The Trauma & Mental Health Report

Hot off the press! There is a new form of grief that could be affecting people in a unique way: when people die by medical assistance in dying (MAiD), their families are left grappling with their death and making sense of both the “tragic and magic” of the dying process. In this article, The Trauma and Mental Health Report Writer and Senior Editor Lauren Rudolph simplifies the research on this important topic and interviews Dr. Chantal Perrot, a Medical Doctor and Psychotherapist who performs MAiD assessments and procedures, Tekla Hendrickson, the Executive Director of MAidHouse, an organization that supports families through MAiD, and also interviews people who have experienced grief from MAiD. https://lnkd.in/gD-R9PTy In this article, she answers these questions: ✅ How does MAiD affect grief? Do people have more traumatic grief symptoms when their loved ones die by MAiD? ✅ Could MAiD actually make grief easier? ✅ What factors affect how complicated the grief is after a loved one dies by MAiD? This is such an important topic in order to both reduce the stigma of grieving a loss by MAiD, and also to ensure that we can offer proper support to the increasing number of people who grieve their loved one dying by MAiD. What do you think about this? Do you think that grieving a loss by MAiD could have unique factors to it that make it harder to process, or factors that add comfort or “magic” amidst the tragic loss? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. For more content on trauma therapy, visit: https://lnkd.in/gt-v2vJk #medicalassistanceindying #MAiD #Grief #trauma #mentalhealth

The ongoing and increasing struggles that immigrants and refugees face with obtaining employment is harming their mental health, research shows. This article is written by Trauma and Mental Health Report Contributing Writer Auxi Sánchez Ledesma, in which she features a firsthand account by interviewing someone facing this issue themselves, and interviews Donna Alexander, a social worker and mental health clinician at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). To learn about: ✅ What studies are showing about how underemployment affects these people’s mental health ✅ Who is most likely to face over-qualification leading to unemployment ✅ What is being done to reduce this kind of discrimination in Canada Check out the article here: https://lnkd.in/gErmANyn What do you think about this? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! For more content on trauma therapy, visit: https://lnkd.in/gt-v2vJk #Trauma #Refugees #Immigrants #Underemployment #MentalHealth

Have you wondered how the vagus nerve influences the brain and body's response to trauma? Why do certain people react to traumatic events differently? How does trauma have long term impacts on the body? Our latest post, written by Writer and Senior Editor Lauren Rudolph, features an animated video that provides a very easy-to-understand explanation of the fascinating world of the polyvagal theory, founded by Dr. Stephen Porges. It’s a great video to help you understand the polyvagal theory, and you can share it with family, friends and clients, as it provides easily digestible - but profound - insights into the long-term impacts of trauma. You'll learn about: ✅ The critical role of the vagus nerve in regulating our stress responses ✅ The three distinct states of the nervous system and how they shape our reactions to adversity ✅ Practical applications of the polyvagal theory to better understand and address the health impacts of trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) Check it out here! https://lnkd.in/gFU5MBG4 What do you think about this video? Has the polyvagal theory been helpful for you to understand trauma or to explain the impact of trauma to other people? Do you have any concerns about the polyvagal theory? We would love to hear your thoughts and start this conversation together! For more content on trauma therapy, visit: https://lnkd.in/gt-v2vJk #trauma #polyvagaltheory #PTSD #adversity #resilience #mindbody #adversechildhoodexperiences #stephenporges

The ongoing and increasing struggles that immigrants and refugees face with obtaining employment is harming their mental health, research shows. This article is written by Trauma and Mental Health Report Contributing Writer Auxi Sánchez Ledesma, in which she features a firsthand account by interviewing someone facing this issue themselves, and interviews Donna Alexander, a social worker and mental health clinician at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). To learn about: ✅ What studies are showing about how underemployment affects these people’s mental health ✅ Who is most likely to face over-qualification leading to unemployment ✅ What is being done to reduce this kind of discrimination in Canada Check out the article here: https://lnkd.in/gErmANyn What do you think about this? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! For more content on trauma therapy, visit: https://lnkd.in/gt-v2vJk #Trauma #Refugees #Immigrants #Underemployment #MentalHealth

