Subscribe to Catalyst
Subscribe to get our magazine delivered right to your inbox
Share This Catalyst
Related Articles
Showing Support Means Not Having All the Answers
Cuba Gooding Jr. as Rod Tidwell and Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire from the 1996 film, which led to countless “help me, help you” memes.
A popular quote from the movie Jerry Maguire is, “Help me help you.” It comes from the scene where the namesake character, played by Tom Cruise, is coaching football player Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., who is digging in his heels and resisting advice. It’s a familiar exchange that you may recognize in yourself. I know I do. If I see someone in pain, I have the strong desire to jump in and “fix” what I believe to be the “problem.” Despite that desire, I have learned that support does not equal fixing. It’s not my job or your job to fix others.
Let’s start at the point where you have recognized a mental health “problem,” say with a loved one, colleague, or friend. Perhaps you see the signs and symptoms of a decline in their mental well-being, or else the person has told you directly that they are going through a mental health problem. In that moment, it can be tempting to think, “What has worked for me will work for them.” If that happens, it’s natural to want to try and fix things by giving advice on how to make it all better. You may even want to give them a toolbox full of fix-it things.
But there are good reasons not to do that.
“Effective support can also involve sitting beside someone — not speaking a word, simply being there while providing a safe space for them just to be.” —
SHOULDA, COULDA, WOULDA
First, it’s best not to assume we know how that person feels and what they should do. I often say, “Don’t let anyone “should” on you today, and don’t “should” on yourself. So, let’s get away from our preconceived notions of what the person should do.
Whenever I hear the word should, I try to consider where it’s coming from and what intentions are behind it. Who has the right to say what we should do anyway? Who are they to decide what is best?
The desire to fix by “shoulding” ignores other possibilities. What if they’ve already tried what worked for you and had little success? What if it’s the first time someone has really been a witness to their pain? What if they say, “everything is fine,” and go away? What if your timing isn’t their timing (excluding situations of imminent harm to themselves or others)?
A more helpful approach is focusing on how their behaviour is impacting the life they want to live. It’s better to build rapport and trust or encourage them to seek professional (or other) support than put them on your to-do list. They are not your project. And there’s no need to keep at them with questions such as, “Did you do what I told you to do?”
FEELING HUNGOVER
Another potential reaction to trying to fix things is having the person ignore you the next time they see you. Whenever that happens, we tend to blame ourselves: “Did I say something wrong?” “Did I overstep?”
I invite you not to take those thoughts on, since the person may in fact be experiencing shame, denial, or fear. When people disclose something personal and share their emotional pain, it usually leaves them feeling vulnerable.
It’s what I often refer to as the “vulnerability hangover.” They’ve just shared something that leaves them with a gaping emotional hole — that open, raw feeling. In such situations they may be having internal dialogues like, “They must think I’m weird or have a character defect” or “Maybe they don’t like me anymore.”
Yvette Murray
On top of the symptoms they may be experiencing, going through a decline in their mental well-being will affect their self-esteem and self-worth. Strong feelings of “I’m not good enough” or “There must be something ‘wrong’ with me” can rear their ugly heads.
As a psychotherapist, my training involved having to do my own inner work along with group work. One of the biggest “aha” and healing moments I had during that time was when I recognized pain in a colleague or mentor. In that moment I thought, “You mean, you feel this way, too?”
Such an experience provides hope, optimism, and comfort in knowing that someone is not the only one with such feelings. It helps them focus on how to feel better without the extra burden of what my good friend and mentor Janine Driver calls, “stinkin’ thinkin’,” the internal dialogue and self-stigma that can directly interfere with our healing journey.
KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU
To truly support someone, “Help me help you” really is the best approach. How do we do that? The first step is asking them! For example, ask “How can I best support you?” “What do you think would happen if you did this or that?” “How can I support you today?” “What does help look like for you?”
You could also remind them of what worked for them before. Everyone of us has been through challenges. To overcome them, chances are we’ve used support systems, inner strength, perseverance, courage, and persistence. Reminding the person what they’ve previously come through can be helpful. When someone feels better, they tend to forget that.
Have you ever had a bad flu and thought to yourself, “I don’t know how I’m going to function in the next hour, never mind getting up and going to work the next day”? Fast forward a few weeks, and someone at the office reminds you, “Remember, you were off sick that week?” “Ah, I had forgotten ‘cause now I feel better.” By reminding someone what has helped them before, know that it could be the very thing that helps them now.
Effective support can also involve sitting beside someone — not speaking a word, simply being there while providing a safe space for them just to be. When I don’t feel good, having someone trying to make me feel good or change how I’m feeling can be counter-productive.
Having empathy is key, as American researcher Brené Brown says, while making sure not to jump in with “at least” statements: when someone tells you they are getting a divorce, for example, and you respond with something like, “Well, at least you got married.” Some might find such a comment funny, but it may not be helpful. A more empathetic response would be “Thank you for sharing that with me. Please help me understand what you are going through.”
