Bunny Hugs and Mental Health

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a mass shooting that occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut where a shooter shot and killed 28 people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, six were adult staff members, the other 2 were the shooter’s mother and the shooter.  One of those six year old kids was Scarlett Lewis’ son Jesse. In the fall of 202...

EP 24: HOT TAKES on State of Mental Health of New Yorkers Report and Canada's 1st full-scale free grocery store Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Todd shares a story about Canada's first full-scale free grocery store, which gives food choices to the food-insecure population. The new Regina Food Bank Community Food...

LA Wade is an author, film maker and mental health advocate. She is also a recovered sex addict. We discuss the different types of sex addiction, what drove her to it, what inspired her to get help and how she recovered. LA has written a trilogy of books inspired by her own life and even made a short film. You can find LA’s work and contacts on her website www.thisislawade.com Topics in this episo...

EP 23: HOT TAKES on Police Shoot and Kill a Bipolar Man in Crisis and Teen Marijuana Use Tied to Mental Health Disorders Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Nick shares the tragic story of the police shooting a bipolar man having a mental health crisis. Released police bodycam footage shows they fatally shot Yong Ya...

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a mass shooting that occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut where a shooter shot and killed 28 people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, six were adult staff members, the other 2 were the shooter’s mother and the shooter.  One of those six year old kids was Scarlett Lewis’ son Jesse. In the fall of 202...

EP 22: HOT TAKES on Nick’s Reflections on The UCAN Foundation turning one and Therapy Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Nick wants to celebrate and reflect on the one-year anniversary of founding the UCAN (Unscripted Cast Advocacy Network) Foundation.  Nick co-founded the UCAN foundation in 2022 to support reality...

In March I had the pleasure of spending time at Cornwall Alternative School in Regina Saskatchewan. There I met an incredibly passionate and caring staff along with the funny, smart, and charming students. Cornwall Alternative School brings in youth from every corner of the city that are slipping through the cracks in public, Catholic and private schools. Its whole purpose is to support youth with...

EP 21: HOT TAKES on a Study Links 40% of Mental Health Conditions to Child Trauma and Black Youth Face Barriers to Mental Health Services Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Nick wants to discuss a new study linking 40% of mental health conditions to child maltreatment. A new study for the University of Sydney revea...

Shirley McLaughlin is a listener and supporter of Bunny Hugs and Mental Health. She reached out to me to find answers for her suffering husband, Dwayne. Not only did I not have answers, I had many questions and lots of them. Dwayne was diagnosed with post COVID psychosis, something I had never heard of and something I thought people should know about. Shirley is not just looking for answers but sh...

EP 20: HOT TAKES on Listener Feedback on a Past Episode and Physiatrist Prescribing Nature for Mental Illness  Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Todd shares listener feedback from a recent episode of the show. The listener and Todd discussed how some past language used was offensive and oppressive. Nick and Todd d...

Jon spent 17 years in prison for being a school shooter. In part 1 Jon explains what drove him to do it, what his thought process was and the lessons he's learned. In this episode Jon discusses being on the victim side of violence. Jon had found a purpose and a job in a homeless shelter after leaving prison. One day at work Jon was attacked in a hate crime that left him clinging to life. What did...

EP 19: HOT TAKES on People with Depression or Anxiety Losing Sickness Benefits and Employee Survey Results on Mental Health at Work Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Todd shares a UK proposal that people with depression or anxiety could lose access to sickness benefits. Parliament member Mel Strike proposes change...

Tara Audibert is an indie film maker, illustrator and comic artist. She’s also very charming and fun to talk with. Tara’s latest project “QAQSOSS NAKA WAHUNTUHSIS” (Fox & the Tiny Demon) is a full length animated film that is entirely spoken in Wolastoqey, her ancestors language that under 100 people speak today. The film is inspired by her indigenous culture and the generational traumas her peopl...

EP 18: HOT TAKES on Americans Losing Years of Time to Poor Mental Health and Loud Car Owners Being Psychopaths Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Nick wants to discuss new survey findings that Americans have lost years of their life to poor mental health. A new survey by GeneSight Mental Health Monitor found that 8...

Does how you think about and manage money come from trauma or belief systems you picked up as a child? Mandyy Thomas is a financial coach and a smart lady. We discuss how and where our spending and saving behaviours may come from and how we can get through the emotional and mental blocks standing in our way. If reading this gives you anxiety and you feel the need to avoid this episode, I have news...

EP 17: HOT TAKES on How Listening to Taylor Swift's Sad Songs Can Help and Chicago Opening a Public Mental Health Facility Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Todd shares how listening to Taylor Swift’s sad songs can be beneficial to your mental health. Psychologists are declaring megastars like Taylor Swift are rel...

Jon spent 17 years in prison for being a school shooter. Jon explains what drove him to do it, what his thought process was and the lessons he's learned. Not only was Jon the curator of violence, he was also a victim of a brutal and savage attack. This is a two part episode and in part two Jon discusses being on the victim side of violence. Follow Jon @jonseekingpeace on TikTok and Instagram Topic...

EP 16: HOT TAKES on A New Study Finding Touch Benefits Mental Health and How Economic Woes Impact Therapy Practices  Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Todd shares the positive benefits of touch on mental health. A new study highlights that physical touch substantially improves both physical and mental well-being....

Leandra grew up with emotional and mental abuse which lead to her battling depression and PTSD. In her 20s however, Leandra started having OCD. It turns out there are many ways OCD can present itself in people and it's not what it looks like on TV. Perhaps even scarier, Leandra began suffering with depersonalization, the mental health disorder that affects your reality and perspective. As she expl...

EP 15: HOT TAKES on 28-Year-Old Choosing Euthanasia Due to Mental Illness and Sports Betting Creates More Gambling Addiction Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Nick wants to discuss a 28-year-old choosing euthanasia over living with mental illness. A woman in the Netherlands is choosing assisted suicide after a psy...

Dr. Michael Caparrelli is a former pastor, current PhD in Advanced Studies in Behavioural Science and author. His latest book is Monster Mirror: 100 Hours with David Berkowitz, Once Known as Son of Sam. Dr Caparrelli warns that when you meet David (infamous serial killer) , you will not look into the eyes of a monster, but a mirror. What does he mean by that? Is David Berkowitz a changed man? And...

EP 14: HOT TAKES on New AI Mental Health Chatbot for GenZ and The Power of Mental Health Recovery Stories Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking.  Nick is ready to talk more about the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in therapy: A new bandana-wearing panda AI chatbot named Earkick brings basic mental health services...

Torri is a busy guy. He works with many mental health advocacy groups and for the LGBTQ2+ community. He is also the founder of Tangible Movement, speaker and transgender. Before all this though Torri was a woman who grew up with a homophobic father, was suicidal and an addict. Torri tells his harrowing story in hopes to inspire others. How did Torri overcome his challenges? What lessons can we all...

EP 13: HOT TAKES on NHL Denying CTE Influence on Player Suicides and Study Links Brain Changes to Mental Illness Nick and Todd are back with more mental health news, ready to dissect the headlines and spark your critical thinking. Todd wants answers as to why the NHL claims CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is not part of hockey: Former NHL players Chris Simon and Konstantin Koltsov's deaths...

In March of 2022 Jenn’s son Jordan took his own life after being catfished online and sextorted. Sextortion, or sexual extortion, occurs when an online actor threatens to release a victim's intimate photos or videos for financial gain. These people tend to target youth between the ages of 14 and 24. In Jordan’s case his culprits were caught, but very few are. Almost always, the guilty party is ove...