Do Local Good

Did you know that 70%

of the folks living with mental illness
experienced symptoms before the age of 18?

Access to mental health
care is also becoming harder.

1 in 3 Canadians

with a diagnosed mental health condition
report that their needs aren't being met.

Mental illness
impacts individuals across all ages,

education levels,
income brackets and cultures.

Hello folks, and welcome to Do

Local Good, a podcast
created by the United Way of Alberta

Capital Region and the team of volunteers
on the GenNext Cabinet.

We feature stories and people
from the Edmonton region to inform,

inspire and invite others

to join us in building resilient
and thriving communities.

This podcast is recorded
in Edmonton, Alberta, and we're grateful

that we get to have this conversation
on Treaty Six Territory

and the Métis Homelands
and the Métis Nation of Alberta.

Before we jump in,

as we'll be talking about a variety
of mental health topics today, a reminder

that if you or a loved one needs support
during or after listening to this episode,

or any time, you can always contact 211
for resources in your area.

Hello everyone, I'm Yawa Idi
and today we want to dig into the factors

that impact mental health

right here in the Edmonton region
and the work that's being done to help.

Today
we're joined by two very special people.

We have Derryl-Lynn
Braumberger and Laura Torgrimson.

Two therapists
working here in the Edmonton

region to help us understand the concerns
that are facing our Community.

But they're not just therapists.

So we're going to get a little bit into,
like, who

they are outside of the therapy room.

Before we start.

So Derryl-Lynn is an artist,
athlete, friend, sister,

daughter, and last but not least, cat mom,
how many cats you have?

Just one. Just one. Okay.

And she was born right here
and resides on Treaty Six Territory,

where she works

as an Art Therapist and an Intern Mentor,
which is a very important job

at the Family Centre.

And to my right here,

the lovely Laura is currently working
as a Clinical Counselor and Art Therapist

with an All in for Youth program
through the Family Centre.

And when she's not running around
with the kids, you can typically find her

practicing yoga, teaching
children's musical theater classes, or

working on an art
project fitting for an Art Therapist.

So luckily we had the chance to catch up
with both of these lovely ladies before

we actually sat down here today,

so we're really looking forward
to an awesome conversation.

So thank you both for joining us today.

Thank you for having us. Awesome.

Before we kind of get started
into like the nitty gritty of,

you know, the mental health factors
and everything,

something that's really important
is kind of getting to know you and why

you do what you do.

Because we often find
and we talked about this kind of with,

you know, United Way sharing your why

something that's really important
because you could have ten people

who are therapists
all doing the same thing,

but their reasons for doing
it is so different and diverse,

and I think it shows us a little bit more
about who you are as individuals.

So outside of just the work that you do,
why you do what you do.

So both of you already previously
kind of shared your personal experiences

on what influenced your path
in working in mental health.

So can you tell?

Well we know, but
can you tell the audience a little bit

about a moment in your life
that really solidified your desire

to help others,
specifically in this field?

Yeah.

So I really draw,

on when I was little,

I ended up having a lot of time
that I spent in the Children's Hospital.

I was sick a lot of the time.

And for me, I did a lot of art.

So I was in the hospital
doing art all the time.

And as I got older and just
different things going on with family,

different things going on with friends,
I did always take on like a helper role.

It was pretty normal for me.

And it also it felt good,
like that's what I enjoyed doing.

I liked caring for those around me.

And so when I was in high school,

I actually had, a teacher who was like,
oh, have you ever heard of Art Therapy?

And it blew my mind.

I was like, no, no,
that was what tell me more all about this.

And so
I, I kind of started doing some research,

looking into the field, and I was like,
absolutely, that's what I want to do.

So it was the Art Therapy piece
that actually drew me in first.

And then when I was diving

into all of that, it was realizing
just the world of mental health

and I had seen a psychologist

growing up, and it really made
a world of a difference for me.

I had seen my family

members access mental health supports,
and I saw the way that it impacted them.

And I was like, absolutely,
this is what I want to do,

and this is the way I want to support
others in the world. Right.

So you kind of had experience,

like in the hospital
and using art as your own personal outlet,

and then you figured out
that this is actually therapeutic,

not just because I feel it,
but empirically, like there's science

behind why this is actually helping people
through like mental health issues.