Key aspects of supporting other people are listening and communicating non-judgmentally. Those things become a lot easier once you remind yourself, “It’s not for me to put my belief systems about how life ‘should’ be or how people ‘should’ act onto others. It’s their life and experience, not mine.” By connecting as an authentic fellow human being, heart to heart, and by really listening, you are going to provide excellent support.
For those that have a hard time receiving support, allow me to whisper in your ear, “know that helping you, helps me too!”
Photo: ©TriStar Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a drastic effect on our mental health, especially for the Asian community. For many Asian people, stigma regarding mental health contributes to a hesitancy to discuss the issue. People do not know where to start when seeking out resources, help and treatment.
One of the easiest ways to find information and resources is by using online communities.
Discover three helpful Asian-Canadian websites:
https://www.thecolourproject.ca/
The Colour Project is a Canadian non-profit organisation that aims to make support more accessible by offering free, anonymous, text-based peer support for mental health. Created by Ian and Amanda Feng, their goal was to create a non-judgemental space where individuals can easily access support when needed.
The project creates a community of people with similar experiences and allows them to realise they don’t need to battle through life on their own. Being a free, text-based resource makes this a great option for those seeking mental health support for the first time.
asianmentalhealthproject.com/watch/
The Asian Mental Health Project is an online community that focuses on the cultural stigma that many Asian-Canadians face when seeking mental health support and treatment. The project offers resources accessible to all, including telephone hotlines and recommended therapists for Asian, 2SLGBTQ+, and other marginalised communities. Additionally, they offer a Therapist Outreach Template to aid those considering reaching out to a therapist for the first time.
The project is also known for creating online talks on topics such as stress and stigma, and ‘check-ins’ which serve as an open healing space and discussion. Recently, the project has teamed with Hollaback! to provide bystander intervention and de-escalation online training workshops with translations and interpretations in Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and more.
The Cold Tea Collective is a media platform sharing the stories and experiences of North American Asian millennials. The online platform includes blog posts, podcasts and other stories covering topics from arts and culture to health and wellness. Headquartered in Vancouver, the collective has writers spanning all over Canada and North America.
The Cold Tea Collective is passionate about giving Asian millennials a platform to understand and connect with themselves and the world around them. They value sharing authentic stories and creating quality content and conversations. One blog post that caught my eye is titled “Quarantine qapsule: Archiving the Asian Canadian Experience”. Written by the user, Nightingale, the post unravels the detrimental effects the pandemic had on the Asian Canadian community.
Exploring these resources are a great way to dive into the Asian online mental health and wellness community. There are hundreds of stories to read, topics to discuss, and safe spaces to confide in. Starting your mental health journey can be scary, but remember that your feelings are valid, and there is no shame in mental health issues. By educating ourselves on these topics, and having these tough conversations with family and friends, together we can end this stigma.
Author: Alicia Aquino
Subscribe to Catalyst
Subscribe to get our magazine delivered right to your inbox
Share This Catalyst
Related Articles
Staying mentally well in a digitized world
While Digital Health Week was a celebration of the advantages of connected care — from virtual consultations to e-health records to useful apps — it was also an opportunity to reflect on how we maintain our best mental wellness in an increasingly digitized world.
“There’s no doubt that the pandemic has increased our reliance on virtual connectivity and social media,” affirmed Dr. Keith Dobson, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Calgary. “And while there are some positives associated with our capacity to remain plugged in to our relationships, we can’t be blind to the very real pitfalls.” —
Those pitfalls are having an especially adverse effect on the mental health and wellness of young people — especially young girls.
“Our brains tend to believe what we can see,” Dobson said. “While intellectually, we might comprehend that a photo is doctored, that an image has been filtered or retouched — a waist nipped in, eyes made bigger — our brain doesn’t readily make that distinction.”
Seeing is believing
Dobson explained that the primacy of our sense of sight is largely why we as a society are so enamoured with digital platforms like Instagram that offer powerful visual stimulants. We’re also reeled in by the hit of dopamine, the feel-good hormone that kicks in when we’re using a medium that offers us easy wins. Likes, hearts, shares, and comments give us bite-sized endorphin rushes, without requiring much in the way of effort.
“Normally, we get a sense of well-being from an accomplishment,” he added. “Something that has required us to invest meaningful time, energy, and effort. Instead, social media provides us with a short-cut. But it’s one that comes at a high cost. The industry we’re up against is a formidable foe — one that has invested billions to buy access to our innermost thoughts and most intimate insecurities.”
Ironically, Dobson noted, we don’t need to feel good while we’re actively engaging on social media. That activity might make us feel less-than, unattractive, not-good-enough. But interestingly, when we shut down our phones, we start to feel good again.
The ‘negative feedback’ loop
“It’s called a negative feedback loop,” he said. “Think of it like this: you have a negative thought — ‘I’ve left the stove on,’ for example. Then you need to check the stove to make sure it’s off. After you find relief in checking, the pattern begins again.”
