Men(tal) Health at Work
On November 21, Alex Mateas of the Ottawa REDBLACKS, and TSN 1200 hosts Ian Mendes and Lee Versage, took the stage for the Movember edition of Conversations at The Royal called “Men(tal Health) at Work.”
Mateas, Mendes, and Versage were joined by Dr. JianLi Wang and Dr. Raj Bhatla to explore burnout, stress, and mental illness from a male perspective, and discuss how to build resiliency and support men in the workplace.
A panel discussion highlighted the latest research and information on workplace mental health and tips for returning to work after mental illness. You can view the full video here.
Focus on men’s mental health
Dr. Raj Bhatla spoke on a panel about men’s mental health at the 20th annual Principals’ Breakfast at Dovercourt Recreation Centre on November 13. This annual event is an opportunity for local community leaders to learn, discuss, and connect with others on matters of mutual interest and importance. This year’s discussion focused on young men and suicide. The expert panel also included: Neil Yorke-Slader, a superintendent with the Ottawa Carleton District School Board; Cameron MacLeod, the executive director of the Carlington Community Health Centre; and Lauren Cheresna, a former Dovercourt staff member whose brother Simon died by suicide in March this year.
MO bros
Did you know The Royal has a Movember fundraising team? Rich Robins – a social worker in forensics – has been involved with Movember at The Royal and in the greater Ottawa community. “Men's mental health and suicide prevention is near and dear to my heart, and the hearts of many of the people that I work with,” writes Robins. “It’s the reason why Movember means so much to us and why we have created The Royal Mo’fessionals team to participate in Movember activities.” For information or to donate go to moteam.co/the-royal-mo-fessionals