Dr. Julian Somers, Award-Winning Clinical Psychologist

03/14/2026

Giving testimony on Pharmaceutical Sovereignty got a little spicy

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVyoMLzDiPI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

06/06/2023

Treating people in their home communities is the solution to our current drug addiction crisis and can prevent migration to other BC cities. And "closer to home" is also what we were promised with the Riverview mental health institution closure decades ago.

Listen to registered clinical psychologist Dr. Julian Somers' interview (29 min mark) and demand better from our Canadian political and health leaders by sending a message. Share widely.

✍️ https://somerspsych.com/message/

👉https://somerspsych.com/2023/06/06/is-bc-fueling-more-drug-addiction/

👂 https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/tackling-public-drug-use-building-more-homes-faster/id1513208574?i=1000615777091



Psychology Today Recovery Capital Summit- Overcoming Addiction

05/31/2023

At a Nanaimo public safety rally, Simon Fraser University health sciences professor Julian Somers, told CBC News that "addiction treatment needs to come with social reintegration. Why are so many people demanding those drugs? Anyone here can go and buy fentanyl after the rally. None are going to, because we have better things to do with our lives,” he said.

𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆-𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸.

🎤 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nanaimo-rally-encampment-stolen-property-1.6781663

✍️ https://somerspsych.com/message/

05/22/2023

05/21/2023

“Safe Supply” drug advocates rely on poor quality, biased research that lacks any concrete evidence of success, say doctors.

“Safer supply programs involve the use of a potent opioid which has significant risks and dangers. They require studies consistent with the higher standards of pharmaceutical research,” said Dr. Koivu, who believes that higher quality evidence, such as randomized control trials, should be used to investigate safer supply.

“Dr. Julian Somers, director of the Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction at Simon Fraser University, said that while qualitative studies may be helpful when no alternatives are available, there is no need to rely on them in addiction medicine — the field already has “an immense body of high-quality research” that supports other interventions.“

Read both stories in the National Post series (QR codes) or visit the link below.
Then, demand politicians and health leaders use a proven drug addiction model of recovery-oriented housing that shows both a reduction in crime and medical emergencies. Send a message to political and health leaders: https://somerspsych.com/message/

https://somerspsych.com/2023/05/21/poor-quality-research-in-drug-policy/



National Post

05/18/2023

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗱, 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱𝗹𝘆 "𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲" 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗢𝘅𝘆𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘀. So, we offer more harmful drugs cleverly called "safe supply" by the BC Centre for Substance Use? This approach lacks any substantive research nor is it even costed out for taxpayers, says Dr. Julian Somers.

Listen to the whole interview segment below or just Dr. Somers, who starts at the 24 min. mark. Then, demand politicians and health leaders use a proven model of recovery-oriented housing that shows both a reduction in crime and medical emergencies. Send a message via link below.

🎤 INTERVIEW: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/conservative-leader-pierre-poilievre-bcs-housing-crunch/id1513208574?i=1000613433175

🗣MESSAGE POLITICAL LEADERS: https://somerspsych.com/message/

05/17/2023

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆-𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴, says Dr. Julian Somers on the CFAX radio show.🎤

His life's research confirms they want to re-integrate to society, find gainful employment and reconnect with family. He said we need to have an “end game in sight” that doesn’t appear to exist in the current, dysfunctional BC Housing model, despite hundreds of millions spent.👀💵

Listen to the interview. Then, send a message to your politicians to change their disastrous addictions treatment policy course via link below.

https://somerspsych.com/2023/05/16/recovery-housing-preferred-by-drug-users/



CFAX1070

05/13/2023

The recent BC Housing Forensic Audit reveals both the outrageous billions of dollars being spent and the failure of the current, dysfunctional approach that benefits those influencing addiction, mental health and homelessness government policy, Dr Julian Somers notes on radio show.

Better, proven solutions are available. People need support and resources in their home communities. https://somerspsych.com/solutions/

Listen to the Interview via link or QR code, 16:23 minute mark. Then, send a message to your politicians to change their disastrous drug policy course.

🎤https://somerspsych.com/2023/05/13/audit-reveals-dollars-and-dysfunction/

👉👉 https://somerspsych.com/message/

News Talk 980 CKNW

05/13/2023

For all the moms, grandmoms and single moms who give so much...

05/11/2023

“Keep drugs out”- SRO housing residents say. Dr. Julian Somers adds the worst thing is to house large groups of homeless, with addictions or mental illnesses, all together.

Watch the interview below and demand politicians and health leaders use a proven model of recovery-oriented housing dispersed in communities that shows both a reduction in crime and medical emergencies. Send a message to your political leaders here.

https://somerspsych.com/message/

👀 https://globalnews.ca/news/9683071/sfu-professor-psychologist-slams-bc-sro/

05/10/2023

The BC Housing Audit reveal and the unlikely-to-change dysfunction of the Atira housing model are featured in this critical radio interview with Dr. Somers, who says it's common knowledge that Atira also has the highest number of overdose deaths among housing providers.

Listen to the interview below and demand politicians and health leaders use a proven model of recovery-oriented housing that shows both a reduction in crime and medical emergencies.

CKNW RADIO INTERVIEW: https://somerspsych.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/New-Recording-20-copy-2.mp3

SEND A MESSAGE TO OUR POLITICAL LEADERS: https://somerspsych.com/message/

05/09/2023

“Safe supply” drugs given freely to addicts at taxpayer cost, are being sold on the black market at “rock bottom prices” to youth and others so addicts can buy stronger Fentanyl. This is “fuelling a new opioid crisis.”

Addiction physicians say “these freely distributed drugs through government-funded programs are not curbing the fentanyl market, they’re subsidizing it” and “lining the pockets of drug dealers and gangs. Physicians are reporting a new wave of opioid addictions that has been particularly pronounced among youth.”

Critics of safe supply are “subject to harassment or professional retribution, creating an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship.”

Dr. Somers and his team concluded that safer supply is “a human experiment that conflicts with the ethical principles of physicians, clinical psychologists and other regulated health professionals.” For that research, he was bullied by a connected group of safe supply advocates in an attempt to silence him.

Read the whole story below. Send a message by demanding political leaders listen to drug addiction experts, not activists or those invested in pharmaceutical companies they call “safe supply”. Thanks to all of those who spoke up and provided their insights to this intrepid, investigative reporter.

𝑷𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑺𝑬 𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑬 𝑾𝑰𝑫𝑬𝑳𝒀.

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘: The article can be read in full on mobile but paywalled on desktop.
👀https://nationalpost.com/feature/how-the-liberal-governments-safer-supply-is-fuelling-a-new-opioid-crisis

𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗔 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦:
👉https://somerspsych.com/message/