Five years ago, I began a research project into emotional labour, compassion fatigue and burnout in Alberta’s educational workers. The results from the earliest study suggested a wide scope of emotional and mental distress among teachers, educational assistants, school leaders and support staff. This distress has been documented globally and across Canada, suggesting educator mental and emotional well-being continues to decline […] … learn more→

What’s good for your heart is good for your brain. Just as physical activity helps keep our bodies fit and strong as we age, it also helps maintain our cognitive function – and is even linked with lower dementia risk. Yet beyond the longer term cognitive benefits of physical activity, exercise also seems to give a […] … learn more→

As our population continues to age, more seniors are expressing a desire to remain in the comfort of their own homes rather than transitioning to assisted living facilities or nursing homes. This growing trend, known as aging in place, has sparked significant innovation in healthcare technology, home modification, and support services that enable older adults […] … learn more→

The growing politicisation and rise in misinformation about the use of puberty blockers for gender-affirming healthcare has resulted in bans and restrictions internationally. New Zealand’s government has tasked the Ministry of Health with consulting the public on whether additional safety measures or regulations should be put in place for puberty blockers. I argue it is inappropriate to open a public consultation […] … learn more→

Teachers’ jobs involve more than just teaching the required curriculum. A significant part of their role includes providing emotional support to their students And with many students facing mental health challenges and experiencing trauma, meeting these emotional needs has become increasingly difficult. My research investigates compassion fatigue among Australian teachers. This condition — which involves a reduced ability […] … learn more→

Beliefs are convictions of reality that we accept as true. They provide us with the basic mental scaffolding to understand and engage meaningfully in our world. Beliefs remain fundamental to our behaviour and identity, but are not well understood. Delusions, on the other hand, are fixed, usually false, beliefs that are strongly held, but not […] … learn more→

It’s there on the nightstand, staring at us accusingly, that book they gave us last Christmas, that they promised we’d love, that we know we’ll like, but… it was time for the BeReal and right after we started checking out what our friends were saying in the Whatsapp group. Reading a book is a pain. […] … learn more→

Let’s imagine a common situation. Two people walking quickly pass each other on the street. They may be friends, co-workers or acquaintances. One of them greets with a “Hey, how are you?” or “How are you doing?” The other automatically responds: “We’re getting by” or “Come on, it’s not a small thing.” Shortly afterwards, each […] … learn more→

Vera is now 13 years old and has been using TikTok since she was 8 and Instagram since last year. She doesn’t remember exactly when she started to dislike what she saw in the mirror. However, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t look at herself much; on the contrary, she spends many hours a day observing […] … learn more→

Young children do not express their grief in the same way as adults. They may also feel guilty about the death of a loved one. This is why it is important to start a dialogue with them to understand their feelings and help them put their emotions into words. Here are some ideas to help […] … learn more→