Mental Health Much?

Dans cet épisode spécial, je me joins à Stéphanie, l’hôte et productrice du podcast Gaytineau , un podcast sur le monde queer de la région de Gatineau. Dans cet épisode, nous discutons des hauts et des associés à travailler dans le milieu communautaire. Nous terminons, naturellement, sur des trucs et astuces pour aider à notre santé mentale lorsque nous travaillons dans ce milieu. - - - - - - - Po...

In this episode, I have the chance to talk to Chelsea, about being in a relationship with someone who is not out of the closet. More importantly, Chelsea opens up about the importance of feeling socially connected, of respecting yourself and who you are, of placing boundaries in a relationship, and of the cultural differences that coming out can have for various people. An intimate and touching ep...

Welcome to season 2, starting with an episode on escapism, anxiety and seeking validation with the amazing visual artist Yunus Chkirate. In this episode, we discuss what it means to use your feelings to create art, how it can be dangerous to close yourself off to others, the challenges of social media when seeking validation and much, much more. - - - - - - - To discover Yunus’ work: https://www.y...

Today, on January 30, Mental Health Much? is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a special episode on the war on drugs, bringing back Jordan as a guest speaker. In the episode, Jordan and I discover that the war on drugs is a very vast topic that is hard to condense in a 50-minute conversation. We also discuss the history of drug discrimination in Canada, its racist origins, and the way it a...

This is the final episode of this miniseries on queer men, crystal meth and PnP. In this last hour, Jordan and I bring the conversation back to the realities of our communities - to the men surrounding us who are crystal meth users. This last episode contains tips and ideas on how to bridge the gap between our communities and to start supporting and bringing health to everyone who is a part of the...

In episode 5 of this special, Jordan and I explore the feud of all feuds: abstinence vs harm reduction. In this hour, we discuss our preconceptions about abstinence and harm reduction, our ideas about the difference between the two and some major blind spots that we have in the work that we do. A deeply personal episode that can hopefully put an end to this unnecessary quarrel. - - - - - - - Follo...

In episode four of our miniseries, Jordan and I decided to talk about the 12-step model - more commonly known as “Alcoholic Anonymous.” The 12-step programs are an integral part of anyone who has been struggling with substance use or wanting to achieve sobriety. This episode does not serve to demonize or idealize those programs, but simply to have a look at what they are, how they work, what they...

In the second episode of this miniseries on Queer men, Crystal Meth & PnP, Jordan and I start a conversation about our personal, and the social, history of growing up queer in Canada (as white male presenting queer folks) in the 80s, 90s and 2000s. This conversation gives a portrait of some of the paths that could lead to use substances to cope and to have sex, or not. Big reveal, the paths ar...

In the third episode of this miniseries on Queer men, Crystal Meth & PnP, Jordan and I continue our conversation about our personal, and the social, history of growing up queer in Canada (as white male presenting queer folks) in the 80s, 90s and 2000s. This conversation gives a portrait of some of the paths that could lead to use substances to cope and to have sex, or not. Big reveal, the path...

Surprise! While I am still getting ready to launch Season 2 of Mental Health Much , I put together this special miniseries on the topic of Queer Men, Crystal Meth and PnP. With the help of my colleague Jordan, I recorded six episodes on this topic that affects both of our personal and professional lives in various ways. On this first episode of this miniseries, Jordan and I take you back to the ba...

On the last episode of season 1, I receive my friend Zent to talk about fashion and mental health. We say goodbye to this first season by discussing different ways of shopping, using clothes to get out of a funk, deconstructing social gender norms and body image. A perfect way to end a perfect initial season for Mental Health Much? Thank you for listening and I will be back very soon for more amaz...

Dans cet épisode francophone, le dernier épisode francophone de la saison 1, Éric vient nous parler de son chemin avec la sexualité et la drogue, notamment le Crystal Meth et le chemsex. Dans cet épisode, iel nous raconte le masque qu’iel portait pour se faire accepter dans la communauté gaie, la place de l’écriture dans sa santé mentale et ses années de sobriété. - - - - - - - Pour suivre Éric su...