And then you kind of got into the field
of mental health that way. Exactly.

So I was using this art in a way
that was like art as therapy.

And then as I learned
that there's actually an entire field

about Art Therapy.

And so that was where I wanted
to learn everything I possibly could,

and that's where I went down
my path of learning about art materials,

about learning about psychology,
sociology, and figuring out

ways that we could combine
all of these things to help others.

Super cool. So secure.

You know, this villain origin story
this is your therapist origin story

awesome.

And then what about you, Derryl-Lynn?

Yeah, well, I think I figured out that
I wanted to be in some kind

of helper role, and I thought Therapy was
maybe the way to do that.

When I was about 12 years old,

at that time, my family was going through
significant grief.

We had,

a lot of deaths that happened,

within our family, with our friends,
our greater circle.

And I found myself being sort of the glue
that held everybody together.

And my parents kind of thought,
hey, like, psychology

does sound like a really interesting field
let's help nurture that.

So I did everything to prepare
for going into psychology.

It took psych classes in high school,
but I also discovered this love of art.

And so I graduated high school and I said:
Mom, Dad, I want to be an artist.

And they're like, no,

there is no way to

be an artist successfully in this world,
which is garbage, by the way.

Follow your dreams, people.

But they said, you really love psychology,
so let's give that a shot.

Go to school for that. Right.

And so in my Bachelor's Degree,
I took Psych as my major.

And then I somewhat
spitefully took Art as my Minor

because I wanted to show my parents
that I could do it.

Prove them wrong, right?

But those two things blended together,
and somebody made me aware

that Art Therapy was a viable option.

And so that's what I pursued.

And it just it ended up fitting so well,
every every step I took after that,

I felt so aligned,
everything was so like synchronous.

And so yeah, that's
how I ended up working as an Art Therapist

as well as a Mental Health Therapist.

So you kind of didn't even know about
Art Therapy as a field.

It was like,

I like art as a separate thing,
and I love psychology as a separate thing.

But it wasn't until, like,

you know, in the midst of you trying
to, like, spite

your parents by taking Art as a Minor,
you actually figured out

you could combine the two in an actual,
like, lucrative career,

one that would fulfill you as a person,
your desires, but then also maybe

make your parents happy too, because
you're in a career that they want for you.

Essentially. Yeah. Right.

And and in that, in doing my Art classes
during my Bachelor's,

I actually discovered art as a therapeutic
tool, just inherently,

I worked

on a project where I was looking at,

another aspect of grief in my life

where I re-created family photos
and took myself out of those photos

within my art, just to sort of process
the grief that I had been holding onto.

And so I did bring an example
of that today.

Perfect.

And actually that's a great segue
into like the next question

that we have for you,
because we've already kind of delved

into like Art Therapy as a career,
but I think maybe a lot of people

don't actually know what Art Therapy is in
terms of how can this fix my depression?

How can this fix my anxiety?

How is painting pictures on a canvas
going to make me feel better,

especially when I'm going through really,
really tough times?

And I love the fact that you mentioned
that you have one here today,

so we can kind of like hold it up
into like the camera and show everyone

what Art Therapy kind of looks like.

And I the question I have essentially for
both of you is for those who aren't

really familiar
or who maybe have heard about

Art Therapy in practice,
could you describe how it actually works

in a client setting with the client,

when you're helping them process,
whether it's

grief, anxiety, depression, communication
issues, whatever it might be?

How does Art Therapy in practice
actually help with clients,

especially those who could be struggling
with like social challenges, for example?

So I'll speak a little bit

from my experience first,
and just creating this piece that I did,

so you can see that
there's these two figures over here

which represent my parents,
and then there's like this little pink

figure here
that represents the absence of me.

What would life have been like
if I wasn't in the picture?

Perhaps when my parents were going
through their divorce, which was tough.

For me,

being able to look at that
and allow myself all of that

time to sit in those feelings
and to really consider

what their relationship was
and what their relationship gifted me.

It allowed me to see

so many more perspectives
and aspects of what

the actual situation was,
instead of just sitting in my own pain.

Right. Which I did that as well.

However,
I was able to see the full spectrum

of what was going on within me.

And that does that takes a lot of time.

And so this was
this was clearly like a, like a project.

