Despite facing a range of mental health challenges herself, Valery Brosseau, a 2018 graduate of Humber College’s Social Service Worker program, launched her mental health firm, Validate Mental Health, last November offering support to those with mental health challenges along with the understanding and validation she once sought.
“From high school, I applied for the archeology program at McGill partially because 16-year-old me wanted to be Indiana Jones and Lara Croft all rolled up in one. I really enjoyed that program. I did work in that field for some time but with my mental illness being undiagnosed and untreated, I struggled through that degree,” Brosseau said.
“When my mental health really needed some support and I took care of that and started my recovery journey, I started realizing that lived experience can be harnessed to do something really positive and powerful,” she said.
Brosseau began to look for volunteer roles in the mental health fields shortly after and started on a helpline at the Distress Centre Durham in 2013, deciding through that experience that's where she wanted to pursue a career and later winning the Crisis Volunteer of the Year Award in 2018.
“Then when I felt that I had enough experience to really jump in full force into that realm, that’s when I started looking at different programs and Humber caught my eye. It was really that program at Humber that opened the door to giving me some real credentials in the field,” she said.
“Humber sort of accelerated my journey really in figuring out what I wanted to do in mental health and in what capacity,” Brosseau said.
She had a conversation with a therapist of hers who told her to forge her path, create her career and do something that she’s passionate about, where she knows she’ll fit in because she created the atmosphere herself.
“So that was kind of the inspiration, and in 2018, I was asked by the Distress Centre Durham to keynote their annual fundraiser. When I got off the stage I thought that was a lot of fun. How do I do this for a living? I literally went home, built a website, bought the domain name, registered a business and just jumped into the defence,” Brosseau said.
Christa Sawyer, Brosseau’s Family Dynamics professor at Humber in 2017, said she remembers her as a diligent and insightful student with a strong work ethic and drive to succeed but also had a lot on her plate.
“When Valery started to feel concerned about falling behind in class, she reached out and we came up with a plan that accommodated her non-school related pressures while still ensuring that she learned the course content and was able to contribute to the class in a meaningful way,” Sawyer said in an email interview.
“Valery has built a firm that centres around lived experience. There’s something powerful about hearing from someone who has walked in your shoes. By sharing her experiences, she reduces stigma and opens doors for people who have similar experiences to feel understood,” she said.
Shana Davis who is now a medical administrative assistant, met Brosseau in the 2018 winter semester in their Political Process class, noting her as someone who had a kindred spirit and a lifelong friend.
“We have been there for each other personally and professionally whether it’s a phone call or text if one of us is struggling with our mental health, being a part of her online group counselling when she first launched or just asking for advice. I’d like to think our friendship has enriched both of our lives in many ways,” Davis said in an email interview.
“Throughout it all, she pours herself into supporting people through their own journey, while pushing the bar forward to remove (the) stigma that still surrounds mental health. Starting her own mental health firm only makes sense. Val is a living testament (to) the work she does,” she said.
“The amount of good she puts out into the world is unbelievable. From helping to print 3D prosthetic arms for kids, being a fierce ally for marginalized groups, starting her own mental health firm or blessing us with her beautiful poetry, Val is a true inspiration,” Davis said.
Bobby Benny, a former student of Brosseau’s when she taught at Fanshawe College in the mental health and addictions program for several semesters before starting her firm, said he is still in many ways her student.
“The greatest thing she taught me was how important it was to get a deep understanding of ourselves and how it was immensely strong to acknowledge and care for our own weaknesses. She taught me how to separate ourselves from our weaknesses, how it does not define who we are,” Benny said in response to email questions.
“Her greatest quality is embracing the flaws in everyone and making it feel like there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. She made us all feel like it was okay to be confused, scared, worried, unsure, doubtful and flawed. It never defined us. It gave us strength to pull through,” he said.