This week, colleague, friend and psychoanalyst Marco joins me to talk about gaslighting, or in the psychoanalyst jargon: projective identification. On this episode, we juggle between research in psychotherapy and the pop media culture, to find out how gaslighting became what it is today. Along the way, we discuss Freud, racism, being gay and a lot of things that are toxic. - - - - - - - Find Marco...

On episode 15, I invited my good friend Henrique to talk about a reality that affects both of our lives on a daily basis in Toronto: having English as a second language. Henrique and I discuss the challenges that this brings into our lives, and the different techniques we have to make our communication easier. Small secret, even though I am publishing this as episode 15, it is actually the second...

On episode 14, the incredibly talented Colin is joining me to discuss diversity in media and social media. Colin share details of his participation to various theatre productions and TV shows as a queer person of colour, while explaining how awesome it would have been for his younger self to have that kind of models growing up. We also spend a very healthy amount of time discussing pop culture, so...

In this episode, Avesta talks about the struggles of living with ADHD in academia and in an ableist world. From her early struggles as a child to the way her medication helped her, she generously paints a portrait of the reality of living in her brain. This is a great first episode of the topic of ADHD in which I hope you will learn as much as I did. - - - - - - - Follow me on Instagram at www.ins...

This week, my colleague Rahim came on my podcast to discuss the topic of envy. If you ever wondered what it sounds like when two therapists have a drink together after work to discuss mental health, wonder no more. From jealousy, to body image and substance use, we talk about everything. Including good kitchen appliances. A fun episode that I hope you will enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed reco...

This week, my coworker Aaron is very generously talking about his relationship with his mother who struggled with depression for her whole life. He explains his changing relationship with her as he grew from a kid adoring her to a young adult who had to put boundaries in their relationship. He also shares stories of the beautiful moments he had with her before she passed away. I never knew carrots...

** Désolé pour la qualité du son de mon micro ** Dans ce deuxième épisode spécial avec RÉZO, Naïka vient nous parler de la santé globale des jeunes LGBTQ+. Ancrée dans son travaille comme responsable et intervenante dans le projet Jeunes Queer Youth , et étant elle-même une jeune personne queer, Naïka discute des limites de la langue française, de la représentation queer dans les médias, de l'inte...

Dans ce premier épisode spécial en collaboration avec RÉZO, Kevin vient nous parler de son parcours, de ses années à travailler dans des sites d'injection supervisée et de son travail comme travailleur de rue sur le projet Travail du sexe de Rézo. Nous discutons d'itinérance, de stigmatisation face à la consommation de drogue, de l'impact de la COVID-19 sur les personnes vivant dans la rue et beau...

** Sorry for the sound quality of my mic ** This week, my friend and fellow OurSpace volunteer Taylor is coming on the show to discuss precarious housing, toxic roommates and the importance of having a safe space. We discuss everything from gentrification to our love of plants and our morning routine. A complicated issue with no easy solutions, this conversation sheds a light on the reality of bei...

On this episode, my friend Wes is joining me to discuss his biggest passions: circus, performing art and the flow community. In this episode, Wes explains why his mental wellness is so linked with his art. We discuss drug use, finding a chosen family, body image issues and burritos.  - - - - - - -  Find Wesley on Instagram, @wesleybalabam  - - - - - - -  Learn more about the Toronto Circus Center...

In this episode, my friend Nizar accepted to be brave and to talk about a topic that is not always very well received and that makes him feel a little bit uncomfortable: anger. We explore his tendency to expect the worst possible outcome at all time, as well as the useful things anger has brought into his life. All the while, we make a difference between anger and violence and how both can affect...

Special episode with Mela and Indrid from the Toronto-based dating podcast Who Would You rather? What perfect guests to discuss dating and rejection. In this episode we try our best to answer questions received from our followers on social media. From online dating during a pandemic to handling rejection and heartbreak, we cover as much ground as possible, while already thinking of recording a par...

This week, I am talking about seasonal depression with my friend McKenzie. In this episode, we discuss the love/hate relationship with winter, finding the right therapist, spirituality, rituals and witchcraft. - - - - - - - Find McKenzie online @mcknzgrey  - - - - - - - Follow me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mentalhealthmuch