Holly Craib, a 21-year-old art student in Ottawa, agreed. “I don’t even consciously decide to check my social media. In a moment of boredom, quietness, or loneliness, I just automatically reach for my phone and start scrolling.” She describes the frustration of an hour or two slipping by, checking Twitter or “doom scrolling,” pulling herself up short when she realizes she’s making herself insecure by comparing her accomplishments to those she’s seeing on her feeds.
Dobson echoed Craib’s assessment, explaining that there are myriad things that pull us toward social media. We may fear we’re missing out. Then there’s the pull of social currency: wanting to be sure we can contribute to a conversation about a particular social media event, personality, or meme.
But things can take a dangerous turn when our insecurities are being mined as precious data by organizations seeking to profit from our distress. Eating disorders have increased during the pandemic, and researchers are connecting the link between being in lockdown and having constant access to tempting content that reinforces negative thoughts and damaging behaviours.
A love-hate relationship
“It’s a vicious cycle,” said Craib. “I think like a lot of people my age, I have a love-hate relationship with my phone. I’ll often see friends posting the equivalent of ‘you’ll have to reach me on my landline’ because they are taking a breather from all the noise on social media.”
Once you’ve shown an interest a certain kind of content, algorithms designed to snag your attention quickly respond with reinforcing information. Suddenly, a single search like “How to lose five pounds” becomes a tsunami of diet content. If you weren’t convinced you needed to slim down before that innocuous search, you’re suddenly inundated with the message that you absolutely do.
“And therein lies the danger of being a passive consumer,” said Dobson. “I realize that the tools we have in our arsenal are relatively weak against a billion dollar behemoth that lives in our pocket and seemingly reads our minds, but that’s why we’ve got to be doubly savvy.”
Coming to grips with virtual reality
If you grew up with Seventeen magazine, for example, which you could read and put aside, it may be hard to conceive just how ubiquitous social media’s influence has become. It’s not just the latest trends, funny jokes, and a way to stay in touch with grandma. It’s the whole world in the palm of your hand — and for a lot of young people it becomes their validation, their connection, and their biggest detractor.
Craib said cutting herself off from her phone would be like cutting a lifeline, especially during COVID. “Virtual connection has been part of my life since I was logging on to MSN Messenger when I was in elementary school. I got my Facebook account when I was 13. I don’t know how not to connect with people this way. But I also understand it’s playing on my vulnerabilities, and that’s a fine line to walk.”
Dobson advocates education as the most powerful tool we have — especially for parents of young people. He urges parents to learn about social media and to openly discuss the content their children are seeking, teaching them from an early age how to be critical consumers. “Having them ask, ‘What is the purpose of this image?’ And then, ‘How does it make me feel?’ gives them an opportunity to see if their thoughts are being distorted by unhealthy, unrealistic standards of beauty or accomplishment, for example.”
He also advocates clear boundaries that, he readily admits, won’t necessarily be easy to enforce.
“Some obvious ones for me are no phones in the bedroom, time-limited access to phones and computers, and pursuing other activities that give you an endorphin rush that’s earned without strings attached.”
Learning an instrument, exercising, going for a walk, or having a meaningful conversation with a close friend are social media alternatives that give our brain a feel-good boost, without the inevitable crash.
But for Craib, the work she does as an artist keeps her tethered to the platform she finds most problematic. “Instagram is a natural place to showcase my art, which I love making. But it’s also a forum where you can start to feel unseen, drowned out, or less prolific. I suppose in that way it’s a bit like having a frenemy. On the one hand, you’re able to put yourself out into the world. And, on the other, the world is there to respond.”
Taming the beast
But for April Yorke, there are ways to tame the beast. During her time as the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s manager of digital marketing, she has mastered the skill of making social media work for her, rather than the other way around. And she’s quick to point out that using the platforms can also have positive mental health benefits.
“One of the best things about social media is that it lets you home in on your interests. If you love puppies, fly fishing, and knitting, you can bet you are going to see puppies and fly fishing and knitting, morning till night.”
But if you sense that the algorithm has turned against you (when #HowToLoseFivePounds is all the content you see), Yorke recommends turning the algorithm to your advantage. “Start searching for what makes you happy. When you find it, make sure you like, follow, subscribe, and comment — any action you can take to engage with it. It won’t take long for the algorithm to pick up on where your new interests lie and start pushing you in that direction.”
And if you are still seeing something you don’t like? “Report it. Block the account. Social media gives you those options because they don’t want to show you stuff you don’t want to see and eventually lose you as a customer. Complete the feedback loop by also making it clear what you don’t want.”
Craib is also a proponent of this approach. “I’ve given Twitter a list of words or phrases or subjects a mile long that I am not interested in reading about ad nauseam. It’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
Dialing it back
If those two options aren’t enough, Yorke has another idea. “Act like a feuding celebrity and take yourself back to zero. Unfollow absolutely everyone you are currently following. Remove your own posts and photos that you no longer wish to see.”
