What Really Works? A Mental Health Podcast for Young People

Part 2 of Social Media & Mental Health is here! In this episode, Beki and Olivia, talk about why so many of us reach for social media without really thinking about it. You’ll hear discussions about what pulls us in on social media and why our brains enjoy the novelty of what social media platforms provide. Not only that, but Beki and Olivia talk about the things they do to try to manage their social media usage, and in turn, support their mental health.

Let's talk all things social media & mental health, and this is a special 2 part episode! In part 1 you’ll hear hosts, Beki & Olivia, talk about their personal experiences with social media and the way they find it impacts their lives. From finding to connection with others, to comparing themselves to others and aimless scrolling, the hosts chat about how this plays a part in their mental health and if they feel better, or worse, after scrolling on social media platforms. With social media being a huge part of many of our lives, this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

In episode 46, host Beki is joined by Paige from Another Chapter Counselling! You'll hear Beki & Paige talk about life transitions, how they can be unavoidable, and how we may not even realise that's what we're experiencing. From identity crisis to grief to social expectations, Paige talks us through ways we can be impacted and what we can to do support ourselves. Want to know more about Paige? Paige (she/her) is a Registered Clinical Counsellor located in Kelowna, BC. She truly has a passion for sharing wellness information and frequently posts on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. To learn more, check out her website www.AnotherChapter.ca.

Have you heard of music therapy before? Or ever wondered what it might involve? If you're curious, this episode is for you! Host Beki is joined by special guests Kayla and Lizzy who are Certified Music Therapists, to discuss what you can expect from music therapy, common misconceptions and much more! Want to know more about our guests? Lizzy and Kayla are Certified Music Therapists located in Kelowna, BC. They co-own and operate Soul Sounds Music Therapy and offer music therapy services for all ages and abilities. You can learn more about music therapy and the exciting things going on with Soul Sounds at https://soulsoundsmusictherapy.ca *A quick note- around 6:30 of the recording, Lizzy mentions that music therapy is a regulated profession. To clarify, music therapy is currently a self-regulated profession in BC. The federation of associations for counselling therapists in BC (FACT BC) is actively working towards government regulation. Here is also a link to the book we talked about in the podcast, which talks about how we can use music playlists with a purpose to support our health and well-being. https://www.jenniferbuchanan.ca/book-page-template-wellness-wellplayed/

In episode 44, Beki is joined by Registered Clinical Counsellor Paige, to talk all things counselling! You'll hear conversations about what to expect in counselling, how we can find a counsellor that matches our values, and why we might want to try out counselling. If you've considered trying counselling before or want to know more about it, this is an episode you don't want to miss! Want to know more about Paige? Paige is a Registered Clinical Counsellor located in Kelowna, BC. She truly has a passion for sharing wellness information and frequently posts on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Interested in being a client? This may also be an option for many Canadians! To learn more, check out her website www.AnotherChapter.ca.

In episode 43, hosts Olivia and Beki discuss mental health days. They chat about the times they took them and why they chose to, as well as experiences of guilt, anxiety, and stress they've had around mental health days. You'll hear conversations about how organisations need to do more than just provide staff with mental health days, how in some roles it feels not possible to take a day for ourselves, and plenty more.

In episode 42, Beki and Olivia discuss the topic of leadership. You'll hear them chat about what the word means to them in an ideal situation vs what they've found to be true in reality. They share their recent experiences of leadership and how stress can actually be a big part of it. Check out this episode to hear about different characteristics that affect leadership, and how we can start to build our own leadership skills.

Content warning: This episode discusses an abusive relationship and mentions assault. It's CMHA's Mental Health Week this week, and the theme this year is empathy. So, hosts Beki & Olivia thought it would be fitting to record an episode on the topic! You'll hear them discuss what empathy really is, why there's a bit of an anti-empathy movement, and what empathy misses are.

In this episode hosts, Beki and Olivia, discuss something that many of us do without even thinking - judging others. You’ll hear why it’s something so common, but also why judging others can be harmful to others as well as ourselves. From chatting about how our judgements come from deep down inside us to empathy being the antidote to judgement, this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

Episode 39 focuses on the topic of humour! Beki and Olivia discuss ways that humour can be supportive for us, but also can be a way of us avoiding what’s going on for us. You’ll hear how some forms of humour and laughter can create good relationships, connection, and open perspectives. But also other forms of humour can be a way of shutting down vulnerability or not dealing with things. Check out this episode to hear the hosts share how they use humour, and how we can be aware of the type of humour we're using.

