There is growing concern regarding the dissemination of misinformation online. Many believe that the driving force behind this “infodemic” are social media platforms, which are rife with anti-science sentiment and misleading information. The health sciences have become a particular target for this misinformation, psychology and mental health included. Thankfully, there is a growing group of people, professional and otherwise, who dedicate their time and effort to combat the deceptions and misunderstandings. One of these people is YouTuber and therapist/social worker Mickey Atkins. Trauma Report writer Hannah Mugford sat down with Mickey to discuss the general topic of psychology and mental health misinformation, along with her experience confronting it through her online presence.

In this episode, Trauma Report writer Samantha Mason sits down with the Honourable Mr. Justice Richard D. Schneider, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., LL.B., LL.M., C.Psych. They discuss the innovation of the Mental Health Courts of Toronto, Canada., Schneider’s book "Death of a Butterfly", and explore some memorable cases that appeared before him.

Trauma Report writer Sharon Bae speaks with Carleigh Sailon, program manager of the Criminal Justice Services at the Mental Health Centre of Denver, who helped develop the Denver Support Team Assisted Response (STAR). The Denver STAR is an alternative to 911 calls that removes police presence entirely, meeting the demand to change, reduce, or remove the role of law enforcement in responding to emergencies in the community, especially when mental health is involved.

In this episode, Trauma Report writer Alyssa Reddi speaks with Lindsey Hall, an eating disorder advocate and award-winning blogger. Having recovered from an eating disorder herself, Lindsay uses her experience to write about the realities of treatment and recovery. Tune in to hear her story and how she uses her online platforms to inform and encourage others in their own recovery journey.

Trauma Report writer Lotus Huyen Vu speaks to David Lukoff, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Sofia University in Palo Alto, CA and a licensed psychologist in California. He has been an active researcher and proponent of spiritual competency in the field of psychology and authored 80 articles and chapters on spiritual issues and mental health, co-authored the DSM-IV category Religious or Spiritual Problem, and has been an active workshop presenter internationally on spiritual competency, loss and grief, death and illness, spiritual problems and emergencies. He has been actively involved with the mental health consumer movement for 30 years.

Control over one’s reproductive destiny continues to be under attack. Most recently, Texas’ new legislation has further restricted access to abortion care. In this episode, Trauma Report writer Chiara Gianvito speaks with Ashley Brodeur, a registered psychotherapist (qualifying) who has also been trained as an abortion doula. Their conversation centers around supporting the mental health of individuals accessing abortion services as factors such as stigma can make the process more difficult.

Links to resources mentioned in the episode:

Feeling bored can be uncomfortable, often something we prefer to avoid. However, boredom, like any other feeling, has a message for us if we listen carefully. In this episode, Trauma Report writer Azin Dastpak interviews Dr. John Eastwood about boredom. Dr. John Eastwood is a clinical psychologist and associate professor and runs the Boredom Lab at York University. He recently published a book titled “Out of My Skull” about the psychology of boredom. Tune in and listen to Dr. Eastwood as he unravels the cause of boredom and the important messages it communicates to us about our inner and outer environments.

Jennifer Thomson is a registered psychotherapist who specializes working with the LGBTQ+ community. In today’s episode Llewellyn and Jennifer discuss how to be an ally for transgender individuals in your everyday life and why it is important. Tune into this week’s podcast to hear about how you can help normalize the experiences of these marginalized communities. For resources mentioned in the podcast, you can click here to access them.

Wendy Shama, a social worker in the immunology clinic Sick Kids Hospital, discusses how patients/families respond to how the practice of social work has changed due to COVID-19. Tune into this week’s podcast to hear about how social workers are adapting to these unprecedented times, and the progress the community is seeing. 

In this episode, Trauma Report writer Alyssa Reddi speaks with Meghan Young, the executive director of the Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy. An Anishinaabe woman, Meghan is a tireless advocate for Indigenous people across Canada and has worked with Indigenous community engagement and social services. Check out this week’s podcast to hear how all Canadians can become more involved in Indigenous reconciliation, and the role that self-awareness plays in accomplishing this respectfully.