Hello everyone!

The next couple of months are a busy time of the year. I am offering four educational topics to provide information and strategies to support with coping and managing. There are spaces available for all the dates. Email your topic(s) and date(s) of choice to me. I will reply with a confirmation email and further details for joining online.

In this issue, you can learn about the expansion of the OPP Crisis Call Diversion Program and November is Men's Health Awareness Month, Movember. A month which includes a focus on men's mental health and suicide prevention.

Do you identify as Francophone? Would you benefit from receiving navigation support through the mental health & addiction system? In this issue, you will find the contact information for this service.

FMHI's Facebook page helps keep us connected.

You can also find FMHI on Twitter and Instagram

 In this Issue:

• Ontario Expanding OPP Crisis Call Diversion

• Movember

• Virtual Family Caregiver Psycho-Education

• Navigatrice Francophone Régionale

• Virtual Family Caregiver Support Groups: 2021 & 2022 Schedule

• Supporting Your Loved One Through Addictions Group

• Family-Based Peer Support at CMHA Simcoe County

• Crisis Services

Take care, 

Tara Maxwell

Ontario Expanding

OPP Crisis Call Diversion

Ontario is extending resources to individuals experiencing a mental health or addictions crisis by expanding the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Crisis Call Diversion Program to the OPP Provincial Communications Centres in Orillia and North Bay. The expansion in the Orillia and North Bay programs are being offered in partnership with the CMHA Simcoe County Branch and CMHA North Bay and District.

News Release: Ontario Expanding OPP Crisis Call Diversion Program

Movember

The month of November is Men’s Health Awareness Month led globally by Movember, whose focus is on addressing men’s mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

Virtual Psycho-Educational Sessions

These sessions are offered via Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN).

Virtual Family Caregiver Support Groups

The 2nd Tuesday & 3rd Monday of every month via Zoom.

2021 Schedule

2022 Schedule

The support group meeting dates in the months of February and April have been moved to the following week due to a Statutory Holiday occurring on the third Monday of that month.

Supporting a Loved One Through Addiction 

Supporting a loved one through addiction can be a long, difficult and often lonely journey. This group offers a safe and non-judgmental space for open conversation to discuss, learn and cope with the struggles one might face when supporting their loved ones through addiction.

Topics include but are not limited to: supporting vs enabling, setting boundaries and goals, recognizing codependency, managing expectations, how being focused on “fixing” our loved one can result in years of self-neglect and the importance of self-care, emotions and frustration when relapse occurs and recognizing how relapse is often a part of the overall recovery process.

Email peersupport@cmhastarttalking.ca to sign up.

Facilitated by Peer Supporters Jadine & Suzanne

Family-Based Peer Support

This service is available for family members who have been directly impacted by a loved one’s mental health challenge, illness and/or substance use.

Peer support is created through a trusting, equal and empowering recovery-oriented relationship between two individuals who share a similar experience. You will be connected with a trained Peer Supporter who can relate from a human to human perspective as can be related from a place of lived experience.

Find out more about Peer Support Services

To seek support, please connect directly with peersupport@cmhastarttalking.ca

Crisis Service

Crisis Services offers 24hr telephone support to assist individuals, community agencies, emergency services and family or friends, to work through resolution of identified issues and challenges. The team is comprised of mental health and addiction professionals, who are trained in suicide intervention, and can help stabilize pre and post-crisis, developing coping strategies and plans for ongoing mental health and addiction support and follow up.

Family Mental Health Initiative of Simcoe County

90 Mulcaster St.

Barrie ON L4M 3M5

705-725-0363 / 1-800-324-3252

fmhi.ca