If you speak with 31-year-old Tyler Potvin you’ll quickly realize he is wise beyond his years, pulling from more than two decades of hardship and struggle. Tyler will be the first one to tell you the life lessons he’s learned along his journey of overcoming substance use, multiple incarcerations and hospitalizations, for his mental health, have made him who he is today. With the help of Providence Care and his own determination and will, Tyler says he’s finally living a life of stability and purpose. 

“You can have a million bad things happen to you, but it comes down to if you’re going to let it own you or if you’re going to own it; the outcomes are entirely different,” explains Tyler. “If you own it, you can use everything that’s happened to you as a learning experience. You can use it as a situation to rise above, inspire, motivate and help other people. Or you can let it own you, continue down the path you’re going and likely end up in prison, on drugs or even dead. I’ve been blessed enough to be able to overcome.” 

Tyler was referred by the court system to Providence Care’s Forensic Community Service (At-Risk) program after he says his life “culminated into a nasty mess.”  

“I wasn’t exactly cooperative with the process in the very beginning and so for a long time my life was a kind of revolving door. I was in and out of incarceration, in and out of hospitals and just generally not doing well in life; not getting where I needed to be and most certainly not thriving.” 

In 2017, Tyler decided to become an active participant in his wellness journey, inspired to create a better life for his young son. 

“I became a father and I wanted to make a positive impact on my son’s life. I didn’t have the best childhood growing up, just for various reasons, and I wanted better for him.”   

Providence Care Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. Tariq Hassan is Tyler’s physician and works with justice-involved clients, like Tyler, in the community as well as forensic clients, individuals found not criminally responsible for their crimes, at Providence Care Hospital and in the community. 

Tyler’s program, the Community Service (At-Risk) program is an interdisciplinary initiative offering mental health services to justice-involved individuals with serious mental illness who have been found criminally responsible for past crimes and have a high risk of continued involvement with the criminal justice system. 

Dr. Hassan explains that to be found criminally responsible for a crime, it must be proven the individual had negative intent, that they knew what they were doing was wrong but did it anyway.  

“If we believe that a negative act was primarily driven by a mental disorder, the Court will hold a hearing and determine that the offender is found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder. Their liberties/restrictions are overseen by the Ontario Review Board for the safety of the public. However, if the person commits a crime while suffering from a mental disorder but knows what they did was wrong then such individuals are sentenced as per law. This could involve a period of incarceration followed by a community supervision order or probation. Unfortunately, they carry a double stigma of having a mental illness and involved in the criminal justice system,” explains Dr. Hassan.

The At-Risk program supports these individuals with their medication, counselling and addiction rehabilitation. We have a track record of reducing their reoffending and rehospitalization and supporting their journey to recovery. Tyler is a prime example and has made a remarkable recovery,” he adds. 

Tyler’s mental health challenges go back as far into his childhood as he can remember. In adulthood he was clinically diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When Tyler decided to start actively participating in his recovery and take medication, he says he saw things in a new light. 

“Probably three or four months after being on the right medication I realized being angry, sad and scattered doesn’t have to be your baseline. I had a lightbulb go off and thought ‘wow is this what it feels like to be functional? What it feels like to be healthy?’ It made me want to hold on as tight as I could to the feeling. I try my best every day to hold on as tightly as I can. A lot of being able to hold on, I have to say, comes from being in this program and having resources there and people who want to help and do what’s best. I think support is what’s fundamental in recovery, that and trust and empathy.”  

“It’s amazing to see Tyler’s level of success and it’s why my team and I do what we do,” says Dr. Hassan. “The team I work with are the true heroes, day in, day out. They’re the ones that go to the homes, support our clients, get them their treatment and medication. I turn up and they make my job much, much easier. Seeing Tyler’s hard work and dedication to wellness, it’s very refreshing and it’s a good reminder for us to keep working hard with our clients.”

Tyler has created a rewarding life for himself. A life where he works, focuses on his physical health at the gym every day and makes time for his passion of guitar and music, all while also volunteering with Youth Diversion, a not-for profit Kingston organization for at-risk teens.  

“I feel like a lot of the things that I’ve done in my life, while I was in that revolving door lifestyle, were detrimental to society. Although I’ve paid my dues in that sense, I’ve done my time, I’ve completed all the programs, I’ve done this all right, I still feel like I want to give back after taking so much. I feel like the best way to do that is to invest in people that are still young enough that you can have a lasting impression on them while they are old enough that you can still speak to them like an adult like, ‘hey man, what are you doing and how can we do this differently and develop healthy, positive coping mechanisms?’”

As he looks ahead, Tyler remains committed to his ongoing wellness journey, regularly checking in with Dr. Hassan during appointments. His story is one of hope, resilience and the ongoing pursuit of becoming the best version of yourself.   

“If you keep a positive mindset and stay focused, disciplined, motivated, and ambitious, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.” 

Looking for support for your mental health, substance use health and addictions? AccessMHA can help start the process of navigating the health care system by getting you connected to providers like Providence Care.