The Trauma & Mental Health Report Podcast

E40: Unpacking Medical Assistance in Death (MAiD) for Mental Illness in Canada

Debates continue to be had regarding MAiD for mental illness in Canada, however, most of the information is not easily accessible. As conversations continue to be had regarding this topic, it’s important understand how MAiD for mental illness impacts people and our society and our local community. In this episode, Trauma and Mental Health Report writer Abigail Ramos speaks with Sherry Moran, a retired lawyer and federal government executive who has served on a number of charitable and non-profit boards of directors over the past 25 years, including that of Dying with Dignity Canada.  Moran is an active voice within the national mental illness advisory group in addition to her role at Dying with Dignity Ottawa Chapter's advocacy committee. The conversation focuses on an overview of what MAiD for mental illness is, the good it can provide, possible drawbacks, and shedding some light on key issues that have been discussed regarding MAiD for mental illness.  

E39: Embracing Aging in an Anti-Aging Culture

In today’s episode, Trauma report writer Emma Puric speaks with psychoanalyst, psychotherapist, writer, and social critic Dr. Susie Orbach. Dr. Orbach joins us to discuss how feminist theory and psychoanalysis informed her thinking about women’s body-image, the internalization of unrealistic beauty standards via mass marketing, the impossible message behind anti-aging campaigns, and how women can come together to create a visual culture which appreciates and reflects the diverse nature of beauty and bodies.

E38: The Latest on Psilocybin for Addiction Treatment

The recent surge of psychedelic research has sparked a growing interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy using psilocybin to treat various mental health conditions including addiction. In this episode, Trauma Report writer Michelle Kim discusses this approach in detail with Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine at the Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research. Dr. Garcia-Romeu works in the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and is also a Guest Researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Neuroimaging. Tune into our podcast to learn more about the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for addiction treatment.

E37: How the Iranian LGBTQ community faces fierce repression.

Amidst the current uprising in Iran, led by its courageous and resilient women, many other human rights related concerns have also begun to be brought to light. In this episode, a Trauma Report writer sat down with Arsham Parsi, an Iranian-Canadian LGBTQ rights activist, to discuss the dire lack of rights faced by members of the LGBTQ community in Iran. Parsi provides insight on what an average day can look like for an Iranian LGBTQ citizen, common misinterpretations we often hear about the conditions of human rights in Iran, and the power that unity holds to help Iranian youth battle through the revolution.

E36: Temple Grandin on Raising Autistic Children: Identifying and Bolstering Strengths

In this conversation, Temple Grandin shares insight on how parents, teachers, and doctors can help autistic youth flourish by focusing on activities that work around their strengths. Temple emphasizes the importance of gaining work experience and skills that challenge an autistic child just enough so that they gain important life skills which apply to other areas. The importance of trades and practical courses in school is discussed, as exposure to a variety of activities can inspire a future career. Finding meaning in work is discussed as well, along with the different types of minds that are seen in autism.

E35: International Students and Mental Health

In this episode, Trauma Report writer Daniel Sanchez Morales speaks with Lauren Shannan, Immigration consultant; Bonny Gajjar, International Student; and Sebastian Vasquez, International Student; about the mental health challenges of being an international student.

Through this podcast episode, participants explore the major challenges that they have faced while studying abroad and how this has impacted their vision of mental health resources within post-secondary institutions. Additionally, Lauren provides with an immigration and legal outlook about international students coming to Canada.

E34: Counselling Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities

In this episode, Trauma Report writer Chiara Gianvito speaks with Amy Camilleri Zahra, a Maltese disability and women’s rights activist, academic, and public speaker. Their conversation centers around Camilleri Zahra’s research on counsellors’ understanding and perceptions of disability that has revealed a need for greater training and accessibility. Camilleri Zahra also shares her lived experiences that have led her to drive social change in these areas. 

Follow along or read the transcribed audio here.

E33: Dissolving Distress Using Humour in Therapeutic Settings

It is understandably difficult to imagine how something as light as humour can be useful in dealing with something as heavy as depression, anxiety or trauma. However, The Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humour has made it their mission to help people understand how humour can be an effective therapeutic tool to help individuals struggling with mental health challenges. Trauma Report writer Hannah Mugford sat down with Steven Sultanoff, a clinical psychologist and one of The Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humour’s past presidents, to learn more about therapeutic humour and how it can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being.

Check out The Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humour’s website!

E32: Reason and Less: Imperfections of Logical Thinking

We all like to think that we are capable of perfect reason and making decisions purely from a logical perspective. What many of us fail to recognize is that our reasoning is always linked to our physical feelings. If you ever wondered why judges are more likely to be lenient after lunch or why we may react differently to the same message delivered by people we feel differently about, listen to this episode, where Trauma Report writer Jenna Zorik interviews the cognitive scientist, Professor Vinod Goel, about his new book, “Reason and Less: Pursuing Food, Sex, and Politics.” Tune in as Professor Goel discusses how our feelings and sensations affect our reasoning ranging from inability to control what we eat to refusing to get vaccinated. 

E31:Intergenerational Wisdom as Wealth: Navigating Systems for Immigrant Families

Trauma Report writer Elizabeth Liu speaks with clinical psychology Dr. Sally Chung in this episode exploring the concept of intergenerational wealth not just as physical assets, but as knowledge and wisdom on how to navigate systems integral to society. Understanding the barriers that immigrant families face is important, as the lack of knowledge in educational, economic, and power systems can hold great disadvantage across generations. In addition, individuals who encounter these barriers often grow up facing the additional challenge of integrating multiple cultural identities. Dr. Chung explains how we can bridge these gaps through community, awareness, and providing accessible services.