In this episode, hosts Beki & Olivia discuss how it’s a lot easier to provide suggestions for someone than it is for us to take our own advice. You’ll hear conversations about enabling vs supporting, how our emotions make it harder, and that working in the mental health field can create some barriers or expectations when supporting our own mental health. Check out this episode for honest conversations from Olivia and Beki. About how they’re doing and how they, like everyone else, find it difficult to listen to your own advice to support yourself.

In Episode 37, Beki & Olivia speak openly and honestly about how their physical health impacts their mental health. The two share the difficulty of supporting their mental health when they're experiencing long-term physical health issues, as well as sharing how they may need to work on accepting their experience, looking at their goals, and giving themselves time to grieve. You'll hear conversations about resentment, resilience, fear & experiences of medical discrimination.

In the final episode of the Relationships Mini-Series, Beki and Olivia discuss a fitting topic - Ending Relationships. In this episode, the hosts discuss how a relationship coming to an end is never easy and can have an impact on our mental health and well-being. From things to consider when choosing to end a relationship, to how we can support ourselves through a relationship ending, this is an episode you don't want to miss!

Content Warning: This episode discusses relationships that are not supportive of our mental health, including abusive and toxic relationships. In part four of the Relationships Mini-Series, Beki and Olivia discuss what can make a relationship supportive, or what might make a relationship not-so-supportive. You'll hear the hosts discuss their personal experiences of what they have found helpful but also what has impacted their mental health in a relationship. Discussing important topics such as gaslighting, love-bombing, relationship growth, ghosting, and much more, this episode is packed full of learning and reflection.

In part 3 of the Relationship Mini-Series, Beki and Olivia discuss Boundaries and how they play an important role in all relationships. The hosts chat about understanding what’s ok and not ok for us, how they are based on our values, to recognizing everyone has their own boundaries. You’ll also hear about knowing a boundary from an ultimatum, thinking about what we do when others don’t respect our boundaries, or what we even do when our boundaries don’t align with those close to us.

In part 2 of the Relationships Mini-Series, Beki and Olivia delve into two incredibly hard yet important topics - vulnerability and trust. You’ll hear the co-hosts discuss what vulnerability and trust really means, and how we can’t have one without the other. From saying “I love you” first, to asking for help, to saying what we’re proud of, Beki and Olivia discuss the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure involved. This episode also includes why it can be so hard to rebuild trust when it’s been broken by someone and why being vulnerable is not a weakness, it’s an act of bravery.

We'd like to dedicate this episode, and the upcoming Relationships mini-series, to our wonderful colleague, Scott. Relationships can have a huge impact on our lives and can be incredibly important to our well-being. The topic of relationships is huge. So, Beki and Olivia are breaking it down into multiple episodes, with the focus of part 1 being all about communication. In episode 32, the hosts talk about their own platonic and non-platonic relationships, all while discussing how communication has been important in crafting a positive relationship. You'll hear discussions of how to talk about our needs, power dynamics, dialogue vs debate, and our expectations.

Over the past year and a half, languishing is something that is being spoken more and more about. Why? Because many of us are experiencing that “blah” feeling. In episode 31, Beki and Olivia discuss how they’ve been experiencing languishing recently. You’ll hear the hosts discuss in depth what languishing is, what it may feel like, why so many of us are experiencing it, and how it differs from depression and anxiety. The episode also covers some things we can do to support ourselves with languishing from grounding ourselves, giving ourselves permission to enjoy things, changing our environment, and more.

In this episode, hosts Beki and Olivia chat about the impact of the wildfire season on our mental health and how we can support ourselves and others in the short and long term with this. You'll also hear the hosts answering questions submitted live by the online audience! This episode was recorded and streamed live at Staples Studio in Kelowna, so the sound quality may differ from usual.

What Really Works? has been going for just over a year, so Beki and Olivia thought this would be a great time for you to get to know your podcast hosts better! In episode 29 hosts, Beki and Olivia, answer questions submitted by listeners - some questions related to mental health, or questions not so much! Check out the episode for some lighthearted conversation, laughs, and knowledge building.