We can’t continue to provide the best support to others unless we make sure we take care of ourselves first during these unique times
My last blog focused on the importance of checking in on others. As important as this is, the truth is we can’t continue to provide the best support to others unless we make sure we take care of ourselves first during these unique times.
But what does this mean taking care of ourselves?
It’s no surprise that some of us tend to be natural helpers, the ones that friends and family often turn to in time of stress or crisis. Keeping this in mind, it’s important not to underestimate the effect that this can have own our own mental health. Being the person on the receiving end of phone calls, emails or texts from loved ones or friends takes a toll, and it’s important we can be our best self in order to be the best support possible.
When we talk about self-care, we need to realize that not everyone enjoys the same self-care activities. When people tell me that gardening is their self-care, my usual response is “ugh”, followed by an offer for them to do all my gardening. Funny enough, no one has ever taken me up on my offer; to me, gardening is work not fun. But it’s not about me, it’s about what others do to “refill their cup”.
Given our current situation, some of us may not be able to do or participate in our favourite self-care activities which means it’s time to get creative. For those who recharge their batteries by socializing with friends, we’ve seen an influx of online platforms that provide us with an opportunity to connect. I’ve seen people having dinners or trivia nights via video chats and one of my friends even organized a virtual “dance night”. I’ve also seen gyms hosting free, virtual workout classes which is an amazing way to stay active while being at home, if that’s something you enjoy doing.
For others, they may require some quiet time to reenergize, which is completely okay. I’ve seen friends implementing a quiet time in the house, which could be another effective strategy. If you have children at home, remember, parents can take a timeout, too. Colouring, reading and writing are all other effective self-care strategies.
You need to do what helps improve your mental health, however that looks.
Please remember, none of us have lived through a pandemic before and we don’t have a handbook. Keep yourself in a good place by practicing self-care daily and please be kind to yourself.
We invite you to share your self-care strategies with us on Facebook and Twitter and be sure to check out the Mental Health First Aid Self-Care and Resilience Guide.
Be well,
Denise
Interview with Christine Devine, Wellness Specialist, Michael Garron Hospital on sharing Best Practices for Supporting the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers During Covid-19.
Mental Health Commission of Canada Interview with Christine Devine, Wellness Specialist, Michael Garron Hospital on sharing Best Practices for Supporting the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers During Covid-19.
As healthcare workers grapple with providing care to patients with Covid-19, there is a need to protect their mental health as well as their physical health.
Liz Horvath, Manager, Workplace Mental Health, Opening Minds, Mental Health Commission of Canada interviewed Christine Devine, Wellness Specialist at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, Ontario.
Christine shared the practices that her hospital has put in place that may help other healthcare organizations, as well as organizations in other sectors that may be dealing with similar challenges.
Here are the topics addressed in this interview:
- The challenges that the response to COVID-19 is having on the mental health of staff
- Advice for leaders to help to calm the nerves of healthcare workers
- What healthcare workers who are dealing with some very difficult circumstances and decisions should be doing to care for themselves and protect their mental health
- Advice on protecting the mental health of other staff in healthcare organizations during COVID-19
- How to help healthcare workers with their off-the-job mental health (those with families at home and those who live alone)
- The National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace has made with respect to supporting the mental health of workers during this pandemic
- Focus of the leadership team going forward. Learn more about mental health resources for healthcare sector visit our website: https://theworkingmind.ca/healthcare-resources
Introduction
Can you please put into context the challenges that the response to COVID-19 is having on the mental health of staff?
What advice do you have for leaders to help to calm the nerves of healthcare workers
What impact did these steps have on the workers
What should healthcare employees be doing to care for themselves and protect their mental health?
What advice do you have on protecting the mental health of other hospital staff during COVID-19?
What healing will look like after COVID-19?
How can we help them with their off-the-job mental health?
What advice what you have for the healthcare workers with families and aging parents?
What effect did the adoption of the National Standard of Canada on Psychological Health and Safety in your hospital have with respect to supporting the mental health of workers during this pandemic
What is your leadership team focusing on?
Are there specific tools that you’re using to help manage through this time?