This was something that I did over
hours and hours and hours.

An Art Therapy

session might be a little bit different,
but sort of the the basics are the same.

Right. We want to provide a space,

where people

can put their emotions, their expressions

and the things
that are going through them,

whether they are really aware of it
or not.

And that can provide a sense of safety
for people

because talking about things
can be really hard, right?

The verbalization, it's
very vulnerable. Yeah.

And so having a space a physical space
to put those things can allow

that sense of safety connection
and also a different type of processing.

So that would be one way.

And I know I said on camera,
it's a beautiful painting for those

who are actually watching, like on camera
Derryl-Lynn is an amazing artists.

And if you're listening your audio,
this is your cue to hop on

and watch the video
so you can see the beautiful painting.

And I really appreciate what you said
in terms of verbalizing

and talking about your feelings,
especially when you don't even know

what you're feeling can be very hard.

So it seems like this is a way
that helps people externalize

and put their feelings that they might
not be able to say actually on a canvas

and show themselves or show other people
what their experience with this is.

Super cool, I think. Yeah, absolutely.

And I think Laura too, could speak
a lot to the work that she's doing

and how art supports her
and working with her kids.

Yeah, I absolutely use art in my own day
to day life.

And I work in an elementary school, so

I'm using art with the kids
all of the time.

Many, many different mediums.

And art is fascinating.

And Art Therapy,
because you can use it in different ways.

Sometimes the art can be therapeutic
just in like if I pick up,

some yarn and some knitting needles
and I crochet hook and I'm just moving

and just getting in that flow,
it doesn't necessarily mean

I have to be thinking about big,
big topics.

And sometimes I am, and it's just nice
to move and move through that.

And then there's other times,
like in Derryl-Lynn's example,

where you're cognitively really

working on something
that maybe you're visualizing and you're

you're putting all this metaphor in,

and sometimes it's a bit
more of a cognitive experience,

and sometimes it's a bit
more of a flow through experience.

Right?

Of, okay, I have these feelings
and I want to keep moving

or it's, I have these feelings
and I want to try and translate it

into something that's visual

instead of just having it all stuck
winding around in my brain.

So it's

really neat, like when I'm working
in my personal art practice,

I do a lot of pottery and with that,
there's a lot of steps in it.

So I start out with like clay
and I wedge the clay and I prepare it

and that part I find much more of
like a flow of just like smushing it,

sometimes if I'm really having a

day, I'll pick up the clay
and I smash it on the ground to soften it

up and people come from the pottery studio
and they're like, look, everything okay?

And clay is everywhere, and I'm like,
got my headphones

on, I got my loud music,
and I'm just loving life.

But then when it comes to,
I'll throw it on the wheel,

do all of the other steps,
and then I might come to a spot where

I've worked
with this, like, product from the earth,

and then I get to a point
where it looks like a bowl,

and I take my tiny paint brushes, and
I sit there and I paint my little pattern.

It’s pretty mindful too.

It's very mindful.

And what's actually been found
in some studies, for the neuroscience of,

it is our body's love patterns,
our brains, love patterns,

we naturally like right from the time
we are infants, we hear a heartbeat.

Hear a rhythm.

Our breathing follows rhythm.

It's really comforting to us.

In the school, all the time, kids
will be using without realizing

they'll be doodling,
and they'll be using little,

patterns of ways
of, like, a regulation tool.

And so finding ways to encourage that.

But I also love things that are a bit
more tangible.

So, working with textile arts is something
that also I find so fascinating.

So there was a kiddo that I was working
with,

a couple of years ago at the School,
and he was really frustrated

because there was a toy
in my office that he wanted,

and he had had quite a history.

And so just given circumstances,
it was not possible

for him to go to a store
and buy a toy just like that.

He had had toys that he no longer
has because of moving

situations,
because of changes in households.

It was hard for him
to have things that were his.

And so what I did
is rather than give him the toy

and just kind of give in and say,
okay, fine, yeah, you can just have it.

I pulled out some sewing supplies
and said, I have an idea.

What if you created your very own version?

And he was like, I could make it?

My own toy. I could make it myself.

And so I did.

