Post Event | One Step Better: National Depression Screening Day

On October 10, the Calgary Chamber, in partnership with the Calgary Counselling Centre, hosted One Step Better: National Depression Screening Day at Hotel Arts, presented by Cenovus Energy. The event featured a panel discussion with the Honourable Dan Williams, Alberta’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, John Tarnowski, Chief Client Experience & Technology Officer at ATB Financial, Cathy Jacobs, owner of Angel’s Cafe in Calgary, and Robbie Babins-Wagner, CEO of Calgary Counselling Centre and Adjunct Professor & Sessional Instructor at the Faculty of Social Work, UCalgary.

Minister Williams opened the event by providing remarks, pointing out that the awareness of mental health resources and services has not increased in recent years, indicating a lack of progress. This sentiment was echoed in the following panel by Robbie Babins-Wagner, who identified similar findings through her work at the Calgary Counselling Centre. Cathy Jacobs also provided some concerning data from her personal experiences at the Angel’s Café on the rising number of young people requiring medication for mental health issues.

Minister Williams expressed concern over these alarming data points, confirming the lack of progress in mental health awareness. He also added that the mental health crisis in Western societies is undoubtedly worsening, is expected to continue growing and is a complex issue that requires a collective effort from all members of society and cannot be addressed by a single entity.

Considering the growing concerns raised by the panelists, moderator Deborah Yedlin questioned how individuals can provide help to employees reaching a crisis level of mental health. The panelist’s insights included:

- Early education programs: To address the evolving challenges of modern Western society, it is essential to educate young individuals and new workforce entrants on effective stress management strategies. Utilizing tools such as meditation to help them navigate modern stressors like social media and the dynamic nature of contemporary relationships and family structures.

- Building community: Our society is becoming increasingly isolated and this separation exacerbates the challenges of addressing mental health issues. It is beneficial to build a sense of community, not just in our personal lives, but within our workplaces.

- Understanding resource adoption: Understanding the reasons behind employees’ decisions to utilize or avoid available tools and resources is as crucial as providing them. Are they concerned about judgment? Do they require anonymity? Awareness alone does not guarantee usage.

- Leading by example: If leaders aren’t demonstrating how to support others or showing how they appropriately deal with stressors and their mental health, the rest of the organization may not be inclined to address their own mental health challenges.

The panel continued to explore other topics such as the unique mental health challenges that affect specific cultural communities, the differences in addressing rural and urban communities and being mindful of high functioning people who need to be supported. The discussion concluded with John Tarnowski and Minister Williams underscoring the critical role of men in mental health dialogues. Historically, men have been less inclined to discuss mental health issues, often leading to difficulties in managing these challenges effectively.

Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Cenovus Energy, as well as our thanking sponsor ATB Financial and our supporting sponsors TELUS Health and Virtuous Circle Counselling. We also would like to thank AltaGas Ltd., AltaML and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute for their support.

Learn more about the Calgary Chamber’s Mental Health Pillar Partner Cenovus Energy that is helping promote mental health awareness, resources and education across all sectors and business sizes.

Interested in being part of our next event with the Calgary business community? Get in touch: sponsorships@calgarychamber.com.