Some clinicians are speaking out and saying the idea that trauma can be fixed with a single intervention oversimplifies the healing process. Instead, the idea of a toolbox with many tools to help cope should be used instead. The idea that there is a single tool that fixes all might be unrealistic and instead, the focus should be on establishing many tools to help when in need. But how do we do this? Professor and author Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald, Ph.D talks more about this approach here: https://lnkd.in/gxAEHr7M What are your thoughts? We would love to hear your ideas in the comments below! For more content on trauma therapy, visit: https://buff.ly/3C7u857 #trauma #mentalhealth #psychology #toolboxapproach #healing

This famous quote by world-renowned psychotherapist and founder of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, Dr. Richard Schwartz, hits home: “The mono-mind paradigm has caused us to fear our parts and view them as pathological. In our attempts to control what we consider to be disturbing thoughts and emotions, we just end up fighting, ignoring, disciplining, hiding, or feeling ashamed of those impulses that keep us from doing what we want to do in our lives. And then we shame ourselves for not being able to control them.” This post written by Contributing Writer and Senior Editor Lauren Rudolph features artwork by Rukmini Poddar that encapsulates the power of IFS. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gpidHRfN To see more of Rukmini Poddar's amazing illustrations of emotional concepts, check out her work on Instagram here: https://lnkd.in/gnG7ne55 What do you think about this? Have you found IFS to be helpful? Have there ever been times when you found IFS unhelpful? Does the illustration resonate with you? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! For more content on trauma therapy, visit: https://lnkd.in/gt-v2vJk #trauma #internalfamilysystems #selfcompassion #psychotherapy #mentalhealth #art #drawing #content

Have you ever heard of the window of tolerance? It is a common framework used to understand the impact of psychological trauma. When it comes to traumatic stress, expanding the window of tolerance is a potential pathway for healing. Thus this framework has been used in many practices and cited by many professionals in the field. Research psychologist and clinical mental health counsellor Dr. Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC, REAT, talks more about the framework and its uses here: https://lnkd.in/g3vtF4FX What are your thoughts? We would love to hear your ideas in the comments below! For more content on trauma therapy, visit: https://buff.ly/3C7u857 #trauma #psychology #mentalhealth #healing #framework

We need innovative ways to support students' mental health. In this new episode of The Trauma and Mental Health Report podcast, Contributing Writer Nikita Baxi interviews Noah Tile, a psychotherapist and Co-Founder of the program Resolvve. They discuss how Resolvee is using an integrative approach to support students’ mental health. From high school to university, this program offers low-cost therapy, academic coaching, and guidance counselling available for students with mental illnesses or students struggling due to educational pressures. In this episode you will learn about: ✅ Common student stressors ✅ How this integrative mental health approach may be more helpful for students ✅ What the next steps are to improve students’ mental health through preventative approaches Check it out here! https://lnkd.in/gwC45NpB You can also listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! To stay up to date on our latest podcasts featuring unique perspectives from internationally renowned trauma and mental health specialists, you can follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify through the links below! https://lnkd.in/gq_ssMzV https://lnkd.in/gcMwYJZj Let us know what you think! Do you believe that this sort of integrative and prevention-focused approach is important to improve students' mental health? How do you think we can best support students' mental health? What are some common stressors and roadblocks to their mental health that you're concerned about? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! #wellbeing #anxiety #depression #students #mentalhealth #podcast #integrative

Is it time to rethink the way we approach substance use and addiction? The discourse has shifted from branding it as a moral failing or a medical disease. However recent research has shown that newer perspectives contextualizing substance use in the environment as a reasonable response to trauma and stress relief — suggest a more intricate narrative. Maybe it is time to reframe the way we think about SUD. This Psychology Today article written by David Aronson, LCSW, unpacks this topic more in-depth here: https://lnkd.in/eA73aGMj What are your thoughts? We would love to hear your ideas in the comments below! For more content on trauma therapy, visit: https://buff.ly/3C7u857 #trauma #addicition #mentalhealth #psychology

Research is showing that healthcare workers are experiencing ongoing distress, which has increased since the pandemic. In this article, Trauma and Mental Health Report Contributing Writer and Senior Editor Taylor Alves takes an in-depth look at this important topic and innovative ways we can help. To learn about: ✅ The rates of PTSD in healthcare workers ✅ Factors that increase the risk of PTSD in healthcare workers ✅ An innovative program to support healthcare workers' mental health Check out this article! https://lnkd.in/gwzeVh9a What do you think about this? What have you experienced? How do you think we can support healthcare workers' mental health? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! For more content on trauma therapy, visit: https://lnkd.in/gt-v2vJk #therapy #mentalhealth #psychology #PTSD #trauma #wellbeing