I pulled out fabric and googly eyes,
and we looked at the toy

and the things that he liked about it
and the softness of it,

and then he was able
to make his own version,

and at the end of it, he,
and it was actually like a multi

session project, which was really cool
because he got to practice

a little bit of delayed gratification

in that sometimes you don't get it
right away, right away for it.

Yeah, it's a bit of a process
and by the end of it he had this toy

that I think for the next like year
and a half that I worked with him.

He had it with him every day.

He showed everybody.

Everyone's like,
oh yeah, there you go with this chicken.

This prized possession.

Yeah his prized possession.

And he would tell everyone how he made it.

And that was so special
because it gave him that autonomy

of being like when when there's something
that I don't have, what can I do?

What kind of problem solving
can I tackle and create something

that's special? And like,

even if things haven't been given
to me in life, how can I make it work?

How can I make it happen?

That's amazing.

So like within the process of Art
Therapy, it's

not just that working through the feelings
and that therapeutic intervention,

but there's also like the after effect
where this sense of like affirmation

and capacity and validation of what,
you know, a child can do for themselves.

Yeah.

And it's such a spectrum
because it's all Art Therapy.

It's all incredible therapeutic work
and depending on the situation,

you can go back

and forth between all the different types
of just working through something

or having a product at the end
that you can be extremely proud of.

That's amazing.

Oh, and as you were talking,
because I didn't know

too much about Art Therapy
even like prior to this.

So the things you're saying about

the doodling is like really clicking
because I'm like,

you could probably see in my notebooks
where I stopped paying attention

by the amount of butterflies
I started doodling,

because that was like my thing for like,
Art Therapy.

I don't know if Rahma
you've experienced the same thing

where you just kind of like drawing,
and now we know it's like a science based

thing or like a therapeutic intervention,
which is super cool.

And we kind of talked a little bit
about like the factors that impacted

mental health or what you use Art Therapy
for when it comes to helping people

with mental health challenges.

So an either or both of your experiences,
what are some of the most common

social factors that impact mental health
specifically like in the communities

that you work with?

I know you're typically
in the schools, Laura and then Derryl-Lynn

and you're with the Family Centres,

you probably get a wide range of people
who are walk in through your doors.

So really interested in seeing like,
what are the common or maybe the most

diverse social factors that have impacted
mental health that you've both seen.

Well, I can speak to at the Family Centre.

You're right.

We do.

We get such a wide range of folks
coming in with

different issues,

and different capacity
to access mental health services.

So something that's really great
about what we do at the Family Centre

with the help of the United Way, is
that we can offer subsidized counseling.

So it's short
term, goal oriented counseling

where people get an average of 8
to 12 sessions

where they can actually come in
and work on something.

And we make sure that the barrier
for them to get there is not the fee.

Which is huge. Yeah. Huge.

So I think that's
one of the biggest things

that prevents people
from accessing counseling,

because at an average of $220
an hour in the community per hour, right?

Like that's pretty
that's not accessible for most people.

Right.

And most people's benefits,
if they have them, don't

necessarily cover
as many as 8 to 12 sessions either. So

if people are struggling financially,

we can take that off their plate
and help them get stabilized.

We also have ways and resources
that we can get people

to be able to have other things
stabilize in their life.

So if people are experiencing
food scarcity and instability,

we have places that we can refer them
to get that going for them

while we continue
to focus on their therapeutic goals.

So yeah, the issue of poverty
is a big one, that prevents

people from coming in and then just not
knowing about services is another thing.

Some people are shocked when they hear
that the Family Centre offers

free counselling.

Like the of lack of information
and lack of like

knowing where to access the resources.

You're saying it's like a big thing?
Absolutely.

And another thing, too,
is that the the trauma in the community

can be a preventative factor in itself.

It's one of the number one things
that we treat.

But it's also one of those things
that people who experience

a lot of trauma
can be quite mistrustful of the systems.

As you can imagine.

Huge. Yeah. Huge barrier.

And with marginalized folks
in our communities,

there's also mistrust there of
what kind of system am I walking in to?

How is this run?

What does it look like?

Because the way that we practice Therapy

in Western Society
is, you know, it's colonized a lot of it.

Right?

So we have to continuously work
on decolonizing our systems

in order to create more opportunities
for people to access the services.

And make it more inclusive.