The purpose of today’s blog is to help us all remember the importance of checking-in on one other as we continue to deal and cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of us are facing challenges that we may have never encountered before, which can be extremely difficult to manage. However, with this is mind, we must try to remember that in order to be able to provide support to others, we need to take care of ourselves first and foremost.
Some of us may tend to be natural helpers; the ones our friends and family turn to in times of stress, and it is very important that we’re able to be at our best when supporting those around us.
One topic we discuss in depth during a MHFA course is the idea of checking on others. We know that self-isolation can lead to poor social health, which directly impacts one’s mental heath. That’s why today, I am encouraging you to check-in on those around you to see how they’re doing. Make sure they have any supports necessary in place, ask if they have family, friends, neighbours who they connect with daily, whether in person, respecting physical distancing of course, or online. Ask them what they’re doing to pass the time or even schedule a regular phone or video call to see how they’re doing.
We especially want to be mindful of seniors living alone, as they may benefit from being checked-in on a bit more often.
When you’re asking someone how they’re doing, it’s very important to remember it’s not just about their physical health but their mental health as well. Ask them how they’re dealing with everything and take the time to listen and validate any concerns they may be having. There are uncertainties during this time but provide facts, i.e. if someone is worried abut grocery stores running out of food, remind them the shelves are being stocked daily and stores remain open. Let them know that you’re there for them if they need anything, and that they can always reach out to talk.
Sometimes, we all just need someone there to listen to us, and truthfully, this is one of the most important types of support we can provide. We can all do our part to help create a safe place and stay present – by providing empathy and an understanding. You’d be surprised to see the positive impact this can have on someone.
If you get a sense that someone may be struggling with a mental health problem and may benefit for additional supports, be sure to familiarize yourself with local/national resources and provide them with that information. Research if your area has a Distress Centre or local crisis line, or resources to a specific age group such as Kids Help Phone.
Let’s work together to take care of ourselves as well as those around us.
Denise Waligora has a Bachelor of Science Degree and over 20 years of working in the mental health field. Prior to joining the Mental Health Commission as Training and Delivery Specialist for Mental Health First Aid in 2011, Denise’s professional experiences included psychiatric nursing, Residential Program Director, IBI Therapist at CHEO, Crisis Worker and Case Manager in a justice program. Denise has been facilitating MHFA since 2008 and The Working Mind since 2019.
Author: Unknown
Webinar Interview with Catherine Wilcox, manager of Health and Wellness at Island Health in Vancouver BC
As we continue to navigate work and life during the COVID-19 pandemic, it can more challenging to ensure high levels of employee engagement. Using the guidance in the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace can help. In this interview, Catherine Wilcox of Island Health stresses the importance of diversity and inclusion and building relationships in workplace systems as a key component of psychological health and safety. This interview Catherine explains the tremendous work that Island Health has been doing with the Standard to ensure that all workers feel supported and included. The conversation touches on activities around several key topics:
- Diversity and inclusion
- Psychological support
- Clear leadership and expectations
- Other chronic stressors as identified by workers
- Organizational culture
- Peer support
- Community support
- Civility and respect
Watch the webinar
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National suicide prevention week in Quebec
For the last 30 years, l’Association québecoise de prevention du suicide (AQPS) has devoted the first week in February to fostering conversations on suicide prevention.
Yet, as you read this over your morning coffee, today, three people in Quebec will die by suicide and 11 more will be hospitalized.
They are our friends, loved ones, colleagues and neighbours.
A lot has changed in thirty years, and as our understanding has grown thanks to the effort of pioneers like the AQPS, we’ve debunked a lot of myths.
For example, we know asking someone if they are experiencing suicidal thoughts won’t “plant an idea in their head.”
But much more work is needed.
Research has shown us that almost everyone who dies by suicide visits their family doctor in the six months before they take drastic action.
What questions aren’t primary care providers asking, and why? And how can we better equip them to respond to the mental health needs of their patients?
In addition to engaging with public health practitioners, we know that growing public awareness is key – a role for governments, civil society as well as media.
We no longer believe it’s constructive for the media to hush suicides for fear of contagion. But we do know that responsible reporting on the topic is critical.
From eschewing sensationalist coverage, to restraint around revealing method, there are important ways to frame a public dialogue about suicide that can save lives.
