Culture At A Crossroads Season 3, Episode 5

Clinical psychologist and distinguished professor at Simon Fraser University's Health Sciences Julian Somers joins the show for an enlightening conversation about what it takes to beat addiction, and how to better understand homelessness, and mental health. 

Somers helps us to broaden our understanding of addiction beyond just drugs and alcohol, and he challenges us to gain compassion for those in the margins by seeing the person and not the symptom. Plus, he'll share plenty of his research on how homelessness could be further eliminated in Canada.

Welcome to the forty-fifth episode of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes here or search for Culture At A Crossroads on Apple, Spotify, Google or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

This is a profile of Julian Somers, professor from Simon Fraser University. 

Oct 31, 2007 - A published study co-authored by Somers on  Housing and Supports for Adults with Addictions and Mental Health

June 2013 - A published paper by Somers on housing-first approach to mental health and homelessness recovery

June 18, 2020 - Globe and Mail piece citing Somers on how pandemic underscores lack of affordable housing 

Jan 6, 2021 - Vancouver Sun piece by Somers raising concern for homelessness in Canada and points to evidence for a recovery-oriented approach

Julian refers to a former colleague and mentor Bruce Alexander's work understanding psyschology through rat experimentation. 

We also allude to the randomized homelessness trials with placing people in housing recovery in 5 major cities in 2008.

Carl Jung, Abraham Maslow, and Alocholics Anonymous were also cited throughout the conversation.