Bonus Episode: Mental Health and the Alberta Wildfires

In early May, the Government of Alberta declared a provincial state of emergency as hundreds of wildfires burned throughout the province, forcing tens of thousands from their homes.  

A climate event of this nature is obviously very stressful for those impacted as their lives, homes, and businesses are at risk.  

In this bonus episode, Katherine Hurtig talks to Sarah Rosenfeld, registered social worker and associate director of counselling with Calgary Counselling Centre, about how the wildfires can potentially impact mental health and what people can do to cope during this stressful time 

If you’ve been impacted by the Alberta wildfires and need support, check out this resource guide from Alberta Health Services. 

Mental health help is available for all Albertans with no waitlist or financial barriers. Visit counsellingalberta.com 

• Transcript

  Katherine Hurtig:

  In early May, the Government of Alberta declared a provincial state of emergency as hundreds of wildfires burned throughout the province, forcing tens of thousands from their homes. This is obviously very stressful for those impacted as their lives, homes, and businesses are at risk. Because of this crisis, we're releasing this short bonus episode. I reached out to Sarah Rosenfeld, registered social worker and associate director of counselling with Calgary Counselling Centre, to talk about this situation, how it may impact mental health, and what people can do to cope during this incredibly stressful time.

  Welcome to Living Fully, a Calgary Counselling Centre podcast. Each episode, we'll bring you insights from our expert counsellors, and tips and strategies to improve your mental well-being. I'm your host, Katherine Hurtig. Calgary Counselling Centre and Counselling Alberta provide effective counselling for anyone in Alberta with no waitlist and no financial barriers. Find us online at calgarycounselling.com or counsellingalberta.com.

  Hi Sarah. Thanks for talking with me today.

  Sarah Rosenfeld:

  Thank you for having me.

  Katherine Hurtig:

  Sarah, how can an event like this -- how can these wildfires -- how can they impact our mental health?

  Sarah Rosenfeld:

  I think they can have a huge impact. When you think about where people often get a sense of security, it's in their homes, it's with the people they care about, it's -- you know -- the work that they do, or the land that they own. So it can have a huge impact when those things are threatened or there's a risk of that being taken away. It really plays on that part of ourselves that really struggles with uncertainty in the unknown.

  Katherine Hurtig:

  So in such a stressful and ever evolving situation, what are, you know, what's some advice that you have for people to cope with what's going on to cope with that uncertainty?

  Sarah Rosenfeld:

  So part of what happens with uncertainty is we give our power away to the uncertainty and the worry and the overwhelm. And, so, what I really invite people to think about is where do they actually have any control? So you might have control in being able to make sure that the things in your home, if you're being evacuated, are the ones that you want to take with you -- really thinking about the items that would be valuable. You won't be able to take everything, but you'll be able to take a small number of things if you have a little bit of time, so being able to really think about that. That's within your control. Being able to look after or take care of the people that we care about. That would be within your control. How can you reach out to them? How can you make sure they're safe? How can you make sure they get to safety? So while things around you feel out of your control. There are things even in the face of this horrific natural disaster that's happening. It's always about figuring out what are the little things that I can do. that make me feel a little bit like I have a sense of how to manage this. How to cope with this? How to deal with this.

  Katherine Hurtig:

  Besides that, that focus on what we can control, are there any other things that you can suggest to, you know, manage their anxiety around the changing situation?

  Sarah Rosenfeld:

  So I think try not to think too far into the future. Try not to think about what if and what now. Try to think about what do you need to do in the next number of hours, the next number of days, but try not to think really into the future, because that will you'll need to deal with the future a little bit later, but to deal with that. In the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster will lead to feelings of overwhelm. So try to think of things just in small, incremental amounts of time. And then there will be a point in time where, as things stabilize, you'll be able to start to rebuild and think about those steps.

  Katherine Hurtig:

  And just take it moment by moment. So, Sarah, if you know if we know someone that's been, you know, evacuated or lost their home, how can we support them? So, I mean beyond the basic needs, how can we, you know, support their mental and emotional well-being through this?

  Sarah Rosenfeld:

  I would say checking in on them, giving them a call, but also allowing them to have boundaries if they need to. I'd really like to reach out and have a chat with you is now a good time or would you like me to call back at a different time? People won't often ask for help. They'll often minimize their experience because they want to showcase that they're handling things, that they're managing things, so you being able to be there and checking in regularly can really go a long way and then through that you're building that connection and you're showing that you're a trusted person that really cares, they're more likely to say, yeah actually, it's been really tough. And then you can kind of be there as a support and if things are becoming too overwhelming, you can also be that gateway to help them access more support for themselves or their family if that's what's needed.

  Katherine Hurtig:

  Sarah, could you just tell us a bit about Calgary Counselling Centre and Counselling Alberta and what resources they're providing at this time?

  Sarah Rosenfeld:

  Absolutely. So one of the new initiatives at the Calgary Counselling Centre is that we've launched services throughout the province of Alberta. So we know that these wildfires are affecting remote communities in Alberta. So what we want to be sharing with the community is that we're here, we're available, we don't have a waitlist. There aren't barriers to entry. There are no financial barriers. We want to be able to serve you and we want to be able to serve you when you need. That support will be available in person online. But we are here for you and we want to help you through this really difficult time.

  Katherine Hurtig:

  You've been listening to living fully a Calgary Counselling Centre podcast. Thank you for listening to this bonus episode. Look out for our next episode on June 6th. This episode was produced by Luiza Campos and by me, Katherine Hurtig. A special thanks to Sarah Rosenfeld. To stay up to date on our latest episodes, be sure to subscribe. We’re available in your favourite podcast app. Living Fully is a production of Calgary Counselling Centre and recorded in Calgary on Treaty 7 territory. Living Fully podcast is not a substitute or alternative for professional care or treatment. If you're in Alberta and need help, please go to calgarycounselling.com or counsellingalberta.com. For help across Canada and the United States, call 211. If you are outside of Canada and the US, seek help from your general medical practitioner.