As men struggle with their changing roles in society, many face mental health challenges. Sunshine Coast Health Centre is here to help.
Sunshine Coast Health Centre is a private residential mental health facility located on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast in Powell River. For the past 20 years, the centre has been treating highly motivated men from all walks of life for stress, depression, anxiety, occupational trauma, and addiction.
Mediaplanet recently spoke with Daniel Jordan, Director of Strategic Development at Sunshine Coast Health Centre, to learn more about the mental health issues affecting men today and how Sunshine Coast supports men’s wellness and recovery.
While men aren’t great at reaching out for help or support, when you get them together as a group, they can make some very significant positive changes in their lives.
Can you explain the connection between men’s identity and their mental health?
Men tend to identify strongly with their traditional role as provider and breadwinner. In this rapidly changing economy with ever-expanding tech innovation, many men face not only job loss or precarious employment, but also the challenge to be more than just a provider. This affects their sense of identity and how they see themselves, which in turn can lead to stress and mental health issues. COVID has certainly exacerbated this situation.
How does this manifest in their mental health?
Society expects our men to be strong, in control, and self-reliant, so they may feel shame or stigma if they can’t live up to these expectations. Men also tend to not share their feelings or problems with friends and family the way women are more inclined to do. This often leads them to things that make the problem worse, like withdrawal, aggression, or addictions to alcohol, drugs, gambling, or gaming.
How can personalized mental health care help these men along in their healing journey?
While men aren’t great at reaching out for help or support, when you get them together as a group, they can make some very significant positive changes in their lives. Spending time with other men in a residential facility like ours where they can build up trust with one another and share experiences in a non-judgmental environment helps them to realize they’re not alone.
What services does Sunshine Coast offer?
Our primary focus is on their mental health. We have a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses to help our visitors with the issues they’re struggling with, whether that’s depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, or a combination of these. We really focus on social connection and self-awareness to help them understand what’s going on inside. We also work on lifestyle issues like diet, fitness, and good sleep hygiene to support their physical health.
What differentiates your approach from that of other facilities?
First, we’re the only private residential mental health facility in Canada that’s men-only. Second, we offer medical and psychiatric services, as opposed to just counselling, which is what you’d find at most addiction facilities. Third, and maybe most importantly, we focus on meaning and purpose by talking to our clients about “why” they want to recover. Motivation is very important in our approach because if someone doesn’t really know why they should change, they’re unlikely to succeed.
Call 1-866-487-9010 for more information or register now at sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca.