And like what you mentioned in
terms of trust is like a big thing,

because there's a lot of people
who do need the help and know they need it

and know they want it, but not trusting
the people who are providing it,

which is something that kind of keeps
everyone trapped in that cycle of trauma

and, increasing,
you know, the disproportionate, like

mental health statistics
that we're seeing a lot in our Community.

I know for myself and Rahma
with the Africa Centre,

that's something that we see.

And really cool that you folks are kind of
on that path of self reflection

at the Family Centre.

Yeah, it's continuous work for sure.

I think we're always learning every day.

Yeah. We are. We're doing it.

Great that you're connecting them to
to so many other resources

because mental health
support is is one aspect,

but so many other things
impact individuals and communities.

And knowing that the Family Centre
provides all that's amazing.

Yeah.

To build on what Derryl-Lynn said,
it's not always the most accessible

to necessarily sit somebody down
at a table with a pen and paper

and say let's write down

in English these different strategies.

That is not always
the most accessible way.

And the most helpful way, right,
for every type of population.

So really listening and seeing
what kind of tools do

people already have in their toolbox,
is it that they have a certain

kind of art, a certain kind of craft
they're already leaning on?

How do you build up on that?

Is it spending time with family?

Is it cooking?

There's so many cultural pieces that are
naturally, intrinsically therapeutic

and building up on that rather than doing
this kind of colonized side of things,

which is well researched
and for some people works really well.

But you have to really pay attention to

who is it
that you're actually working with?

Are you like, are you helping them
in the best way that helps them, or

are you as the Therapist, like, well,
this is what I learned in school.

This is, you know, a b = c this is how,

from an academic standpoint,
this is the best way to go about it.

So a lot of cultural consideration
to take in and every culture has, you

know, different forms of arts like that
you just mentioned.

So it's kind of like the onus is on you
as a Therapist to be able

to kind of fill in the gap.

If you don't know, to learn how to know
or see what already that they're doing

that is helpful to them,

which is making sure everyone has that
tailored sense of support.

So it's not like a one stop shop
or one size fits all, essentially, it's

what do you have that I can work with
to help you get better?

So, super, super cool.

And just to briefly add to that too, is
we do have to trust our clients

that they are the masters and the most
experienced in their own lives.

They are the expert. So

even if we're not completely aware

of, you know, maybe every type of art
that exists in the different cultures

that we're working with,
we're allowing them to teach us. Right.

And working within that is as well.

So again, learning constantly on the go
with the work that we're doing.

Yeah.

So not establishing yourself
as an expert in the room

almost by being like, I'm learning from
you as much as you're learning from me.

Absolutely. Yeah.

So human-centered. Yes. Yeah.

Super cool.

And we kind of already talked a little bit
about the All in for Youth program,

which is an amazing partnership
with, United Way and other agencies.

So, Laura, for yourself, because that's
primarily where you work out of,

from what I heard, it's
a pretty broad initiative, so could you

kind of described everything that it does
from, you know, working with the kids,

the different schools that you work
in, anything related to that Program

specifically that you would want listeners
to kind of know?

Absolutely.

The All in for Youth
program is really cool.

So, this current moment,
there are eight schools in Edmonton

that are a part of the All in for Youth program, and there's partnerships with E4C,

BGCBigs and the Family Centre.

So at the school that I work at,
I am at one school full time.

It's an elementary school,

but I've actually been in three different
All in for Youth schools.

During my time with the Family Centre.

And I work in partnership
with a Success Coach

who helps kids with, day to day
activities.

She does a lot of connecting,
relationship building

and some conflict resolution.

Really encouraging kids to find strategies

that work for them
in the school, in their home.

We also have a Roots and Wings worker,
and she does a lot of home visits.

She works very closely with the families.

Going back ever so slightly
to one of your earlier questions.

A lot of the families
that we're working with at the School

right now
have been experiencing houselessness.

So whether that

looks like staying in a shelter or couch
surfing with different relatives,

it's really common to hear a child say,
yeah,

I share a living room
with seven different kids.

So our Roots and Wings
worker is really fabulous

in connecting families with food support.

She'll do work through like

the Bissell Center and connecting with:
how do you put in these applications?

Because there are just a lot of things
to try and figure out.

And when you are trying to make sure

you've taken care of your kids
and you're trying to make sure

that there's food on the table,

and also look for housing like
it's it's a lot and it's overwhelming.