Yorke has a friend who took a multi-year break from social media. When he made his return, he used only one network and carefully curated who he was following.
“Now,” said Yorke, “using social media makes him feel inspired in a way that it never did before.”
It’s not usual to see articles recommending strategic avoidance or deleting apps altogether. While that may be the right move for some — it’s not really an option for social media managers or people like Craib, who are required to leverage the connectivity of social media to showcase their work or run a business.
But as Yorke said, “Once you winnow down your list of follows, it doesn’t take as long to ‘get caught up’ (whatever that means), so you spend less time on the app. Now I mostly see my close friends and ads for travel bags with lots of pockets — an important reminder that a big wide world beyond the screen is out there.”
Suzanne Westover
Illustrator: Holly Craib https://www.hollcee.com/
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
This morning I woke up to find that my nose was running, and I had a cough. Is it the dreaded COVID-19? The common cold? This year’s strain of influenza? Allergies?
So, I took an over-the-counter cough and cold medication (and maybe an allergy pill, just to be safe) to deal with the symptoms.
Luckily my COVID-19 rapid test was negative, so I may never know the real cause of this illness. All I can do is treat the symptoms and take care of myself the best I can. I get lots of rest and drink lots of fluids. I eat some chicken soup, drink lemon tea, and use a chest rub and lozenges. I will self-isolate and wait it out.
If my symptoms worsen or new ones emerge – trouble breathing or a high fever, for example – I might have to seek medical help. My doctor might prescribe treatments for these symptoms – acetaminophen to lower the temperature, a puffer to open the airways – and if it gets worse (God forbid!) I may end up in hospital on a ventilator. The doctors may do some tests to identify the cause of the symptoms. Is it viral, such as COVID-19 or influenza or bacterial? Asthma or allergies? If they can determine the cause, they can actually treat the disease rather than just treating my symptoms.
The difference here – between treating the symptoms and treating the actual illness – is not one of semantics. It is the difference between the syndrome and the disease.
A syndrome is a collection of symptoms that “run together” (from the Greek: syn=together and drome=run) without any identifiable cause.
A disease has an identifiable cause that results in the signs and symptoms that present clinically, such as COVID-19, or a dust allergy.
Most mental illnesses are syndromes – collections of symptoms that tend to “run together”. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5), the authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders, helps the clinician to diagnose based on these syndromes. My Bipolar 2 disorder diagnosis is based on a set of symptoms that I live with and, like my runny nose and cough, could really be caused by any number of different diseases. Psychiatric treatments, then, like my medication and talk therapy, are prescribed to treat the signs and symptoms that I present with, based on the DSM-5 and my doctor’s clinical experience with syndromes similar to mine in other patients.
I believe this may help to explain why our psychiatric treatments are so often ineffective. In the case of depression, for example, only one third of patients receive sufficient benefit from their first treatment. I have been struggling with a depressive episode of my Bipolar 2 disorder for nearly two years now and have tried multiple treatments and combinations of treatments with no relief of my symptoms. Just as an antibiotic won’t help my runny nose and cough if the disease is actually viral, the various treatments I am trying for my bipolar depression may not actually be addressing the disease underlying my illness.
That isn’t to say that there are no objective disease states that underlie psychiatric syndromes – I think that there are. Before we had microscopes to observe viruses and bacteria, every cough and sneeze was the same as any other. I believe it will take significant medical and scientific advances to identify the disease states underlying psychiatric syndromes, but we aren’t starting from scratch. For example, research has identified the bacterium that causes neurosyphilis and the misfolding proteins in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease. Brain-scanning technologies and even blood tests are currently being developed. We are closer now than we have ever been to understanding the diseases related to psychiatric syndromes.
Until then, though, the best we can do when experiencing the unpleasant symptoms of mental illness is to take care of ourselves the best we can, get lots of rest, and seek medical help when symptoms worsen, or new ones emerge. We need to continue to do good science and not lose hope. It is possible – even probable – that medical science is uncovering another psychiatric disease and transforming our understanding of the causes and treatments of the psychiatric syndromes that cause so much suffering.
In the meantime, though, my chicken soup and lemon tea are getting cold, and my pillow is calling. Any suggestions for shows I can binge?
Author: Jessica Ward-King
Subscribe to Catalyst
Subscribe to get our magazine delivered right to your inbox
Share This Catalyst
Related Articles
Putting psychological safety and physical safety on equal footing makes for good policy and practice. A look at changing the narrative within the oil and gas sectors
When the language of isolation, quarantine, and lockdown predominates, there isn’t much room for words like socialize, connect, or empathize. Yet even though the pandemic has made our workplaces more prone than ever to stress and anxiety, creating a culture that gives workers the confidence to ask for mental health support has always been a challenge.
