Biography

Editorial Advisor, Dr. Thomas Ungar, is an award winning educator and a leading voice of mental health.

He is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and currently works as a community psychiatrist having previously practiced as a family physician. Dr. Ungar is also the Medical Director of the Adult Mental Health Outpatient Program at North York General Hospital, a community teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Ungar's main interests and academic expertise includes educating the public and other physicians about mental health and has appeared in numerous national television, radio and newspaper articles promoting mental health.

Dr. Ungar is Board certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has two years post graduate training in Psychosomatic Medicine and a Masters degree in education.

Dr. Ungar has several awards for the design and delivery of national continuing education programs for other doctors including the Mood Disorder Management Workshops on depression, Access: national program on psychosis management and Reality GP a national program on depression and anxiety disorders.

With special expertise in primary care mental health Dr. Ungar collaborates on numerous projects including the Canadian Psychiatric Association taskforce on Clinical Practice Guidelines, the Anxiety Review Panel for the Ontario Guidelines for the Management of Anxiety Disorders in Primary Care, and the Canadian Review Panel for the World Health Organization Management of Mental Disorders in Primary Care.

Canadian Council On Learning

This website is part of a project that is currently funded through the Canadian Council on Learning, titled "Improving Mental Health Services Through Informed Choice: A Bottom-Up Approach to Changing Provider Behaviour". It is intended to act as an "educational hub" of evidence-based information for consumers, and contains a series of multimedia resources, including audio segments, consumer-friendly treatment guidelines, podcasts and vodcasts. Our project partners include: the National Network for Mental Health (NNMH - lead organization), Mood Disorders Association of Ontario (MDAO), Participants Council -North York General Hospital (NYGH), and The Ontario Association of Patients Councils (OAPC). Biographies are provided below.

Karen Liberman
Executive Director
Mood Disorders Association of Ontario (MDAO)

Karen Liberman is the Executive Director of the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario. Karen is a long-time community activist and planner, workshop presenter, group facilitator, and social justice advocate. Karen is well-known for her presentations on many topics including mood disorders, mental illness and the discrimination and stigma that can result. Above all she is a shining example of hope and recovery.

Karen has been honoured by Chatelaine as a Health Hero and by the Royal Bank of Canada for her working combating stigma and mental illness. Recently, Karen was featured on the nationally televised CTV documentary “Fighting the Dragon”. In 2003, Karen also received the Courage to Come Back Award from the CAMH Foundation. Most recently, Karen received the 2004 Ontario Psychological Association’s Public Service Award for her outstanding contribution to psychological well-being of the citizens of Ontario, and the Toastmasters International 2005 Communication and Leadership Award.

Karen has recovered from a decade long battle with severe clinical depression and has a close family member with the condition. She has spoken across Canada about her own journey and her battles against the darkness, the secrecy, and above all, the stigma. Karen has often said she will “go anywhere and speak to anyone” on the topic of mood disorders, recovery, and hope.


Theresa Claxton

Theresa Claxton is a mental health consumer/survivor, peer advocate and community mental health consultant. She is an active volunteer and activist involved in broad-based community development, focusing on social justice issues, homelessness, poverty, working with those who are economically disadvantaged, and advancing the legal and civil rights of individuals living with a mental illness and/or addiction.

Theresa currently serves as Chair of the Ontario Association of Patient Councils, a provincial consumer/survivor initiative which seeks to identify emerging issues across the province and advocates on a systemic level on behalf of clients/patients in the mental health and addiction systems.

Theresa is also actively involved in the mental health and addiction communities as Co-Chair of the North York General Hospital Participants’ Council, is co-founder and peer facilitator/advocate at the What Next! Peer Support/Drop-in Centre and sits as a board member at the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health and Sound Times Support Services. Theresa has appeared in the documentary "Crisis Calls" and has spoken widely about her own journey with mental illness to encourage, enable and empower her peers.

Constance McKnight

Constance McKnight has long been a mother and social advocate.

Having served many Community, Regional, and National Councils, Boards and Committees in Canada, her dedication to community based organizations and social justice has spanned the better part of the past two decades.

Constance McKnight works as the National Executive Director of the National Network for Mental Health, and continues to play a key role in the initiation and development of numerous community based organizations and programs across Canada.

Currently, she actively serves as the Co-Chairperson of the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (www.camimh.ca) and as Secretariat to the Canadian Coalition of Alternative Mental Health Resources (www.ccamhr.ca).

In addition to numerous public acknowledgements, certificates of appreciation, and awards, Constance holds closest to her heart, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities 2003 Annual National Award, presented to her in recognition of her contribution to Mental Health and Mental Illness systemic advocacy and program development in Canada.

As a person living a life of recovery, Constance believes in self-help and community based supports that aid in recovery and the building of self-esteem. With this in mind she has committed herself to the Mental Health Minutes project with the hope that it will better increase the quality of life of those who have been exposed to the project’s messaging.

mentalhealthminute.com