Above all, what we know is that while suicide results from a complex confluence of social and biological factors, we can work towards a society where prevention is a shared priority.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada has long made suicide prevention an important part of our work and continues to be grateful for opportunities to collaborate with and learn from our partners in Québec.
With the proliferation of Roots of Hope, our community-based suicide prevention project, we are reaching some 1.8 million people in eight communities across Canada and confirming that solutions must consider context and be community driven.
Roots of Hope principal researcher, Dr. Brian Mishara, an internationally renowned expert on suicidology, Professor at l’Université du Québec à Montréal, and co-founder of AQPS, said it best at the program’s launch in September 2019.
When describing the efforts of psychiatrists and psychologists who descended on Rwanda following the genocide, he explained that their interventions did more harm than good. As it turns out, everything about how they approached trauma, from isolating patients, to having them relive their experiences, and treating them indoors, was the opposite of what was culturally appropriate. To feel safe, they needed to be outdoors in the sunshine, surrounded by family, recalling happy times.
So, while the how of suicide prevention may be different in every community, what we share with our partners in Québec and across Canada is the resolve to reduce the devastation wrought by suicide, and a blueprint to leverage the strengths they know best.
30 years from now, it’s my hope that suicides will be the rarest of events, because we will have been successful in encouraging open and caring conversations and in building life saving supports and resources.
Today, in Canada 11 people will die by suicide. We know that by working together, it doesn’t have to be that way tomorrow.
This article originally appeared in Le Droit on February 11th, 2020.
Louise Bradley
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In March, we celebrate Social Work Month and acknowledge the contributions of social workers. Whether they’re connecting someone who has lived experience of substance use to supportive housing, helping a survivor of gender-based violence find accessible childcare options, or working on mental health policies for post-secondary students, no two days are alike. But each day requires the kind of selflessness that few professions demand.
Of course, selflessness has its own set of perils. Social workers are faced with situations of childhood poverty, sexual assault, and bear witness to the structural inequality in our world. Such experiences expose them to ongoing vicarious trauma and often lead to compassion fatigue. Yet, as Polly Leonard, Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) program manager and registered social worker, noted, “There can be an attitude of stoicism among social workers who feel like their distress pales in comparison to that of their clients.”
Who, for example, can social workers turn to for support when their friends or colleagues double as the therapists they’re encouraged to talk to? “If you do seek external support, you have to search high and low to be sure that you don’t end up talking to a friend or colleague who also works as a private therapist,” said Leonard.
Louise Bradley, MHCC president and CEO, concurred. “Social workers are truly the unsung heroes of the caring professions. While firefighters and police officers may make headlines for grand displays of courage, social workers must dig deep into their well of compassion every day. Not only do they advocate for the underserved and the vulnerable, they are regularly exposed to the kind of vicarious trauma that can lead to the operational stress injuries often associated with other first responders.”
Leonard summed it up plainly: “When we’re finished talking about our cases, it doesn’t feel like there’s space left to talk about anything else.”
That’s one reason the Canadian Association of Social Workers encourages registered social workers to develop a clear understanding of how their work affects their well-being.
Few people are surprised to learn that health-care workers and other first responders face similar challenges to those of social workers.
Chronic stress and burnout are common in health care, with many workers reporting stress-related conditions like depression and anxiety or substance use disorders. The MHCC’s Caring for Healthcare Workers assessment tools can help organizations identify areas of vulnerability and improve their workers’ psychological health and safety.
Paramedics, firefighters, and police officers, who experience PTSD at two times the rate of the general population, also have an increased risk of depression, substance use, and thoughts of suicide.
For paramedics, who have some of the highest rates of mental illness in the country, the CSA Group developed the Paramedic Standard, whose dedicated workplace standards can help them shine a light on stigma, identify psychological hazards, and promote mental wellness.
For other workers in emergency response settings, The Working Mind First Responders (TWMFR) course is designed to promote mental wellness, build resiliency skills, and reduce the stigma of mental illness. Based on the mental health continuum model, TWMFR helps first responders recognize psychological injuries in themselves and their peers. There’s also a Family Package to help relatives open an informed and constructive dialogue within families.
Fortunately, through carefully developed tools and resources, these front-line workers have access to mental health resources as unique as the situations they face — whether they’re being featured on the front page or buried in the fine print.
