For National Depression Screening Day, a former client of the Calgary Counselling Centre spoke out to highlight the lifesaving impacts of counselling and mental-health care. “If it weren’t for the Calgary Counselling Centre, I honestly wouldn’t be here,” Jonathan Beale said Monday. Beale lost everything: his job, home possessions and even his girlfriend at the time and his friends. With nowhere else to turn, he checked himself into a homeless shelter. “I didn’t quite realize what I was putting myself into, but it was better than living on the street and it was a better situation than I probably could have had elsewhere,” he said. “Knowing what options are open and available for homeless people here in Calgary, I did the best I could, but of course it wears on one, being there for any length of time. “I was there two months at that point—by the time I got so low in my depression that I had tried to commit suicide.” Beale says loneliness made things far more challenging. He says he lost his friends because they didn’t want to associate with a homeless person, but after his suicide attempt, he received counselling at the Calgary Counselling Centre, which highlighted the value of truly being listened to. “The counsellor that I had—she was amazing,” he said. “She just let me talk for the first few sessions. “I think it was the first six or seven sessions—I just talked and talked and talked and talked, and she listened.” The challenges surrounding loneliness are being highlighted by some mental-health professionals. “We’re not meant to be alone. We’re not meant to live in solitude, and it shows in people’s mental health,” said Stefan De Villiers, Calgary Counselling Centre counsellor. “We are seeing signs that loneliness and social isolation are on the rise, not just in those younger age groups, but among seniors as well,” added Petti Fong, educator, journalist, and author of Alone Together: A Curious Exploration of Loneliness. Fong says loneliness has increased since the pandemic but has also been more openly talked about and addressed as a growing concern for mental health. Also on the rise in recent years is AI usage, which can be potentially harmful for mental health and addressing loneliness. “AI makes it easy for us not to have these human connections, and it shouldn’t be easy, right? It shouldn’t be easy for us to (not) know what the pain is like of making a new friend, losing a friend, what it’s like to keep friendships, to keep relationships. These are all skills that are so human for us, and we want to keep them human,” Fong said. “Sometimes, things like AI can be very affirming and give us messages that we want to receive, but they don’t always necessarily give us honest feedback when we need it,” De Villiers added. Adding to those challenges is the increasing sophistication of AI chatbots, leading some people to form friendships or even romantic relationships with AI. While this can simulate a genuine connection and even offer solace during mental-health struggles, De Villiers and Fong both stress this is not a meaningful connection and often is not a healthy approach to addressing mental health and loneliness. “If you’re only getting a positive response for all of your beliefs, all of your statements, all of your opinions, you’re not learning how to live in a world with other people who have other beliefs, other values, other ways of seeing things, other perspectives,” De Villiers said. “It is difficult to forge new relationships, to forge new friendships. Going back to AI, it is easy to do this just on a screen. But there is something to be said for putting yourself out there, going for a walk, meeting other people,” Fong added. Beale emphasized just how valuable genuine connection is. “We’re social animals. We’re social people,” he said. “We crave talking to people, most of us, so not having that can play a significant role on your mental health. “We go home and we chat with our wives, our kids, our friends—not having that becomes huge.” Free, anonymous online screening The Calgary Counselling Centre and Counselling Alberta are raising awareness about loneliness and depression during National Depression Screening Day week, which runs Oct. 5 to 11. The organizations are encouraging Albertans to take three minutes to check in on their mental health through a free, anonymous online screening. The screening can help people better understand how they are feeling, determine whether they may benefit from additional support and connect them with resources. The Calgary Counselling Centre is also hosting three in-person events throughout the week. One Step Better: National Depression Screening Day takes place Oct. 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Fairmont Palliser. Broadcaster and mental-health advocate Scott Oake will join a keynote and fireside chat focused on mental health, addiction, recovery and workplace stigma. On Oct. 8, Mental-Health Care for Turbulent Times will take place at the Central Library. The free event begins at 6 p.m. and will focus on practical ways to manage stress. The week wraps up Oct. 10 with an Inside Out 2 family event, also at the Central Library. Calgary Counselling Centre experts will discuss how parents can support children experiencing big emotions, as well as how parents can manage their own emotions. The event will also include a screening of Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2.
