Alumni's start-up provides accessible and affordable mental health promotion

Derek Luk, BN’06, humbly says he helps people with stress. What he is actually doing is attempting to rid people of their preconceived ideas around mental health with his award-winning Calgary startup, Mindful Mental Training Inc., a social enterprise providing accessible and affordable mental health promotion through the use of mobile technology.

“Our vision is to share with the audience the current research, risks and benefits of mindfulness-based programs,” says Luk, who has worked in the field of mental health and addictions since graduating from Calgary.  

“Supported by neuroscience and the field of epigenetics (non-genetic influences), studies are revealing how mindfulness is being used to reduce stress, decrease the risk of relapse of depression, prevent suicides and lessen the suffering of other chronic medical conditions such as cancer. As well, new studies are being done that suggest sustained long-term meditation may slow age-related cognitive decline.”

But, he cautions, there are also risks related to this practice. It is generally not recommended for people with untreated past trauma, individuals actively engaged in substance abuse and people who have experienced recent loss or are actively grieving.

Luk’s journey as a registered nurse has taken him from frontline nursing to clinical teaching at the University of Calgary and then, in 2014, to the university’s Wellness Centre as a mental health education coordinator. 

He has been practising mindful mediation for over two years, and was given the opportunity to receive training to facilitate both Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. He is currently being mentored through the Centre for Mindfulness program in Toronto, and will be completing his Master’s thesis in reducing burnout for nurses using an online delivery program.

It was a profound experience with a colleague that led Luk to recognize the urgent need for safe and anonymous mental health support for helping professionals. 

“The weekend before I went for my MBSR training in October 2013, a nurse that I had known for six years committed suicide. This was the second nurse I had known who had died due to depression,” he says.  “I have seen additional suicides related to other helping professionals and so that prompted me to start Mindful Mental Training in December 2014.” 

In this rapidly evolving area for new nurses, Luk is excited about the potential for graduates to join the cause.

“There is huge demand for the integration of health science and technology,” he says. “And so there is great opportunity for nurses, especially graduate students, who are passionate in translating their research to address systemic health issues in society.”

For more information on Mindful Mental Training Inc., visit here where you can also register for a mindfulness webinar on Feb. 17, from 8-9 p.m.