Steve Tizzard knows first-hand what the experience of stigma toward mental health problems at work looks like. He has worked at Hibernia, an oil platform on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and Labrador, for 25 years and has been front and centre during the company’s shift toward supporting mental wellness.
Tizzard characterizes the earlier stigmatizing attitudes in stark terms:
“You have depression? Go home, you cannot cut it in this industry. You have anxiety? Suck it up, partner, don’t let anyone else hear you say that! Relationship problems? Financial problems? Addiction? All part of the industry. You’re a rough and tumble oil-rig worker; these things cannot affect you!” —As a result, workers often felt they needed to hide their problems and didn’t feel they could ask for help.
Today, of course, these attitudes are giving way. More and more employers understand that mental health problems can affect anyone, no matter what position or industry they’re in, and as Tizzard points out, help is only a conversation away. Teaching workers that it’s OK to let another worker know they’re struggling, having a bad day, or are in crisis — while knowing they will not be judged — is a powerful tool in a workplace.
This simple approach has worked for many Hibernia employees, and its power, Tizzard said, comes from the fact that it is led by workers themselves. Instead of relying on professional supports alone, workers know that others are ready to listen and assist, if necessary. His experience has also taught him that this method may be more effective and immediate than conventional strategies in workplace psychological safety.
He passionately believes in the power of sharing lived experience in open dialogue during workplace safety meetings. “We need to constantly find ways to discuss mental health in the same way as physical health in our workplaces,” he said. By educating workers, saying the words “mental health” in safety meetings and including them in occupational health and safety initiatives, stigma can be reduced.
That said, putting psychological safety on par with physical safety can still be a challenge. As Tizzard puts it, “for some organizations it’s OK to have a sprained ankle but not anxiety. It’s acceptable to bring physical safety issues to the forefront of the workplace agenda but not concerns about psychological safety.”
Despite such challenges, his active support of psychological health and safety at Hibernia has helped it make significant strides. In 2015, the Hibernia wellness committee Tizzard founded was recognized by Canada’s Safest Employers, which awarded the company a gold medal for psychological safety.
When asked what others might look out for when seeking to establish a psychologically safe workplace culture, he said, “any advocate or passionate worker ready to implement a workplace program will need to know it’s not a smooth road much of the time. At first, stigma will always be the main factor in gaining momentum, but the mindset of workers and managers can also hinder success.”
For a program to succeed, Tizzard added, many factors need to line up. What is essential is having a foundation of support from ownership, management, occupational health and safety, and of course, workers themselves. Some of the tools Hibernia is using include micro-learning, wellness boards, and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training.
MHFA is a Mental Health Commission of Canada program that teaches people how to offer help to someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis or worsening mental health. Since 2007, almost 600,000 people in Canada have been trained.
According to Tizzard, by combining the right information and skills with an open mind, “trained and caring workers on our shop floors can be so effective in reducing physical and mental injury. It’s an avenue for help that many might not think could exist, but it can be the front-line resource for people in need. I live it every single day.”
Steve Tizzard has worked on the Hibernia platform since 1997, for the last 22 years in a communications, weather, and ice-management capacity. He is the founding member of the offshore wellness committee that serves workers in the oil and gas industry. Apart from the gold medal in psychological safety Hibernia received in 2015, it earned the CM Hincks Workplace Award in 2017 from the Canadian Mental Health Association for excellence in fostering workplace mental health. Steve is also an MHFA instructor and is certified as a psychological health and safety advisor. To learn more about his work, visit www.allthebestconsulting.com.
Nicole Chevrier
In Canada, at least 1 in 3 adolescent students have reported being bullied and almost half of parents have reported having a child that is the victim of bullying. Yet, in most cases, bullying stops within 10 seconds when peers intervene, or do not support the bullying behaviour.
Kids who are bullied are not the only ones affected. Those who witness it as well as the bullies themselves can be seriously impacted. Kids who are bullied are more likely to experience negative outcomes:
- Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood.
- Low self-esteem and difficulty trusting others
- Health issues
- Decreased academic achievement
Bullying is preventable. Research shows that kids can develop traits that are correlated to better outcomes when faced with bullying:
- solid self-esteem
- assertiveness
- strong social skills
- healthy friendships
Kids with these traits are not only less likely to be targeted by bullies but also are better equipped to deal with bullying if it does happen. Some kids appear to come by these traits naturally, but the fact is that kids can develop effective coping skills such as emotional resilience.
There are many ways we can help kids to develop resilience. Here are a few:
- Self esteem
- Positive thinking
- Feelings management
- Problem solving skills
- Self-discovery opportunities
Preventing bullying is everyone’s responsibility. One easy way to start is to inform yourself. You can find a wealth of information and tips about bullying online but it’s always a good idea to be careful and get your information from trusted sources. Check out some of the links in this article to learn more about bullying from some of the experts.
Despite the increasing number of schools adopting bully prevention programs, their effectiveness has been shown to vary. Some of the more successful approaches focus on the root causes of bullying behaviour while teaching social and emotional intelligence.