Amber St. Louis
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Improving access to psychotherapy and encouraging women in science
When Dr. Patricia Lingley Pottie was about to graduate high school on Nova Scotia’s south shore in the early eighties, she was given the results of a new computerized aptitude test — which she calls a “very primitive precursor to today’s artificial intelligence, albeit a pioneer in its day.”
“I was assessed as being well-suited to three career path options,” she said, fresh off a flight from the Northwest Territories. The Strongest Families Institute (SFI), where she is president, CEO, and co-founder, has just received funding to expand its services from Bell Let’s Talk and the N.W.T. government.
SFI re-imagines what good mental health care looks like. It provides cost-effective solutions to the barriers often associated with receiving mental health care, and has strong, successful outcomes. The organization’s highly trained coaches deliver proven, skills-based programs to families in the comfort of their own homes (by phone and internet).
“I can’t emphasize how important such flexibility is,” said Pottie. “Many families that come to us have incomes around the poverty line, so missing work is a non-starter. SFI’s approach ensures that clients don’t miss work; plus,” she continued, her irrepressible passion bubbling to the surface, “our client-centred approach also means no waiting and no financial burden!”
When seeing those early aptitude test results, Pottie couldn’t have dreamed where her career would take her. “At that time,” she said, “my three best career choices were housewife, hairdresser, and nurse.” While wondering aloud about the role of sex and gender in her computer-generated tea leaves, she noted that “so many more doors are open to women today, and we’re seeing an increase in their numbers in the sciences.”
Pottie’s early career as a nurse at SickKids Hospital in Toronto, largely in the nephrology unit, reached a turning point when one of her smallest patients, a little girl named Judy, died from a rare genetic disorder after having lived through 28 agonizing surgeries and three transplants.
“In the three years I cared for Judy I watched her endure more than most people do in a lifetime. She was the inspiration for me to make the leap from caring to curing,” Pottie explained. “As a nurse, I could alleviate suffering, which is so important. But as a student who had always been enamoured with chemistry, math, and sciences, a big part of me wanted to do research, where I felt there was a capacity to learn more about how to prevent and cure illnesses.”
Fast-forward three decades, during which time Pottie has achieved many impressive milestones her aptitude test never imagined. She is now a world-renowned researcher with the IWK Health Centre in Halifax and an assistant professor in psychiatry at Dalhousie University. Together with co-researcher Dr. Patrick McGrath (SFI co-founder and board chair), Pottie is well on her way to turning the mental health service delivery model on its head.
“Innovation is important, and that’s why I’m so proud of how we’ve built the technology to deliver high-quality distance education and behavioral skills training for a fraction of what traditional programs cost.”
Pottie is talking about IRIS — an innovative software platform so sophisticated and integral to the running of SFI that ‘she’ is thought of as a fully fledged part of the team. “IRIS can tell us anything we ask her, because we built her from the ground up to be the most responsive, user-friendly, useful tool we could imagine.”
We’ve come so far from the early days of AI that you’d be forgiven for thinking IRIS was a human being with thoughts and feelings of her own. While Pottie’s effervescence is at its peak when she’s describing IRIS’s capabilities, she laments that running IRIS is no mean feat as a non-profit.
Luring programmers with the promise of “change-the-world work,” she hopes her small stable of computer scientists will soon be building an app that is the capstone of SFI’s stepped care model.
“If I won the lottery tomorrow, we’d be building an app people could use on- and off-line, not only in Canada’s rural and remote communities, but also for military personnel overseas,” enthused Pottie (her biggest challenge is explaining to potential funders how expensive IRIS is to maintain and advance). “I would also leverage the funds to ensure equitable access to our programs for all Canadians!”
SFI’s success is due largely to Pottie’s indomitable character. When asked what excites her, she exclaims, “Data! The information we mine is worth more than gold! With data, we can report outcome results to our clients and funders, and we know what changes are needed to meet our clients’ needs!”
Pottie’s generous spirit infuses everything she does. Her only frustration is being unable to help every family who knocks on her door.
But where she can effect change, she does. Pottie mentors nearly every potential leader who walks through SFI’s doors. She believes in the power of investing in the next generation of innovators and offers advice to young people who are seeking to find their path.
