About Us

First of all, we want to thank you for being here. You are so incredibly loved by our team at Here for You Mental Health. Our names are David Thomson and Kayden Nguyen and we founded Here For You. 

David currently plays professional hockey in Europe following the completion of his Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Criminology from the University of Toronto. His post-hockey plan is to complete his Master's degree and become a registered psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Eventually, he would like to complete his Ph.D. and become a registered psychologist with Canadian Psychological Association. “I have always been inspired by American mental health clothing brands that donate a percentage of their net profits to American-based mental health resources. I wanted to start something similar that Canadians can be proud to wear, and that supports Canadian mental health resources such as Talk Suicide Canada, and CAMH. Due to traumas, I have experienced away from the rink and the comorbidity between my self-concept and my hockey success, I have dealt my whole life with suicide ideation, self-harm, anxiety, and depression, for which I had to be medicated. The topic of mental health is extremely important to me because no matter where you are on the continuum, your story matters.”

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Kayden graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Kayden then went on to complete a diploma in computer programming at Seneca College. “I want to create software and work with technologies that would be beneficial for one’s mental well-being. I believe technology is made to make our life easier and happier rather than provide added stress, anxiety, and depression. There is a negative stigma that tools like social media are causing a rise in stress and mental health stress. This is something that we can adapt to.” 

Our clothing line is just the first step and is a way where we can begin to raise awareness and educate people on mental health, while donating money to Canadian resources. Our long-term goal is to make Here for You Mental Health a clinical setting in two main domains. First, we want to create an online platform where Canadian immigrants can be paired with therapists who understand their culture, speak their native language, and understand the stresses of immigrating to a new country. Second, we want to provide athletes with a welcomed meshing of sports psychology and mental health where therapists can work more on helping athletes manage their self-concept as non-athletes while still helping them create a mental toolkit to pursue their athletic dreams. Too many athletes see their self-worth and identity as reflections of the external validation they receive from sports. This hinders a solid foundation for intrinsic motivation and confidence and instead leads to greater mental health problems.

Our final goal is to make therapy more affordable for Canadians. To do this, we will take 15% of our future clients' therapy fees in our clinical practise and create a fund where low-income families can receive free therapy with our future psychotherapists and psychologists.

These long-term goals start with this community we want to build. We want people proud to wear our apparel and know that their money is going to a good cause in their home country. We want you to know that you are loved, and that we are so incredibly proud of you for doing your best every day. <3 

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Brianne earned her Degree in Health Sciences and Therapeutic Recreation at Brock University, and later completed a Graduate Certificate in Sports Business Management at Humber College in Toronto. She spent time working in the In-patient Mental Health Unit at Niagara Health Services before graduating, and later began her successful career the Sport Industry. She currently works at Hockey Helps the Homeless.

“I joined Here For You in the Summer of 2023, after consulting on business and graphic operations on a friendly basis. I continue to work with the guys to develop future partnerships with the brand, as well as collaborate with my team on graphics, message, beneficiaries, etc.

Everyone has a battle they’re fighting, mine happens to be centred around mental health. I have a history of therapy and diagnoses dated back to my teenage years, inclusive of generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, obsessive compulsive personality disorder, depression and ADHD. I was lucky enough to work with David and Kayden in 2023 and compare goals for Here For You Mental Health. Our values align in the analogous ambition of wanting to use our experiences and resources to help those who may not have access, or who may not know how or where to start.

We began this journey identifying athletes as the main population to target, and through our time together appreciated the fact our services apply to anyone. Though I also was an elite-level athlete and I understand the pressures and different depictions and mind games of being in competitive sports, I did relate to our message as a regular 25-year-old woman with struggles outside of sports”.

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