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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SENIORS’ MENTAL HEALTH: Part 2 – Social Influences, Life Circumstances, Personal Choices & Better Care
SUMMARY Senior’s mental health is affected by social threats such as stigma, ageism, and racism, and impacted by individual circumstances such as isolation, loneliness, poverty, poor physical health, lack of independence, and abuse. In Part 2 of this podcast, Marjorie Horne (seniors’ advocate and founder of CareSmart Seniors Consulting), Naomi Mison (caregiver and founder of […]
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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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Four Unique & FUN Ways to Slash Stress
Stress can take a serious toll on your health and quality of life, causing tough days and sleepless nights. Stress also increases your risk of mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. Read on for innovative and fun ways to tackle stress and boost your well-being. Find fun ways to get physically fit Exercise […]
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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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SENIORS’ MENTAL HEALTH: Part 1 – Personal Stories, Professional Insights & COVID Reflections
SUMMARY The over-65 age group is the fastest-growing demographic in Canada, with rates of mental illness for seniors over 70 projected to be the highest of any age group by 2041. Add to that the impacts of COVID-19, and you have a complex and costly national challenge that requires urgent attention from all sectors, in […]
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WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH: Part 2 – Groundbreaking Union & Business Solutions
SUMMARY While Part 1 of this podcast targets trailblazing research and regulatory approaches to workplace mental health, Part 2 chronicles the evolution of organizational policies, practices, and programs at two very different and unique organizations. Join Quentin Steen (CLAC Labour Relations Representative) and Trever Amendt (AECOM Site Safety Lead, Energy Operations & Maintenance in Lacombe, […]
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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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Asbestos Cement Water Pipes – Should We Be Concerned?
The 1930s were an exciting time for water infrastructure in North America. A new type of water pipe had been introduced in Canada and the United States just a year earlier. Asbestos cement (AC) water pipe was billed as cheaper, lightweight, and seemingly impervious to deterioration. Over the next few decades, the use of the […]
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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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VETERANS’ MENTAL HEALTH: Personal & Scientific Perspectives on Healing
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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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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Flushing Our Environment Down the Drain
When one considers the source of water pollution, industrial operations quickly come to mind. However, municipal wastewater effluents are also a significant source of contamination. In fact, some pollutant levels in these effluents have been found to be many times higher than those in untreated industrial wastewaters. Although many municipalities utilize advanced processes to treat […]
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Are Those Cheap Hamburgers Killing Our Streams?
Intensive livestock operations, feedlots, concentrated animal feeding operations, or factory farms; whatever you chose to call them, they produce most of the meats we consume. In an effort to increase profits and decrease costs, producers are replacing many small livestock operations with fewer larger ones. These huge operations can have tens of thousands of animals […]
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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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Lawn Perfection or Environmental Protection?
If you drive through many neighbourhoods, you are likely to see yards, parks, and golf courses sporting the so called ‘perfect lawn.’ It’s a large expanse of lush weed-free green grass that is the pride and even obsession of many homeowners. Although this form of landscaping may be aesthetically pleasing to many people, it’s often […]
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