Youth mental health panel to discuss challenges in our community

Youth mental health is an emerging topic being discussed in communities around the world.

At the provincial level, it is estimated that 140,000 children and youth in British Columbia experience mental health disorders.

On March 14, a panel of youth mental health advocates discussed current challenges and possible directions related to youth mental health in our communities.

The event took place from 12noon to 1 pm in the Aboriginal Gathering Place (A1457) on the UFV Chilliwack campus at Canada Education Park.

Selected from a diverse range of fields, organizations and areas in the Fraser Valley, the Dean’s Speaker Series panelists were: David Bayne, Karen Copeland, Tia Noble, Tasha Couture, Paul Enns and Trish Lewis.

David Bayne is a Clinical Coordinator for the Fraser East Early Psychosis Intervention Program (EPI). He has been involved in the delivery and coordination of the EPI program for the past 12 years.  Bayne registered as a Psychiatric Nurse in the UK 20 almost years ago starting out in Acute Inpatient Psychiatry before moving to Community Mental Health work. He trained as a CBT Therapist for Psychosis and was a licenced Non-Medical Prescriber before relocating to Canada.

Karen Copeland is the founder of Champions for Community Mental Wellness, an online resource where she shares personal experiences, mental health and wellness resources, tip sheets and more. Copeland is a parent advocate with extensive experience navigating school, health and ministry mental health (children and youth) systems to obtain access to invaluable services. She currently lives in Abbotsford with her two children where she continues conversations about child, youth and family mental on her website: championsforcommunitywellness.com

Tia Noble is currently Department Head of UFV Counselling Services, and has worked as part of the UFV counselling team for five years. Noble has a wealth of experience with youth and adults in community and post-secondary settings. She has worked with a diverse client population who have often been faced with multiple barriers and dealing with complex therapeutic issues. She has a variety of special interests that you can expect to be a topic of conversation, they include: Anxiety, Career Counselling, Crisis Intervention, Depression, Life Transitions, Stress Management & Wellness, and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.

Tasha Couture is a youth advocate with a passion for mental health awareness. She has been engaged in Chilliwack’s mental health community for three years, and plans to be part of it for many more years to come.

Paul Enns is a Team Leader at Abbotsford’s Youth and Mental Health and Trish Lewis is a Student Counsellor at Sardis Secondary School.

The panel was moderated by Michael Gaetz, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology. As moderator, Gaetz was able to draw upon his expertise in clinical neurophysiology, stress and chronic disease, and pathophysiology.

Admission for this event was free and open to the UFV community/general public.

About the Dean’s Speaker Series

The Faculty of Health Sciences speaker series is designed to promote the awareness of health and wellness related issues. Recent guest speakers have included Sam Waddington, Dr. Darin Cherniwchan and Sto:lo community activist/nurse/pop artist Inez Jasper.