Social-emotional learning involves developing self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills. Parents, family, and peers can help kids to build these skills that will not only help to prevent bullying, but will lead to success at school, at work, and in life.
Author: Nicole Chevrier
Subscribe to Catalyst
Subscribe to get our magazine delivered right to your inbox
Share This Catalyst
Related Articles
When I first learned that Carolyn Bennett had been named Canada’s inaugural minister of mental health and addictions, I was overcome with gratitude.
Naturally, I was grateful for the growing spotlight on mental health and substance use — a light that has expanded both in scope and intensity over the past two years. But I was equally thankful to be gaining a new ally — one that I hoped could help answer the question that drives all of us at the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC): How can we best support the people of Canada through these challenging times?
Last month, I had the opportunity to sit down with the minister for a virtual interview that would answer that question and many others.
Taking a holistic approach
As we began our conversation, it didn’t take long to recognize that, while Minister Bennett may be new to the role, she was well steeped in the topic. When asked which misconception about mental health she would most like to correct, she answered without hesitation.
“Everyone needs to understand the difference between mental health and mental illness,” she told me. “When Dr. Brock Chisholm (The World Health Organization’s first director-general from 1948 to 1953) said, ‘there is no true health without mental health,’ he was right. We can’t talk about physical health without considering the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a person’s well-being.”
With a long career as a family physician before entering politics, Minister Bennett carries a deep understanding of the inextricable link between mental and physical health. She also knows first-hand what happens when that link is overlooked.
“Working in family medicine,” she said, “you hear about people’s difficulties every day. I remember seeing executive reports come in, knowing the patient was struggling with family problems and other issues, but none of those things were included. Someone’s cardiogram or body mass index doesn’t paint a full picture of how well that person is.” Such a disjointed approach, she added, contributes to the stigma around mental illness.
Fortunately, she said, COVID-19 has given us a new opportunity to make a change for the better. As the disease has taken a steep toll on both physical and mental health, it has also underscored the intersection between the two.
“With COVID, people have gotten better about admitting when they’re struggling,” she explained. “If even one out of every two people can speak up when their mental health is deteriorating, it will reduce the stigma and we’ll be in a much better position to address the issues long term.”
Opening new doors to care
Of course, as Minister Bennett was quick to point out, stigma is just one piece of the puzzle. And responding to the new and existing mental health needs in Canada will require innovation and co‑operation at every level.
One example of that innovation is the Stepped Care 2.0 © model — championed and scaled up by the MHCC — which provides the least intensive form of support deemed appropriate, which is then “stepped” up or down as needed. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the model contributed to a 68 per cent reduction in wait times for mental health services — and Minister Bennett is hopeful for similar success elsewhere.
“In post-secondary institutions, for instance, it’s not that every student needs a psychologist,” she explained. “They may get the support they need from proper orientation or peer counselling.”
In another example, the minister cited a study of 40 women in need of perinatal mental health support. Of those 40, only two met the criteria that would require a specialized perinatal psychiatrist.
“The provinces and territories are excited about this model. They’re doing a great job working together and learning from each other to implement these sorts of programs and advance our understanding in many areas,” she said, noting their shared focus on developing culturally safe, trauma-informed care. “They’re working across boundaries to share the best ideas and make them even better.”
The high praise for provinces and territories brings up the question that some have asked since the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions post was created. Where does the federal government best fit into the health care equation?
“The delivery of health care is provincial or territorial. But whatever we can do at the federal level to lighten the load, we should. Health — including mental health — is a shared responsibility between all orders of government,” she said.
The minister is also passionate about the federal government’s other role in improving mental health, one that starts from the inside.
“We have mental health challenges across all branches of government,” she said. “Veterans, Corrections, Indigenous, RCMP. So how do we become an exemplary employer? We have to be able to take care of our own people and walk the talk when it comes to mental health.”
Drawing on outside strength
When our discussion turns to safeguarding her own mental health, Minister Bennett’s insights reaffirm much of what we know about protective factors.
She talks about the importance of social connection, expressing gratitude for her great team at work, and her partner, Peter, who she describes as her number one supporter. “I could be working all night for three days, and he still greets me like I’m Gretzky after a hat trick when I get home.”
She also talks about physical activity, describing walks with her yellow lab, Ripley, beneath the magical tree cover of Toronto’s Beltline Trail, and hobbies like Oscar homework, which comes with the territory when you’re married to someone in the film industry.
Finally, she talks about the peace she finds in nature, particularly during visits to Georgian Bay. “I need to look out at that point where the sky meets the water — to notice how the water looks different every time,” she said. “Being able to see something bigger than yourself, something that you can’t control, is a good reminder that plans can change.”
And it’s exactly that philosophy that the minister hopes to help instill for Canada’s people during this pandemic period and beyond.
Charting the path forward
“There are two kinds of immunizations important for Canadians right now,” she said. “One is for COVID-19, and the other is immunization against uncertainty.”
