Suzanne Westover Archives

Suzanne Westover

An Ottawa writer and former speechwriter, and Manager of Communications at the Mental Health Commission of Canada. A homebody who always has her nose in a book, she bakes a mean lemon loaf (some would call her a one-dish wonder) and enjoys watching movies with her husband and 14-year-old daughter. Suzanne’s time with the MHCC cemented her interest in mental health, and she remains a life-long learner on the subject.

Lived Experience

Are You There Judy? It’s Me … Midlife Margaret

Judy Blume told several generations of young women everything we needed to know about puberty, periods, and that fluttery first-crush feeling.

Desperately Seeking Sleep

By Suzanne Westover This week, the “s” word is on everyone’s lips. Did you get enough? Overindulge? What about quality? Better than usual, worse? I’m

Serving with heart

In Monica McAlduff, the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) has found a leader whose personal journey mirrors the transformation they seek to create. The MHCC

Food for thought: Untangling our relationship with food and mental health

To mark Nutrition Month, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) sat down with Christina Seely, Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, and co-chair of the

Une femme travaillant dans un environnement professionnel, se livrant calmement à l'écriture d'un livre à son bureau.

Lived Experience

When it’s time to hand in your notice to go in search of yourself

Leaving my job wasn’t a triumph or a quiet quit—it was conceding that a role I loved had swallowed my identity.

A female individual in a business setting, calmly engaged in the act of writing in a book at her desk.

When it’s time to hand in your notice to go in search of yourself

I was resigning, in the truest sense of the word. I was conceding defeat without being checkmated. I had come to accept that something undesirable could no longer be avoided.

This is your brain on Instagram

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.

Meditations on motherhood, mental illness, and resiliency

It’s easy to make assumptions about people based on their academic accomplishments, professional successes, or philanthropic contributions. But sometimes if you pull back the curtain, you discover untold depths and hardships that reveal a more valuable story than a five-sentence biography can.

Spotlight on recovery

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.”