In Pottie’s own words, “Find a mentor whose beliefs, vision, and aspirations align with yours, then ask them to meet with you. It’s amazing how many will say yes.
There’s no stopping today’s young people. They aren’t confined to the narrow results of an aptitude test.”
As it turns out, neither was she.
Suzanne Westover
Mental Health First Aid Canada (MHFA), joins the efforts of our global family of first aiders to help those affected by fires in Australia.
MHFA Canada traces its origins to Australia where it was developed in 2001 and is now present in over 23 countries.
Over the next two months, we will be donating 100% of proceeds from sales of Charlie the MHFA Mascot to the Australian Red Cross.
The campaign will last through March 31, 2020.
If you would like to purchase the mascot, please fill in the form below and send it to mhfa@mentalhealthcommission.ca
#BeTheDifference for Australia!
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Remembering Aimee LeBlanc
Aimee LeBlanc loved winter. She spent her honeymoon in the Yukon in late summer, freezing in the back of a pickup with a hardtop camper. Aimee and her husband Dan were a devoted couple who made the most of life’s adventures, big and small.
Aimee was as unique and multi-faceted as the snowflakes she welcomed with joy each season. It takes a special kind of person to face a cancer diagnosis with grace and courage, but that is exactly who she was. As the disease ebbed and flowed for more than a decade, Aimee never let its shadow dim her spirit or encroach on the work she felt called to do.
Her early career in social work shaped her belief that the kind of meaningful change required to lift people out of poverty and afford them greater opportunities needed to begin with policy makers. That led her to spend nearly ten years learning the ins-and-outs of mental health policy with the Ontario government, which would provide a solid foundation for her work with housing and homelessness
Armed with this depth of knowledge, enhanced by her earlier hands-on experience, she had no interest in pushing paper. She wanted to push the envelope. She believed in society’s obligation to uplift the vulnerable — a conviction that was matched by her quiet leadership and fierce tenacity.
Aimee never allowed her deteriorating health to have agency over her joie de vivre. She lived each day in thrall to nature’s wonders, and she and Dan wrung joy from the mundane and the miraculous. Aimee’s can-do attitude and innate dignity are qualities that have left her colleagues inspired to roll up their sleeves in tribute to her unflagging optimism.
An indomitable spirit and zest for life infused her worldview. Every community Aimee visited, whether in Newfoundland or Nunavut, was an opportunity to explore — on foot in her time-worn hiking books or in her trusty canoe, lovingly nicknamed “Herkimer.”
Recruited by Dr. Paula Goering to fill the role of senior policy adviser with the MHCC, Aimee left her mark on Canada’s housing and homelessness policy through her contributions to At Home/Chez Soi. In a speech at the conclusion of the project, MHCC president and CEO Louise Bradley highlighted her extensive contributions.
“Quiet leadership is a quality Aimee has in spades,” said Bradley. “She always puts the work first. She never craves credit and she isn’t interested in limelight. What she wants, above all, is to see progress. To see people living with serious mental illness given the dignity of a safe place to live, and to support them as they progress in their recovery.”
Aimee’s work on the heels of At Home saw her channel her compassion and expertise into the crafting of Guidelines for Recovery-Oriented Practice. This commitment to recovery stayed with Aimee even in her final days. As she awaited emergency treatment, her concerns lay with a young woman experiencing a mental health crisis who was being restrained by hospital staff.
Aimee’s hallmark sensitivity and pragmatism can also be found in the earliest iteration of the MHCC’s national suicide prevention project, which blossomed into Roots of Hope.
There is broad agreement across the MHCC that Aimee’s signature capacity to bring grace and respect to all her interactions, no matter what circumstance or role, endeared her to colleagues and inspired the kind of creative collaboration that results in the most constructive solutions to the biggest policy challenges.
Near the end of her journey, in early November 2019, Aimee displayed her characteristic modesty when she shared that it brought her great comfort to reflect on “the privilege of playing a small part in the MHCC’s extensive work.”
Just as snow melts in spring, leaving behind nothing but memories of its shimmering wonder, in Aimee’s final message before her passing on December 14 she asked friends and colleagues to consider their impact on the world and to leave nothing behind but memories and their efforts to make the world a better place.
Aimee will be dearly missed, but her colleagues will honour her memory every day as they carry out the work that meant so much to her.