And so she'll step in
and do a lot of that support.

We also have

BGCBigs that has, part time
mentoring facilitator in our school.

So if there's kids that are showing that
maybe they don't need therapeutic

intervention, but they could really use
a positive role model.

That's the Big Brothers Big Sisters kind
of mentorship that comes up with that.

Yeah. So they step in with that.

So we have volunteers.

And BGCBigs is always looking
for more volunteers.

There's a lot of kids.

Yeah, there's a lot of kids

and it's really incredible
to see the relationships that get built

there it is sometimes as simple as playing
a game of Uno or sitting

and colouring with a kid,
but it really it matters so much to them

and it goes a really long ways.

And then we do
also have an after school program

and that's run
through Boys and Girls Club.

And so every day after school
they're right in the school

we have like a Boys and Girls Club
and programing.

So kids are able to stay at school.

And the ones that are being run right now
are really cool.

There's one that's called like Job Fair.

So every day the kids do a different
activity that's kind of related to a job.

So the one that I heard most recently is
kids were learning about like

being a Firefighter.

So just learning all

kinds of different skills,
but in a way that's extremely fun.

And it's also just
a really safe, fun place for them to be.

And it is at no cost.

So the families are able
to sign their kids up for it.

So that barrier is not an issue
for them. Exactly.

And seeing that.

So yeah, so it's a safe, fun,
educational place for them to be.

And yeah, it's it's pretty cool.

The kids will be just like,
so excited for whichever club they are in.

And they'll talk about it constantly,
which is so fun.

And then the last part is E4C, so
we have a breakfast program at the school.

Because it's very clear that if kids
aren't eating, they're not able to learn.

Right. And focus.

Yeah, we're working with the E4C program,
making sure that kids have full bellies,

they have access
to breakfast in the morning,

and then families who are not able
to provide a lunch at lunchtime.

There are some what they call Top Ups.

So the kids have access to that.

So the All in for Youth
program is really looking

at the wraparound support and it's

it's sorry,

I should say that it did
come out of like a research project,

and what they were really looking for
is to see if attendance rates increased.

And looking long term at if
graduation rates increase will go up.

Right.

But also just looking
at the resiliency of the kids.

And this is,
I believe, the eighth year of the program.

Wow. And the research has been

kind of exactly what was expected.

It has increased attendance.

It has increased graduation.

And it's

absolutely clear
when you're in the schools to see

what an incredible impact it has.

Yeah.

And it goes to show how so important
that integrated approach is because

although you folks are doing the therapy,
which is mental

health is super important,

it's kind of like you can't Art Therapy
your way out of hunger.

You know, Art Therapy your way out of,
you know, houselessness.

So as much as those things are important,
the work that you do

in terms of referring people
to social supports,

where they can either have, you know,
financial support, food banks, etc., etc.

is just as important
and going to make your work as Therapists

go a lot further than just,
you know, coming in,

you know, making a toy as much as,
you know, that was amazing.

If kids going home

and there's no food on the table
or they're sharing a room again,

it's going to be hard
to maintain that resilience.

So I love the fact that you mentioned
that,

you know, yes, the mental health
support is amazing and important,

but there's a whole wraparound service
that is just as equally as important.

And, how young have kids,
you see like within the all every program,

like what's the youngest
and maybe like the oldest goes up to

so the youngest that I
work with is five years old.

So I've
been doing some training in Play Therapy.

And so in addition to the Art Therapy,
really getting down on the ground,

playing in the sand
tray, playing with Lego, you know, meeting

the kids where they're at, the same as
we were saying, with any kind of client,

you want to meet them where they're at
and speak their language.

So youngest five currently I'm

in an elementary school,
so I work up to 12.

But we have All in for Youth schools
that go all the way to grade 12,

so up to 18. Wow.

No one left behind. Yeah. That’s the idea.

Super cool.

So Derryl-Lynn

and we got to talk a little bit about what
the Family Centre provides.

Could you tell us
a little bit more about the,

you know, the services and offerings
that we didn't get to touch on?

Yeah. How people can access you.

Yeah for sure.

So so to get into that, goal oriented
counseling that I had mentioned.

So we have our drop in program.

So if you come in and drop in
at the Family Centre for free, first

sessions is always free,
then you can get referred to the ongoing.

