Mental Health Expert
Dr. Kutcher is an internationally renowned expert in adolescent mental health and a national and international leader in mental health research, advocacy, training, policy, and services innovation working at the IWK Health Center and Dalhousie University. He has received numerous awards and honors locally, nationally and internationally for his work, including the Order of Nova Scotia. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Internationally he has been involved in mental health work in over 20 countries. One of his recent projects was leading the development of a national child and youth mental health framework for Canada: Evergreen. Currently his focus is on knowledge translation, improving mental health literacy and mental health care in schools and primary care as well as an electronic youth mental health management tool for primary care. He continues his innovative youth mental health work across Canada, and globally – including the North America, Asia, South America, Europe, Latin America and Africa.
In unrelated news, Dr. Kutcher enjoys chain-sawing, cooking, and, more importantly, spending time with his grandkids.
TOPICS
Mental Health Literacy
“While mental health awareness can be a good start, it cannot be the sole or most important focus of public engagement,” says Dr. Stan Kutcher. “If we really want to make a difference in the mental health of the population, we need to improve mental health literacy and rapid access to effective mental health care”. It’s this critical foundation that Dr. Kutcher hopes to address when talking to youth, parents and teachers. Dr. Kutcher provides the audience with the skills they need to live better lives and create better systems of care.
The Importance of Language
In talking to youth in schools and college professors across the country and listening to media reports, Dr. Kutcher realized that in many cases people are using the wrong language when discussing mental health. Sadness is not Depression. The normal stress of writing an exam is an Anxiety Disorder. Attention to detail is not OCD. It’s essential to understand what these words mean and to use them correctly in our day-to-day lives.
Learning Sessions
Dr. Kutcher also conducts several professional learning sessions for educators based on professional development from the Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide and the Go-To Educator Training.
