For more than 10 years, ReachOut Psychosis has been touring British Columbia using music, comedy, personal testimony, and medical research to teach high-school-aged youth about psychosis. The team is currently touring the Kamloops region, and are looking forward to visiting Haida Gwaii, Northern BC, and the Kootenays before the end of the school year.
Thanks to a generous increase in funding, we’ve had the ability to present in remote communities who aren’t able to access other school programs. Teachers in many of these communities expressed that a majority of their student population struggle with their mental health. These problems are made worse by the lack of resources and intergenerational trauma. After seeing the ReachOut presentation, teachers reported that they’re impressed to see so many students coming forward to share their struggles and seek support.
On the team’s last trip to the Cariboo region, a school principal shared with the team that because of what they learned from ReachOut, students and teachers were able to recognize major behavioural changes in one of the students as early signs of psychosis. He was then referred to the local early psychosis intervention program and received treatment. He was then able to return to school, achieved academic success, and moved onto university.
For more information about ReachOut, check them out at reachoutpsychosis.com, or follow along on social media— @reachoutpsychosis on Instagram, @rchoutpsychosis on Twitter, or follow them on Facebook!