Here, she is referring both to the pandemic and other global issues like climate change, which increase our levels of stress and anxiety.
“Resilience is recognizing that your day isn’t going to go exactly as you planned it out in your agenda —and learning to be OK with that,” she said. “We need to provide people with the tools to build that kind of resilience and autonomy when things don’t go according to plan.”
“I also hope we’ll get better at being able to reach out to those who may be struggling, those who don’t seem like themselves. COVID has taught us that we can be together while apart. How can we leverage that to build resilience and show people that they aren’t alone?”
Answering that question on a nationwide scale is at the heart of the minister’s ambitious mandate — one that she is ready and eager to fulfil.
“We aim to have a mental health strategy that everyone can see themselves in. That will mean looking to national standards and establishing minimum expectations to build on,” she explained. “Out of that, we’ll ensure that money meant for mental health goes to mental health through transfers and collect more research and data in the process. Understanding those outcomes will be critical in making the best decisions in the future.”
Over the longer term, the minister hopes to help build a more cohesive system of care.
“We’ve been fighting this patchwork quilt of non-systems for a long time. How do we make sure mental health is totally integrated into systems of health? This can’t be the turf of this profession or that,” she said. “We need to move away from a scope of practice with hard lines and toward core competencies that can expand. That’s how we’ll create a more modern and effective way of getting people what they need when they need it.”
It’s a tall order, but Minister Bennett has spent her career proving that she’s not afraid of a challenge.
“We can do this,” she said. “Canadians are counting on it.”
Michel Rodrigue
Related Articles
To say I was not fully prepared for post-secondary studies is an understatement. It was not a question of intelligence or academic ability. It had more to do with my mental health and lack of support. Yet against all odds, I was successful and graduated from university. How did I manage to complete my degree? Sheer grit and determination.
I was not alone in the struggle. Amongst my circle, almost everyone had either experienced or knew of someone living with anxiety, depression, substance use, or eating disorders. It was so common that it almost went without saying. Almost. For myself, I felt the power and the pain of stigma without ever having heard that word.
Besides, it can be difficult to recognize when you need help. People need to get help on their own terms when they are ready. For me, finding safe, inclusive, and non-judgmental help for mental health on campus seemed almost impossible. So, while I made it through and completed my degree, I recognize that not everyone is so lucky.
The fact is that not all students come to the post-secondary journey on equal footing. I knew plenty of students living in grinding poverty. I was among the many I knew whose grades suffered as a result of working just to survive.
The stakes are high. Who can afford to flunk out or struggle to find the cash to repeat a year? Students feel tremendous pressure to perform in a system that is highly competitive. What makes it even more difficult is the heavy focus on academic success which can discourage students from seeking help.
For too long the only choices appeared to be either fitting in to the range of normal academic performance, failing entirely, or asking for some type of accommodation, which puts someone in a position where they can feel like they are less worthy or capable than others.
In some ways, things are changing. We have been witnessing a shift in societal attitudes toward mental health, and growing understanding of how many people are impacted. We often hear statistics such as one in five people in Canada will experience a mental health problem or illness in any given year, accompanied by the message that it’s okay to not be okay.
Despite some important progress, post-secondary students continue to struggle with their mental health. Research shows that three out of four mental health problems start by age 24, when many young people are either in or just out of post-secondary studies. In a Canadian Alliance of Student Associations survey conducted in May 2020, more than 70 per cent of students said they had felt stressed, anxious, or isolated due to the pandemic, and more than 80 per cent were worried about their futures beyond the pandemic.
What is encouraging is that despite the pandemic or perhaps because of it, many students are speaking up, driving solutions for themselves and their peers, and supporting each other.
Students are not the only ones taking action on mental health. Post-secondary institutions across Canada have started taking more steps to better support the mental health of their students. The National Standard of Canada for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students, created by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), is helping academic institutions better support students and integrate student mental health into their services, supports and systems. A starter kit is available to help people learn more and get started.
If you are interested in learning how to support the mental health of students, you may wish to look at the Inquiring Mind (TIM), the MHCC’s evidence-based training program developed to promote mental health and reduce the stigma of mental illness in a student setting.
There is more that needs to be done, but when I reflect on how far we have come, it gives me hope for future generations of students.
Author:Nicole Chevrier
An avid writer and photographer. A first-time author, she recently published her first children’s book to help children who are experiencing bullying. When she isn’t at her desk, Nicole loves to spend her time doing yoga and meditation, ballroom dancing, hiking, and celebrating nature with photography. She is a collector of sunset moments.
