Research shaped by community
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Exploring new approaches to youth mental health, community connection and access to care in Saskatchewan
How can mental health research respond more effectively to the needs of different communities? This Spotlight on Research broadcast brings together three Saskatchewan projects exploring different approaches to that question. Researchers and community partners discuss how racialized newcomer youth can help shape mental health literacy and self-care resources, how trauma-informed community arts can support young people experiencing isolation and anxiety and how internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy can become more accessible to diverse ethnocultural communities. Together, the projects highlight the role of lived experience, cultural context and community partnership in developing mental health supports that better reflect the people they are intended to serve.
Expert Voices
Dr. Razawa Maroof
Physician, Regina Community Clinic
Dr. Maroof brings a clinical and community perspective to the research with racialized newcomer youth, including the challenges newcomers may encounter when seeking mental health information and support. Her work at Regina Community Clinic includes care for refugee communities, giving her direct insight into some of the cultural, language and system-level factors that can affect access to care. In the project, that clinical experience complements the youth-led and community-based research approach.
Dr. Charity Marsh
Professor, Creative Technologies, Faculty of Media, Art and Performance, and Director, Humanities Research Institute, University of Regina
Dr. Marsh discusses Take Up Space, You Matter!, a community-engaged research project examining how trauma-informed arts programming can create opportunities for young people to reconnect, express themselves and support their mental well-being. Her research brings together creative technologies, popular music, youth culture and community arts programming. The project applies that community-engaged approach to understanding how creative spaces can foster connection and belonging following the social disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Danielle Sakundiak
Girls Rock Regina
Sakundiak joins the discussion as a community partner and co-principal investigator on Take Up Space, You Matter!. Through Girls Rock Regina, she contributes practical experience from community-based programming designed to create inclusive creative spaces for young people. Her perspective helps connect the research questions to the experiences of the organizations and participants involved in delivering community arts programming.
Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos
Professor of Psychology and Executive Director, Online Therapy Unit, University of Regina
Dr. Hadjistavropoulos discusses research examining access to internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy and how online mental health services can better respond to people from diverse ethnocultural communities. Her research focuses on the development, delivery and evaluation of internet-delivered psychological services, particularly approaches designed to improve access to evidence-based care. In this project, that work turns specifically to understanding who may face barriers to online therapy and what could make those services more accessible.
Dr. Ram Sapkota
Online Therapy Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Regina
Dr. Sapkota discusses barriers that may affect access to internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy among ethnoculturally diverse communities and how researchers can better understand and respond to those barriers. His research with the Online Therapy Unit includes the study of how people engage with internet-delivered therapy and factors associated with treatment outcomes. The Saskatchewan project extends that work by examining how cultural and community context may influence whether people access and engage with online mental health services.
What is Spotlight on Research?
Spotlight on Research highlights partnership-driven, outcomes-focused research supported by Mental Health Research Canada and brings together researchers, community leaders and people with lived experience to help bridge the gap between research and practice. The series is designed to mobilize knowledge from collaborative research projects with the potential for meaningful impact.
