Life Unscripted - Stories of Mental Health and Addiction

Experience shows that peer support is extremely successful. I’m going to start off with a new pilot program in St. Catharines called Welcoming Streets. It’s a partnership between Reach Niagara and Positive Living Niagara (POS), supported by Niagara Region and St. Catharines. Talia storm leads the Streetworks Program at POS and will co-direct the new porgram.

I’ll also chat with Quest Community Health Centre executive director Nancy ...

We know that gender violence against women and femicides in Canada continue to grow. But an alarming 1/4 of adolescent girls who are dating boys are experiencing an abusive relationship. 

Nicole Regehr, executive director at Gillian's Place, talks about the increase in the number of girls, mostly in high school, who facing gender abuse. 

Gillian's Place is a shelter in Niagara for survivors of abuse and violence. If you nee...

In 2023, 22.9% of people across Canada lived in households that struggled to afford the food they need.  That's 8.7 million people and a devastating 2.1 million children. The new numbers for 2024 from Feed Ontario shows an increase of 30%.

Community Care St. Catharines Thorold Executive Director Betty Lou Souter talks are the increasingly desperate need for food.

Feed Ontario
Community Care St. Catharines...

Sammy Bazely was on the show last week to talk about suicide and the overwhelming feeling that the world, and especially her young daughter, would be a better place without her.

Sammy talked about the time leading up to her suicide attempt and the unexpected family intervention that saved her.

In Part Two, Sammy talks about what life is like now, how she keeps the suicidal thoughts away, and her thoughts on where we need to go as a s...

Sammy Bazely is a young woman who is telling her story of struggling with suicide in the hopes that other people can recognize themselves in her story and reach out for help. 

Sammy is young, married, has a beautiful daughter and runs a successful business.  One day she was overcome by feelings that the world would be a better place without her.

Today is Part One of Sammy’s story of suicide.  

Listen for Part Two of Sammy's story...

When Valery Brosseau was diagnosed with bipolar 2 and borderline personality disorder in her early 20s it didn’t take long for her to realize that talking openly about her illness was healing for her and helped reduce stigma so other people could be open themselves. 

Valery decided she want to devote her career to not only helping people who are living with mental illness but also working with businesses and other organizations to u...

Young caregivers are an invisible and little known support for family members who need day to day help for basic needs. They provide personal care like grooming, helping with medication, getting dressed and feeding. 

But a growing number of children, as young as five and up to the age of 25, are taking on more responsibility for their siblings and parents because of situations like chronic illness, physical and intellectual disabili...

There’s a special new dog in town!  His name is Zane and he’s a mental health facility support dog at Pathstone Mental Health. That sounds a bit formal and it’s easier to think of Zane as a cuddly assistant.

Zane was specially trained by the Lion’s Foundation of Canada Dog Guides to assist children who are in therapy or for their mental health at professional agencies, like Pathstone.  He provides a non-judgmental and calming influe...

September is Suicide Awareness Month.

Every year, approximately 4,500 people in Canada die by suicide, that equals 12 people dying by suicide every day. 

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in young people aged 15 to 24.

More than 200 people in Canada attempt suicide each day.

September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day. 

Stacy Terry from the Distress Centre of Niagara is on the show today to talk about how to recogni...

Ontario Health minister Silvia Jones made a surprise announcement at the Association of Municiplaties of Ontario's  annual conference in mid-August that no one expected – the closing of 10 supervised drug consumption sites across the province - 5 in Toronto and one in Hamilton, Guelph, Kitchener, Thunder Bay and Ottawa.  

Supervised consumption sites are a big part of harm reduction strategies, offering place where people can u...

The Ontario government has announced a new policy banning the use of cell phones in classrooms.  The question is what will this new policy achieve?  Erin Clayton, who is the Director of Quality Assurance, Research and Planning at Pathstone Mental Health, talks about the policy and the mental health impact on children of constant cell phone use. Pathstone has programs to help parents and their kids put their phone down. 
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Niagara Regional housing has put together a 10 poinr plan to reduce homelessness and, importantly, provide some space and programs for people living rough.  A temporary 24-hour a temporary shelter has opended where people have their own room, 3 meals a day and a large recreational area.

The recommendations came from a committee that included people with lived experience with homelessness and/or substance use.  

Ma...

When people see someone who is homeless they probably think it could never happen to them. But at some point in time a person living rough and in a shelter did have a home. They may have had a family, friends and a good job. There are so many reasons why people end up living rough – job loss, mental health, trauma or substance use. In Marni Katzman’s case, she was addicted to alcohol, and despite a few stints in rehab she wasn’t ab...

Darcy Patrick is a Mental Health advocate, speaker, coach and author of 5 books about his journey from severe depression to wellness.  Two years ago he ended up in hospital in excruciating back pain.  Doctors still haven’t figured out what caused the serious erosion in two discs in his back and he still lives with debilitating pain. 

I met Darcy almost 10 years ago and he is one of the most determined people I know so I asked him to...

Schizophrenia is the least understood and the most stigmatized any mental illness.  

Imagine how scary it can be for the person living with schizophrenia when every minute of the day voices in their head talking to them. When we hear someone yelling on the street, they're yelling at their voices. Signs and symptoms may vary, but usually involve delusions, hallucinations or disorganized speech, and reflect an impaired ability to...

Tara Mckendrick is Executive Director of Canadian mental health association Niagara.  Taratalks about CMHA Niagara crisis services and also help define what is a crisis. Like most communities Niagara has a homeless and addiction crisis but Tara says we can’t just look at solving the problem, we have to find out the story of how a person got to where they are.  It will help people think about possibilities and maybe find hope.
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