The CatalystConversations on Mental Health
Dr. Manon Charbonneau remembers the day vividly, though she’d rather forget it. “So that’s it, then — cancer,” she recalls saying in disbelief with her eyes locked on the digital images of her mammogram. The radiologist confirmed the diagnosis, and in a moment her world was “completely dismantled.”
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I reached Ian Morrison at his office at the Regina branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). A graduate of the Humber College comedy writing program, he teaches people how to harness their experiences — with mental illness and life in general — into stand-up comedy routines. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” he said. “Just tell jokes, make people laugh.”
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When the world shut down in early 2020, industries around the globe were forced into the realities of operating during a pandemic. Perhaps no sector was as hard hit as the airline industry, with many organizations laying off thousands of workers in an effort to keep up with the ever-evolving landscape of COVID-19 travel. WestJet’s organizational well-being manager Lisa Dodwell-Greaves described the experience as nerve wracking.
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Research conducted by Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) staff into early childhood mental health has helped inspire a new, multi-million dollar funding initiative by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This spring, CIHR’s Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH) expects to issue a call for proposals devoted to early childhood mental health.
Read moreMore than skin deep
“I’m so glad you’re Black.” That’s the first thing Donna Richards hears from her new client. But as one of the few African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) clinicians working in the client’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) — and one of the few ACB psychotherapists in Canada — she hears it a lot.
Read moreA new curriculum of challenges
September in a post-vaccinated world was supposed to hold the promise of a return to normalcy. And while there was elation when that first bell rang, a new reality has since set in — one that includes helping children manage their emotions as COVID continues to leave its stamp on school communities.
Read moreThe road to re-entering society
When Mo Korchinski left prison, she wasn’t handed a kit with resources to help her turn her life around. There was no guide on how to readjust to an autonomous life. Instead, like many before her, she was given a plastic bag with her belongings and a ticket to where she came from.
Read moreMHFA veteran community spotlight
Well before the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the pandemic, there was already a crying need to support the mental health of people in the Veteran community. But adding these further pressures to an already charged powder keg makes it clear that this need has only grown. In particular, the end of this 13-year mission has many asking, “What was it all for?”
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Jann Arden’s Age of Acceptance
Only a few pages into Jann Arden’s new book, If I Knew Then: Finding Wisdom in Failure and Power in Aging, I am convinced she’s borrowed a tiny piece of my own experience with grief and put it on the page in my stead.
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From my very first day at the Mental Health Commission of Canada, praise for Mental Health First Aid training travelled like folklore. Whether through personal experience or testimonials from former participants, it seemed as if everybody knew of someone who had been affected by the course.
Read moreAdvancing recovery
Understanding recovery starts with acknowledging that every person is entitled to a satisfying, hopeful, and contributing life, even if they experience mental health problems or illnesses and/or substance use concerns. With that basic right comes a powerful shift to a path toward wellness that is rooted in hope, dignity, self-determination, and responsibility.
Read moreSowing seeds of compassion
The challenges wrought by the pandemic are splashed across the news. They inundate our social media feeds and dominate our conversations (still masked and at a distance) if we run into neighbours at the convenience store or gas station.
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When much of the world shut down in March 2020, HEADSTRONG program manager Fiona Haynes was heartsick. HEADSTRONG summits are interactive gatherings that give young people the chance to learn about mental health and gain the tools they need to become anti-stigma champions and ambassadors in their schools and communities.
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There is a “secret society” at the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), just like there is at every workplace across the country. Its members recognize each other through various signs and signals — some subtle, others less so.
Read moreLearning to create safe spaces for youth
Long before the pandemic, the need to support the mental health of young people was evident. With 50 per cent of all mental health problems established by age 14, the formative years of our youth are some of the most vulnerable.
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Celebrating a behind-the-scenes champion
Phil Upshall, an influential mental health leader who was "ahead of his time", had a strong impact on many initiatives at the MHCC.
Read moreA critical piece of the puzzle
For Dr. Mary Bartram, policy director at the Mental Health Commission of Canada, gaining a better understanding of the realities of those who work in the field of mental health and substance use is key to unlocking improved mental health outcomes.
Read moreBehind the badge
The Working Mind First Responders offers police a new kind of protection.
Read moreTalking to Children About a Suicide
How to mentally prepare, what to expect (or not expect), and how to respond with language that is helpful, not harmful.
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