And so sometimes people can get a lot
from just a single session

where it's solution focused and strengths
based.

We look at all the resources
that people already have

and help them to realize those things.

And then help them to make a plan
to move forward and use those things.

So the single session, awesome, great.

And we have a bunch of different locations

across the City
where people can access that.

And then the ongoing counseling happens
at the office where it is subsidized,

so you can pay usually as little
as $5, sometimes nothing

and then you can

do your 8 to 12 sessions
if extensions are needed.

We do grant that because we of course,

see a wide variety of people and issues
that are coming in

and, you know,
some of the wraparound services

that you guys are able to connect people.

to? can you speak to some of those
some of those connections?

Yeah, absolutely.

So for example,
we have some of our Roots and Wings

workers working in different Family
Resource Networks in the City.

So we actually cover
quite a large section of the City

to be able to get people connected with
those people that will come into the home,

support them,
and getting that paperwork done,

getting connected to places
like the Food Bank.

So we provide those referrals, of course,

if people are coming in that have

significant mental health
diagnoses and concerns,

we can get them connected
to other organizations as well,

through referrals
to different, mental health

providers and, or,

whatever community connections
we think are a best of.

And, you know, the partnership
with United Way,

how has that impacted what,
you know, the Family Centre can offer?

And how's that partnership
been successful?

We couldn't do what we do
without the support from the United Way.

There's no way we'd be able
to subsidize the counseling for people

if we didn't have that funding.

That's that's that's it.

We would not do it. Yeah.

You know, so much of the work that you
ladies do probably comes so many stories.

Can you tell us, you know, a client
or a situation that, you know,

reaffirms
the work that you do and why you do it?

Start with you, Laura.

Yeah.

I had one come up this year
that just brought so much joy.

So last year, I was running
some Art Therapy for Anxiety Groups.

I ran a couple Art Therapy Groups.

But in this one particular group,

I was teaching a lot of skills
about anxiety, a bit of psychoeducation

about what anxiety is, some tools
for dealing with anxiety,

talking about how feelings can come up
and that they are feelings, not facts,

hitting on some of those big parts

and then also some
like breathing strategies using art.

And so it was actually
the very first day of school this year,

and one of the parents stopped me

and said, are you going to be running
the Art Therapy Group again this year?

And I said, yeah, I would love to.

And she said, my little
one would really love to do it again.

She said over the summer she had
the opportunity to be in a performance,

and so she's a little dancer,

and she had the chance to be
in a performance, and she was backstage

and one of the other kids, a kid
who does not attend an All in for

Youth school, I assume,

was really, really nervous and started

to have a bit of a panic attack backstage,
and so the teachers were trying to help.

And then this little one,
who was only seven years old.

She helped.

So she stepped in and she goes,
she sat right down beside

this kid and said, can I tell you
about what Miss Laura taught me?

And so she started talking
this kid through some breathing exercises

and about how it's totally normal
to have feelings of anxiety,

And it doesn't mean
there's anything wrong with you,

it just means that your body is prepared
for something big that's happening.

And this mom explained it to me

and I started to, like,
tear up to see here that the impact

it's reaching beyond just the kids
that I get to see and, to hear

that, was like I've been riding
that wave for a while now to hear that,

you know, these skills that I'm teaching
are sticking with some of these kids

to the point that they're going out
and they're teaching it to others.

And so, yeah, this little seven year
old's out there doing my job,

which I could

not be prouder of,
so hire her for All in for Youth next.

Yeah.

Just incredible.

And so that was a really uplifting story
of what kind of impact

this work is having.

More ambassadors for mental health.

Yeah, yeah.

And same for you.

Give us example or something
that something that fills your cup

every day from the experience
you've had or impact you've made.

I can think of one adolescent
that I was working with,

who came to me

with really significant trauma.

And you can imagine how
they were impacted:

they were really struggling in school,
they were struggling with friends,

they were struggling with family,
and they just felt so incredibly alone.

And under the model, I was told, you know,
you got ten sessions with this kid

and I fought for them.

I fought for them.

We had over 60 sessions together,
and the progress that we got to see

over that time, because we really focused
on our relationship,

building those skills, resolving that
trauma through things like Art Therapy,

through things
like learning communications skills

and how to build safety
in their relationships

outside the therapeutic relationship
was so spectacular.

