Blog
Simple and Transformational Actions Schools Can Adopt to Support and Protect Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Youth
The anonymous grade 10 student who wrote the following poem sometimes wishes they were dead. They tell me being dead would be easier. Imagine that. 14 years old. What they must have endured to form such a belief - that being dead is better than being transgender? God...
The Heartbreaking Mental Health Impacts Systemic Racism Has on Black Youth
Over the years, I have heard firsthand accounts of experiences of both parents and youth that have raised my awareness about the heartbreaking effects that systemic racism has had on their journeys in accessing mental health supports. I cannot imagine how traumatizing...
A Young Woman’s Top Ten Tips to Deal with Depression
December 21, 2012, a day surrounded by speculation that the world would end, mine nearly did. On this day I attempted suicide. I’ve had attempts before, but they were never quite as serious. This was the first and last time I seriously attempted suicide. After this...
A Mother’s Call for Mental Health Equity in Pediatric Healthcare
365 days ago our child stepped in front of a subway car because they didn’t receive the help they needed. They asked for it… many times. To multiple people. Including me. They were told to keep reaching out when in distress. They did. There was no prevention… just...
Building Life Promotion / Suicide Prevention Awareness Can Help Save Lives
Grieving a suicide loss is incredibly complex. There are common treads that appear to be consistently picked up, revisited, woven, dissected, and fretted over as we move through that grief: the question of why, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility. To the...
Real-time Challenges Accessing Addiction Supports for Youth in the Midst of the Pandemic
Recently, a friend and fellow parent asked me to share what it is like trying to access youth mental health and addiction services during the pandemic. Where do I begin? This past year has been nothing short of a whirlwind involving endless attempts to save my teenage...
Strategies to Understand and Help Youth Dealing with Addiction
Ever since I can remember I’ve felt anxious. When I was a child I would frequently have panic attacks about going to school or I’d obsess about how I thought other people viewed me. My anxiety was left untreated for many years, causing me to develop my own unhealthy...
Reflecting to Build Greater Self-Awareness
I have been reflecting a lot lately on how we form our worldviews. Perhaps this stems from a desire to understand how the lines are drawn behind which we entrench ourselves. I consider myself to be pretty open minded, empathetic, and compassionate, and I am also a...
Tips for Helping Children Create Gratitude Journals in a Time of Chaos and Uncertainty
Someone recently asked me if I had made any New Year’s resolutions. I hadn’t. Last year I had made a number of them because it wasn’t only a new year, it was also a new decade. I had so many grand plans. And then Covid hit… All of my wonderful resolutions went out...
Find the Time to Reflect & Unplug
I was remembering what things were like when I was a kid: when getting home from school meant grabbing a row of saltine crackers, the jar of peanut butter, a glass of milk and gathering around the tv like moths to the light - Starsky & Hutch, Magnum PI, Dukes of...
Sending thoughts of love and comfort as we move into a new year…
Turning the corner on 2020 and moving past the darkest days of winter, towards a time when physical togetherness is on the horizon, and “Happy New Year!” is on repeat, I think it is important to take a moment to remember and reflect. We all have friends, family...
4 Ways Adults Can Support Youth Mental Health
Thirteen years ago, I was nearly in high school, about to get my first period, and less predictably, at the cusp of a series major mental health crises. To make matters worse, my friendship with the best friend I had relied on since kindergarten, was reaching its slow...