational therapies. In Part 1, Katrina Tinman (peer support worker with lived experience), Chris Summerville (CEO of the Canadian […]
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BRAIN TOUR: A Superhero’s Mental Health from Both Sides of the Cape
SUMMARY If you’re wearing a mask to hide mental health challenges, why not swap it for a superhero cape and brainpowers so strong they’re sure to save the day! Sharon Blady, PhD (comic book geek, former Manitoba Minister of Health, founder of Speak Up: Mental Health Advocates) and Dr. Simon Trepel (a psychiatrist and member […]
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WEALTH IN MENTAL HEALTH: Mobilizing a Just & Green Recovery Economy
SUMMARY Recovery from COVID-19 provides remarkable opportunities for transition to a just and green economy that would ultimately boost universal mental health. Policy professionals Trish Hennessy (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) and Arden Henley (Green Technology Education Centre) talk about transformative concepts such as ‘doughnut economics’, ‘well-being budget’, ‘inclusive economy’, and the ‘three-sided coin’. They […]
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STIGMA: From Stereotyping & Discrimination to Compassion & Inclusion
SUMMARY More than half of the seven million Canadians who face mental health challenges every year, won’t seek help for fear of being stereotyped and discriminated against. To help unravel the complexities of stigma that often bind people with mental illness, we’re joined by Samaria Nancy Cardinal, a Metis woman whose battle with intergenerational trauma […]
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ROLE CALL: Local Governments’ Contribution to Community Mental Health
SUMMARY Citizens expect and deserve mentally healthy communities. To that end, we connected with Ken Christian (City of Kamloops’ mayor and former environmental health professional) and Randy Sunderman (social economist and chair of the Aberdeen Neighbourhood Association) to explore local governments’ unique role in planning and building mentally healthy communities. They gauge Kamloops’ success in […]
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DEPRESSION: Key Links Between Lived Experience & Emerging Science
SUMMARY While Daniel Honke and Dr. Andy Greenshaw are both passionate about mental health, they come at it from vastly different but complementary perspectives. Daniel is an engaging young man who uses lived experience to help others in his community. Andy is a renowned research psychiatrist who collaborates with colleagues around the world, to create […]
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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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