May 23 event will feature three expert speakers, as well as a silent auction
An upcoming new event focused on mental well-being will welcome a trio of high-profile guest speakers to Stratford next month.
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Organized by PTSD The Truth Behind the Smile, a Stratford-based support group for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Empowering Mental Wellness will also feature well-known social media personality Stewart Reynolds, known more widely as Brittlestar, as the event’s MC .
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“When it comes to mental health, it’s like anything else. If it doesn’t heal, or if you don’t do the work, it does not go away either. It’s a matter of working on it, and catching it in time before it’s too late,” said Jean-Guy Poirier, the former Shakespeare firefighter who founded PTSD the Truth Behind the Smile in 2017 after noticing a lack of local supports..
Dr. Edward Beharry, a supervisor for clinical psychology students at the Center for Mental Health Research and Treatment at the University of Waterloo and Poirier’s former psychologist, will be one of the three guest speakers at the May 23 event. Beharry will offer his insights on the background of PTSD, how to notice the signs of a mental-health issue, and ways to work through it.
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Ken Reid, a weeknight prime time Sportsnet Central co-anchor and mental-health advocate, will be in Stratford to share his story about dealing and overcoming his mental illness while in the public eye.
The final speaker, Scott Goyette, is the Founder of the Go Love Now movement, an organization that aims to empower youth to love and respect themselves. Goyette, who is also a friend of Poirier, will largely speak about how to love yourself, how to be a better person for others, and how to be a better person for yourself.
While Empowering Mental Wellness is targeted at anyone interested in mental health, Poirier does hope to attract some younger people to the event.
“It’s younger people that we’d like to get to first,” Poirier said.
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By reaching out to a younger demographic and teaching them about mental health, Poirier said he hopes to demonstrate the importance of talking about these issues and the importance of seeking help when needed.
The Stratford Rotary Complex event will also feature a silent auction that will include items from Swanson Jewelers, Dairy Queen, Gilly’s Pubhouse, the Jobsite Brewing Company and other sponsors.
As for the overarching message of the event, Poirier hopes attendees will learn to be a little easier on themselves while also recognizing the need to reach out for help if things feel wrong.
“If something doesn’t feel right, chances are it’s probably not right,” said Poirier. “And, you know, if you can catch it earlier rather than bury it and bury it over and over again, it’ll be a lot easier to work through those struggles from an earlier stage rather than wait until it’s too late.”
IF YOU GO
What: Empowering Mental Wellness
When: Thursday, May 23, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Stratford Rotary Complex, 353 McCarthy Rd., Stratford
$12 tickets are available online at www.eventbrite.ca/e/empowering-mental-wellness-tickets-873106905257.
$15 tickets will also be available at the door
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