Thunder Bay clinical psychologist named Canadian ‘2020 Champion of Mental Health’
THUNDER BAY, ON - A clinical psychologist, researcher and professor from Thunder Bay, Ont., has been named a '2020 Champion of Mental Health' by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH).
The alliance honours seven individuals and groups each year for their efforts to break down the stigma around mental health issues and push the agenda forward, with nominations coming from peers, colleagues and community members.
Dr. Christopher Mushquash is being recognized for his innovative work in bringing cultural appropriate treatments to people in First Nations, as well as those in rural and northern communities.
Many Indigenous cultures "had long healing traditions well before what we recognize now as the more mainstream kind of medical and psychological and psychiatric approaches," he said during an interview on CBC Superior Morning.
'Understanding the human condition' part of many traditions
Psychological principles are embedded in centuries-old traditions and ceremonies that were developed for everything from "healing, to orienting ourselves in the day, to teaching how we ought to carry ourselves in the world, and all of those are built on long histories of knowledge and understanding of the human condition," said Mushquash, who is from Pays Plat First Nation on the north shore of Lake Superior.
Current-day programs draw their inspiration from life on the land which puts people in tune with the natural world, he said.
People sleep when it's dark and wake up as the sun rises, which resets circadian rhythms. They're more physically active and they generally eat better, because the food being consumed is often less processed.
"You're mosquito-bitten and your fingernails are filthy and your hair hasn't been combed very well in a couple of weeks. But you've never felt better and I think there's a lot to be learned in terms of taking those lessons and bringing them back into our homes as best we can," he said.
Be 'compassionate' to yourself during pandemic
Those lessons are especially important now as people look for ways to stay healthy, both mentally and physically, during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is very unusual and very unpredictable and it's a natural feeling to be uncertain and be experiencing some distress during this time, so also to have some compassion for ourselves and say 'I didn't get things I wanted to get done today, so they'll go on the list for tomorrow' and that will probably be fine," said Mushquash.
Mushquash, who directs the Centre for Rural and Northern Health and is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, also teaches at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. As well, he provides
assessment, intervention and consultation services for First Nations children, adolescents and adults at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, and is a vice president of research at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
News posting: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/thunder-bay-christopher-mushquash-award-1.5568630