A Mount Royal University journalism student’s story about psychedelic-assisted therapy took second place in this year’s Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Student Magazine Contest feature category.
Heather Johnston, who graduated this past spring, published her award-winning story in Article 1, MRU’s Human Rights Magazine.
“I am incredibly proud to be the only student from a Western Canadian university to place, and especially proud to represent Mount Royal University,” Johnston told the Calgary Journal in an email interview.
“I wanted to write something that might help others suffering in silence.”
Heather Johnston
Johnston’s story explores Canada’s pioneering history in psychedelic psychiatry dating back to the 1950s, and why patients and providers continue to face barriers to psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Johnston says she was motivated to write the story because several people she grew up with died following mental health struggles.
“I wanted to write something that might help others suffering in silence,” said Johnston.
“At first, I was hesitant but curious about psychedelic-assisted therapy and wanted to understand it better. After deep-diving into the research, I found promising evidence, particularly for treatment-resistant conditions. Further down the rabbit hole, however, I discovered growing blocks to access despite no changes to policy. That became the contradiction I wanted to unravel,” she added.
Johnston’s reporting also won praise from World Press Freedom Canada this past year for reporting about a sexual assault survivor who was silenced, awarding her a student achievement certificate of merit.
Johnston credits her time at Mount Royal for her recent international recognition.
“The mentorship I found in MRU’s journalism program gave me the confidence to develop my voice as a writer and changed the course of my life for the better. It means a lot to me to see my work recognized alongside universities across Canada and the U.S.,” wrote Johnston in her email to the Calgary Journal.
You can read Johnston’s award-winning reporting here (sexual assault) and here (psychedelics).