Subscribe to Catalyst
Subscribe to get our magazine delivered right to your inbox
Share This Catalyst
Related Articles
The shift to permanent hybrid office schedules in post-pandemic workplaces presents a unique challenge for managers and team leaders. Although flexible work has been shown to reduce psychological and physical stress in previously non-remote employees, a distributed team requires different approaches in managing employee orientation, performance issues, and conflicts. While the pandemic may have emphasized the importance of mental health in the workplace, leaders may find that the human elements of their roles, including their ability to regularly connect and relate with their employees, have become more complex.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) has created a resource for managers looking to minimize the virtual divide in the workplace. The Manager’s Toolkit: Leading in a Hybrid Work Environment provides actionable guidelines for managing workplace conflicts and maintaining social cohesion.
“The Manager’s Toolkit provides useful and concrete information to people supporting and leading others, to help them resolve workplace challenges in a way that puts people first,” says Nicole Chevrier, Marketing and Communications Manager at the MHCC.
Most importantly, The Manager’s Toolkit presents a strategy for integrating mental health awareness into hybrid environments and helps managers to recognize signs of declining mental health in employees.
“Applying The Manager’s Toolkit to assess the mental health of your team is similar to how medical professionals scan and evaluate the health of their patients,” explains Dr. Ellen Choi, Assistant Professor in Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University).
The resource includes workplace scenarios and actionable solutions for a multitude of managerial responsibilities affected by hybrid work. These include strategies for managing performance issues, conflict resolution, onboarding, mental wellness, and mental health awareness.
Using A People-First Lens When Addressing Performance Issues
Because signs of burnout, anxiety, and stress are less apparent during virtual interactions, the first sign of an employee in distress may be in their performance.
“You may find out that it’s not entirely a performance issue, and that other underlying factors are contributing to this change,” explains Samuel Breau, Manager of Access to Quality Mental Health Services at the MHCC.
Virtual teams will make the ability to understand employee issues more important, and more challenging at the same time. The Manager’s Toolkit provides strategies for leaders to evaluate their existing processes for performance measurement and productivity with a more holistic view of the employee. This includes encouraging dialogue around burnout and anxiety, responding with empathy, and supporting employees in prioritizing their mental health.
Dr. Ellen Choi – Photo credit: Ivey School of Business, Western University
Creating A Conversation for Conflict Resolution
Because distributed teams may interact less, conflicts are more likely to be reflected in meetings, emails, and collaborations, without a clear space for conversation. In hybrid environments, the role of a manager in facilitating critical conversations is emphasized, says Dr. Choi. “Honest conversations test the temperature of the hybrid workplace, so when vitals are low in the team, leaders can step up and hold that space or steady it for others.”
The Manager’s Toolkit provides useful strategies for leading conflict resolution in a way that models open communication, to prevent further issues from repeating.
Thinking Outside the Box in Virtual Onboarding
Engaging with work teams is an important way for new employees to feel included, informed, and connected, and managers can help to make this experience fun for all. Julia Armstrong, a manager of the Mental Health and Substance Use program at MHCC, suggests using input from your employees’ own interests and hobbies to plan virtual team warm-ups and social events, for a more authentic experience.
“This is so critical, and not just when onboarding. Find out how team members would enjoy spending time together before assuming you know what folks want,” explains Armstrong. “Sometimes the simplest gatherings can foster the most meaningful connections when you need them most.”
Normalizing Health and Wellness: A Prevention, Not A Cure
Creating a safe space to talk openly about mental health in the workplace is equally as important for employees as it is for managers, says Dr. Choi. “You can’t empathize with others’ vulnerability if you yourself can’t be vulnerable. If you’re unable to stop judging yourself, it prevents you from allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and you may end up just judging other people’s vulnerability as weakness.”
Dr. Choi believes keeping mental health top of mind starts from within. Specifically, managers who may feel the pressure to ‘hold it together’ or be ‘all-knowing’ should regularly practice self-compassion.
“When you feel you have no room to fail, when everyone’s counting on you, you may have limited access to ‘be human’. Without that buffer around our own psyche that allows for vulnerability, there is only a brittleness, and that’s unsustainable,” says Dr. Choi. “Challenge defeating self-talk or self-doubt by relating to the parts of yourself that are overwhelmed by asking ‘am I doing the best I can?’ [or] ‘what do I need right now to give myself a break?'”
Checking In, Not Checking Up, On Staff
Managers of hybrid teams must find new ways to monitor the mental wellness of their teams, and taking a leading role in destigmatizing mental health can make this task easier. The Manager’s Toolkit provides multiple strategies for creating dialogue around mental health at work, including casual check-ins, sharing their own stories, and understanding the signs of declining mental health through training, like The Working Mind.
Whichever approach feels most comfortable, having an open mind while lending an ear to employees is at the heart of creating a safe space of trust and communication between managers and teams in a hybrid workplace.
“We can apply the same principles of being a compassionate leader that listens attentively, observes and checks in when noticing changes,” explains Samuel Breau. “A hybrid model means being even more disciplined in practicing those listening and observing muscles.”
The Manager’s Toolkit serves as a resource for managers navigating the changes of hybrid workplaces with a mental health focus. Find more information on The Mental Health Commission of Canada, and further resources here.
