January 10, 2024 | BC Today, CBC News via UVic News
In a conversation with BC Today host Michelle Eliot and West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund, UVic’s Dr. Jillian Roberts shared important information on how to support those who have experienced a trauma. She stated that there are three key things to do in these instances: 1) validate the person’s emotional experience, 2) ensure they are not isolated, and 3) create some way for them to have agency. On the program, Roberts also discussed the necessity of paying attention to first responders’ mental health in disaster events, and the importance of not giving another person a mental image of a trauma event when discussing it with them.
Dr. Roberts is a registered psychologist, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Victoria, and founder of MindKey Health. MindKey Health is a collaborative care center with multiple locations across Southern Vancouver Island.
In 2022, Dr. Roberts co-authored an open access publication about the mental health of emerging adults in the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are interested in reading this paper, it is available on our institutional repository UVicSpace. You may also wish to explore research from other UVic community members in this area by browsing the repository with the subject term “mental health”.
