Salal Mental Health Training

Every day in Vancouver, another life is lost to the toxic drug crisis. Since British Columbia declared a public health emergency in 2016, over 14,000 people have died from toxic drug poisoning. And these are not just numbers. They are parents, siblings, friends, coworkers, and neighbours. They are people who matter and who are deeply missed. Each loss sends quiet ripples of grief through families, workplaces, and communities across the province. As a psychiatric nurse working on an outreach...

The Psychedelic Renaissance: Hope, Hype, and Human Healing Over the past few years, conversations about psychedelics and mental health  have moved from the fringes of culture to the center of clinical and public interest. Psilocybin, the active compound in “magic mushrooms,”is being studied in some of the world’s top research institutions for its potential to treat depression, PTSD, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety. For many, this shift represents a long-overdue curiosity about how ancient...

Let’s Stop Pathologizing Stress: Not Every Emotion Needs a Diagnosis In today’s world, mental health conversations have come a long way. More people feel safe talking about their emotional experiences without fearing stigma. This is an important cultural shift. But in our eagerness to support mental health awareness, we may have swung too far in another direction: labeling every uncomfortable emotion as a disorder. Feeling overwhelmed? Must be anxiety. Sad after a breakup? Probably...