And at the end of it,

they had

created
this like this little handmade crochet

piece for me, because they were just
they wanted to express their gratitude

somehow and say, like,

we are now together
or we are part of each other.

You know, they made it out
of my favorite color and all these pieces.

And so I and I made them this
like big handwritten card.

And they know, they know that anytime

they can reach out to me whenever,

they would like to.

And I probably would have kept this,
this adolescent if I could.

But unfortunately, the funding
for that particular program had ended.

And we're seeing that quite a bit, is that
funding is really difficult to access,

for a lot of different organizations.

So being able to have

what we do have through the United Way
and how they've restructured their funding

for us to be able to use that money
and create

programing for what works for what
we're seeing,

that's been really beneficial
so that we can we can continue

to support these kids
if they need so like long term

and really just give them that chance
to, to thrive.

It's so incredible
because we talked about trust.

And, you know,
those two stories, both of you shared,

those successes wouldn't have happened
if that trust wasn't there.

And, you know, it's it's
so incredible to see that

your job isn't just
your job is you're impacting lives.

You're improving communities, and you've
built these long lasting relationships.

It's incredible.

Yeah, it can be absolutely hard
when you're sitting with,

you know, a child as young as five
or an elder as old as 110.

And in those in those dark, dark moments.

But it's absolutely invaluable

to be able to just sit there
and share that space with somebody.

And as Derryl-Lynn said,

like without the United Way funding,
the programs would not exist.

All in for Youth
is a completely United Way funded program.

And so without it, it would
it would just not exist.

You know, which is yeah,
I hope not to see that day but.

You know, and so much of what you guys do
is giving back to people.

But, you know,
you're still humans yourselves.

You know you need to support yourselves
and how, you know, how do you

how do you approach, you know, at the end
of your workday at whatever you do?

How do you take
care of your own mental health?

Sometimes it gets weird.

Yeah.

To be honest, you know

sometimes I have this

like glitter lava lamp in my room
and the kids love it.

But I have been really mindful
and like when I get to the school,

into my office I turn it
on, I'm like okay, work brain on.

And then at the end of the day,
I turn it off

and sometimes that's enough
and sometimes it's not.

So then I just kind of have a little shaky
dance party and I just shake it off

and I just like, like, make weird noises.

My door is closed
usually. So. You in there?

It's just me.

It's just me yeah as it gets a bit weird.

But, like, then maybe it's going
and throwing some clay around,

sometimes I call Derryl-Lynn and be like,
today was rough.

Yeah. Yeah.

Having those social supports for us, too
is super essential.

There's no way
I would be able to do this work

if I didn't have

people like Laura in my life
and other supportive friends and family.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Dance parties have to take part in dance
parties, but, yeah, yeah.

Movement is actually really essential
for moving stress through our body.

Pro tips.

Singing very loudly is another thing
that I really love.

Does it have to be good.

Yeah. Loud doesn't have to be good.

Okay?

No, it doesn't have to be good. No.

Awesome. Yeah.

You know, this has been such
an incredible conversation.

Thank you so much for being vulnerable

and sharing with us.

Yeah, I mean, we could probably go
for another two, three hours, but.

Yeah, but that is our show for today. Yes.

Thank you so much, Derryl-Lynn and Laura,

for being here and sharing your insights
and for the work that you both do,

whether it's through the Family Centre
or All in for Youth program.

Your impact, like you said, is invaluable.

And we're super happy that, you know,

we get to be a part
of hearing your stories

and that United Way as a part
of supporting the work that you do.

Thank you as well to the United Way team,
for even making this conversation

possible, specifically
United Way of the Alberta Capital Region,

for making this conversation, possible
with the both of you.

Doing local good starts with you,

whoever is listening
or wherever you're watching from.

So to find out how you can help build
thriving, resilient communities,

you can head to myunitedway.ca/gennext
or just check out the links

that are in the show notes.

Either way, works.

And together we can all make sure
that no one is left behind.

So if you enjoyed this episode, you know
what to do: like, share, subscribe.

And on behalf of myself, Yawa and Rahma
and the entire whole

GenNEXT Cabinet, thank you
all for listening to Do Local Good.