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One year ago, on March 11, 2020, the world changed in ways we could barely comprehend when the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic in response to the spread of COVID-19. It was clear in the days that followed that we needed to adjust to a new normal, whatever that meant in those...

Ontario is in crisis. This is not a controversial statement by any means as reports of residents of our province lining up in hot spots in Toronto and Peel Region for an opportunity to receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine have been widespread. The images of people lined up around tracks...

With us all being at home more we have come to rely our technologies to learn, to work, to stay connected, and to be entertained. Even with some stores and activities reopening, we are still heavily relying on screen time to get through our days. For most parents, they are worried about how much...

This past weekend was beautiful. The sun was shining, there was barely any wind, and some restrictions of quarantine were lifted. While most of us chose to stay at home and isolate ourselves in our own backyards, we saw many people flood to parks to escape the prisons of our homes and the awful...

This pandemic has led to most of us exhibiting all sorts of abnormal behaviours, one of which has been an increase in substance use as a way of coping. On a normal day having a loved one with a substance related disorders can be an emotional roller coaster. And in my experience talking to family...

There’s been a longstanding myth surrounding maintaining healthy cognition as we age, and that is that we can stay mentally healthy if we do a lot of puzzles and brain games. But, do you know the effects of what doing lots of puzzles has on your brain? You get really good at doing puzzles. Now, if...

You’ve probably heard a common myth that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Yes, it is a myth. This claim originated in the 1950’s out of research a plastic surgeon conducted where he found it took people about 21 days to become more accustomed to their new face. One magazine published this, and then...

Thank you. No matter how many ways I try to say it, it comes down to that phrase each and every day during this unprecedented time. Words simply cannot express how grateful I am for everyone at Ontario Shores and how proud I am of the collective work that’s been done since the World Health...

Whether you’re a front-line worker encroaching on burnout; a parent trying to juggle working from home and educating your kids; or you’ve been temporarily unemployed, we are all experiencing stressors from our current situation and could use a little self-care. But, there is still some...

There have been many articles that discuss resiliency and coping through finding meaning during this crisis. As a main focus of my job is to increase people’s knowledge of mental illness while also decreasing stigma, one questioning thought I’ve had: will we’ll see a positive attitude shift around...

The term burnout has become common workplace lingo for most professions in recent years. It is basically defined as chronic workplace stress with three defining characteristics including: exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy (Maslach & Leiter 2016). While it isn’t actually a formal diagnosis, it is...

Growing up in an Italian Catholic family, Easter weekend has always been one of my favorite weekends. Every Good Friday my big Italian family would get together and cook a giant seafood feast of lobster, crab, shrimp, pasta and zeppole. A meal I look forward to all year. And as a child, the...

I think most of us working from home right now are thankful for many reasons. We’re thankful that we still have a job. We’re thankful that we have something to keep our minds off the pandemic. We’re extremely thankful that we don’t have to risk our health going out, unlike all the absolutely amazing...

A big observation I’ve made over the years training employees on their mental health, is that most people are familiar that they have access to an Employee Assistance Program or EAP, but what they are not always familiar with are the varied services they offer. Average utilization rates for EAP’s...

Being today is April Fools during a pandemic, it will be a bit harder to prank our friends and family and I’m not sure if many of us would appreciate that right now. But being the day that it is, I still wanted to write something a little lighter. I’ve been looking at people post their glamourus...

A great article came out last week from The Globe and Mail on why companies need to prioritize employees mental health during the pandemic. This is something we have been saying for years and it’s great to see mainstream media reporting on it more too now. Five years ago, Ontario Shores created my...

Therapy has come a long way from Sigmund Freud’s “lie on a couch and tell me about your mother”. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an incredibly well researched form of treatment that has replaced most other forms of therapy for individuals with anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses...

Many of us are getting close to the two-week mark of self isolation, which can lead to all kinds of health issues. I wanted to write this article as a follow up to previous articles showing that prolonged anxiety and self isolation can lead to depression, but many of the symptoms of depression are...

Ontario Shores has begun a year-long celebration recognizing 100 years of delivering mental health care. The specialty mental health hospital unveiled its 100 year brand as well as a portion of its plans around its 100th anniversary at this morning’s kickoff event, which marks one full year before...

Following a directive from the East Region Incident Management System (IMS), Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores) has collaborated with Lakeridge Health to support the regional response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, patients from the mental health program at...

Ontario’s leading mental health and addiction organizations are coming together to say Everything Is Not OK in a new campaign that highlights the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of children, youth and adults. The campaign calls for immediate action by all levels of government to reduce wait...

Today, on behalf of our patients, health care workers and staff, we are supporting the Ontario Hospital Association’s call for stronger lockdown measures from the Government of Ontario. Across the Greater Toronto Area, COVID-19 infections are continuing to rise, as are hospitalizations and intensive...

Ontario Shores Foundation for Mental Health (Ontario Shore Foundation) has launched its Protecting Minds campaign. This year’s campaign focusses directly on the mental health issues people are facing across Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic and asks people to help fund “PPE for the mind”. As the...

Ontario Shores, in partnership with the Ontario Shores Foundation, is looking for volunteers interested in participating in our annual fundraising and awareness campaign to support mental health initiatives in our community. To do this work, we seek the assistance of young children, teens, young...