What Is Mental Health? Medical providers define mental health as a person’s psychological, emotional and social well-being. Many of us will experience temporary challenges to our mental health that may resolve relatively quickly without a formal diagnosis or treatment. Others may experience long-term or chronic mental health disorders that can be managed through treatment to allow for overall physical, social and emotional well-being. Mental health therapy is an effective treatment for a variety of behavioral, emotional, and psychological conditions. Depending on the diagnosis, thera ..read more

Have you ever heard the saying “men don’t cry”? Where does this notion even start? In fact it seems that this saying permeates across cultures, generations and socio-economic status that “men do not cry”. We have seen it depicted in various ways from movies, to stories that men do not have emotions or can only express one emotion: Anger. In this blog, we hope to dismantle the misconception about men and mental health.    The data on men that seek out support for mental health are limited  and this is part of the problem. However, we do know that men are four times likely to  ..read more

Medical researchers have found close links between eye health and mental health. People with vision impairments often develop mental health problems like anxiety and depression because of the stress of living with their condition. People with mental health problems are also more likely to develop vision issues later in life. If you have vision problems, it is important to take care of your mental health as well. Seeking help from your doctor, a counselor or an advocacy organization can help you manage the impact of your condition and protect your mental well-being. How Vision Issues Affect Men ..read more

You have probably heard the word “ intergenerational trauma” or a “ generational curse”? In the last few years, these terms have become part of daily language. But, what does it mean and how can we recognize it in our daily life? In Canada, we often discuss and understand intergenerational trauma when we explore the experiences of the indigenous people at residential schools. We can see how trauma, the oppressions associated with  historic traumatic history, struggles and experiences can be transmitted from one generation to the next. Historic trauma appears in subtle ways but can have gr ..read more

D.W. Winnicott, a British pediatrician psychoanalyst said having a “good enough” childhood is adequate for us to grow up to be well-adjusted adults. In other words, we don’t need perfect parents or perfect childhoods to have successful lives as adults. This is good news for those of us who had less than ideal upbringings. It means that we can still thrive even if our parents didn’t always understand us or meet all of our needs. We can still build fulfilling and satisfying lives for ourselves even if our childhoods were far from perfect.  According to psychologist Mary Ainsworth, there are ..read more

The month of February is marked by LOVE with the celebration of Valentine’s Day across the world and in Alberta- Family day. We want to highlight a different type of “love” that is also equally as important- love of their neighbor/stranger.  In the last few decades, our society has become more aware of the impact of bullying, so to promote the anti-bullying campaign, many schools marked this day by having a Pink shirt day.   Let’s dive into what does bullying entails. It isn’t uncommon to hear someone say something insensitive or mean to another person. Although we know these comment ..read more

1 in 5 Canadians will experience a number of mental and physical health difficulties in their lifetime and the transgender community is no exception. However transgender people also face some unique set of challenges surrounding identity development, gender identity, discrimination and barriers to employment and more. Compared to cis-gendered teens, transgender youth are far more likely than their non-transgender peers to experience depression — nearly four times the risk, according to one study (Reisner 2015). The American Psychological Association defines transgender (sometimes referred to&n ..read more

As we venture into a new year, we have an opportunity to start afresh and set  course  to a new path. but we can not do this when we are not okay. This year, we are suggesting navigating to  self-care town where we start by taking care of ourselves.  Oftentimes, when certain people hear the word ‘self-care’, it comes off to them as  being selfish or vain. Taking care of yourself is often misconstrued as being self-centered and even being self-absorbed by others who are somewhat ‘dependent’ on you. Self-care is anything but selfish.  You have probably heard the quo ..read more

Once December hits,  our senses go into overload. We see and hear Christmas themes everywhere. We smell nutmeg and roasted chestnuts in the air. We taste peppermint in our festive drinks and thus we begin to feel the need to be with family and friends. Some might say, it’s “ the most wonderful time of the year.” This may be true for some but the expectation of a magical Christmas is not the reality for others.  Although the festive time can come with a great emotional boost as the world slows down, people take time to reflect on the year gone and hope for the best for the coming year ..read more

Life changes like getting married, getting a new house and getting pregnant are exciting and yet are often overlook as it is also stressful and overwhelming. Pregnancy is a life changing event that comes with a lot of changes, physically and emotionally. The excitement of new life growing within and the worries that accompanies the pregnancy even though normal can be stressful for some. And when the pregnant mom is living with a mental health illness already their condition can worsen.  Living with a mental illness regardless of severity can impact the journey of pregnancy. From the momen ..read more