lisa greig supports mental health in saskatchewan
greig’s fellow social workers say she has a gift for putting people at ease and making the complexities of life feel more manageable.
5 minute read
we apologize, but this video has failed to load.
try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
whether she’s teaching her two young sons about boundaries and emotions, helping university students navigate a challenging academic program, or speaking in front of a packed conference hall, lisa greig is on a mission. she wants to start more good conversations about mental health in saskatchewan.
“i am passionate about all things mental health-related, and empowering women, so where those paths get to coincide are the very exciting things for me,” she says.
“i’m so curious about where we go next. our grandmothers were part of women’s liberation marches and movements. what can we do now? how do we make those changes so our children can be in a world that is not like ours today? what can we do to keep making it better?”
growing up in “small-town, middle-of-nowhere” fillmore, sask., greig first learned how to think, listen, and talk openly about challenging topics from her mother, who worked as a health aide at the local long-term care facility.
“her job meant that death and dying and palliative care were always a part of our lives,” greig recalls. “death with dignity and supporting people and conversations about death were so normalized because of where she worked.”
when greig went to university, she soon found a passion for social work.
advertisement
“i jumped right in and i never looked back,” she says. “i knew that i wanted to be a medical social worker, and i actually began my career working in critical care in the regina hospitals. so learning from some of my greatest mentors in the bereavement centre in critical care, and dealing with everything from traumatic loss to palliative loss, really got my foot in it.”
greig’s fellow social workers say she has a gift for putting people at ease and making the complexities of life feel more manageable.
“she has a level of comfort around being vulnerable that makes everybody else feel like they can drop their shoulders and say, ‘oh my gosh, me too! i thought i was the only one,’ ” says friend and colleague heather kernohan.
“she can show up and be totally who she is, and that invites people to show up with her as totally who they are.”
greig’s social work career has taken her to the university of saskatoon college of dentistry as the director of student affairs. on any given day, she’ll meet with students one-on-one to talk about the issues they’re facing, help facilitate wellness activities for the college as a whole, or spend time advocating for new policies and structures to support students in having the best possible experience.
advertisement
no matter how busy her workday gets, greig has always been the type of person to seek out side projects related to her interests, too.
she spent years volunteering at a children’s grief camp, where kids who had experienced a recent loss could come and get support from a welcoming community. the time she spent with the campers was an education unto itself, she says.
“there was such magic in their resiliency and recovery, and the way that they could move through grief. that will forever hold a part of me, and this is an area i feel honoured to work in.”
through that volunteer work, greig met many adults — parents, teachers, friends — who wanted to support children going through hard times but didn’t feel they had the tools to do it right.
in 2021, she wrote a children’s book, scream! shout! let’s feel our grief out!’ to meet that need. the story follows a bunny feeling all sorts of emotions and learning how to cope with them.
“it’s written like a poem; it needed to be something simple, for children,” greig says. “but really, i wanted to get it into the hands of educators. i wanted to help the people who hold our babies have the skills and the resources for these hard conversations. it’s scary, and people are afraid of saying the wrong thing. so how can these helpers have a way to have these hard conversations in a normal way?”
advertisement
since the book was published, greig has been getting supportive messages from classroom teachers, parents whose children ask for the book to be read at bedtime, and librarians who carry it on their shelves.
“this is a way to let the kids lead us in the conversation and, for some adults, it’s giving permission to have those conversations,” she says. “and if it helps one person, then it’s valuable.”
this year, greig also joined the yxe underground podcast as a recurring guest, where she offers a monthly mental health check-in.
over the years, yxe underground host eric anderson noticed that the podcast episodes which focused on mental health were some of his most-downloaded. he took it as a sign that “people want to learn more about mental health challenges, and enjoy listening to experts and people who are in that field.”
so, inviting greig to join the podcast was a natural fit, he says.
“she is such a well-respected and strong voice when it comes to mental health here in our community. i think a lot of people — myself included — are looking for a trusted voice when they’re going through some challenging times. and in my mind, lisa is a very trusted voice when it comes to mental health advocacy in our community.”
advertisement
greig is also a frequent speaker at women’s empowerment events in the city. earlier this fall, she and her longtime friend adrianne vangool hosted their own conference, ‘like a mother,’ to celebrate women and highlight the work that still needs to be done to address gender-based injustices.
“a big part of what we try to do is name and normalize the hard stuff, and we’re passionate about trying to create the shifts and changes so we can live a more sustainable life,” vangool says.
“lisa brings a lot of energy and spunk and humour and realness to everything we do. and … she has been the spark in creating a lot of these things that we do.”
when people ask greig how they can start tackling some of these hard problems in their own lives and communities, she encourages them to lead with curiosity and follow it up with action.
“if our intent is curiosity, and to gain information, then i think we can connect on such a deep level,” she says.
“so ask those good questions with those people around you who are safe and who you trust the most. ask them what’s important to them. ask what matters to them. ask them what they need to feel successful and to be empowered.
“and i want to encourage people to keep doing the work. we can get so caught up in the idea of being perfect, but we’re not going for perfection here. we’re just trying to make a difference and have a positive impact — so, do what you can.”
advertisement
the saskatoon starphoenix has created an afternoon headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. click here to subscribe.
share story
