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Despite their effectiveness, peer support programs receive very little funding

July 4th, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Despite their effectiveness, peer support programs receive very little funding)

Canada’s national mental health strategy says peer support is an essential component of mental health services—but also recognizes it’s not yet seen as a core part of the recovery process

picture 488The Mental Health Strategy for Canada promotes peer support as an essential component of mental health services. In particular, it recommends an increased number of peer support opportunities and the development of national guidelines for peer support.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada recognizes that “peer support does work: people who have lived experience with mental illness can offer those in recovery substantial benefits. The development of personal resourcefulness and empowerment—the foundation of peer support—not only improves people’s lives but also saves money by reducing the use of more formal mental health, medical and social services. But to enhance the use of peer support, the mindset inherent in the healthcare system itself must first be changed.” (more…)

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A twisty tale of transformation

May 2nd, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on A twisty tale of transformation)

Martha Carter shares a multimedia performance reflecting her own ‘twisted’ journey of living with a crooked spine while pursuing a career in dance

picture 471THE STRAIGHT (Vancouver)—Martha Carter empties a little black bag onto the dance-studio floor. Before us lies a pile of glittering steel bits—hooks, bolts, and rods that look like hardware ripped out of the Terminator. “Don’t worry. They’ve been cleaned,” she jokes. These are pieces of the apparatus that was once used to straighten her spine. Surgically implanted in the ’70s, they were a symbol of what she couldn’t do. Now, they’re a symbol of what she can.

Thirty-six years ago, at the age of 14, as Carter lay immobilized in an itchy body cast, a career in dance seemed like an impossibility. Before doctors had surgically fused her vertebrae and inserted the metal rods, they had made it clear that her training would have to end. (more…)

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At Home/Chez Soi project nears its end

March 21st, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on At Home/Chez Soi project nears its end)

Housing first makes better use of public dollars—especially for those who are high service users

picture 465In 2008 the federal government invested $110 million for a five year demonstration project aimed at providing evidence about what services and systems best help people experiencing serious mental illness and homelessness. The Mental Health Commission of Canada’s At Home/Chez Soi project was established as a field trial of complex interventions in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, and Moncton. The rigorous, multi-site, experimental research design of the At Home/Chez Soi project was expected to help identify what works, at what cost, for whom, and in which environments. It compared “Housing First” approaches with existing approaches in each of the five cities. For the first time in a trial, it included a standardized definition of Housing First and used assessments to document the quality of the implementation of the program over its first two years. (more…)

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Aboriginal prisoners often shut out of healing lodges

March 14th, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Aboriginal prisoners often shut out of healing lodges)

Report on Aboriginal prisoners in Canada finds limited understanding of Aboriginal people, culture and approaches to healing within federal corrections, especially among front line staff in facilities

picture 463bA report by Canada’s Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers has found that disparities in opportunities and outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal offenders continue to widen. Aboriginal offenders now account for 21.5% of Correctional Service of Canada’s (CSC) incarcerated population and 13.6% of offenders supervised in the community. The total Aboriginal offender population (community and institutional) represents 18.5% of all federal offenders. The situation of Aboriginal female offenders is even more concerning. In 2010-11, Aboriginal women accounted for over 31.9% of all federally incarcerated women,9 representing an increase of 85.7% over the last decade. (more…)

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A family working hard to make sense of mental illness

February 28th, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on A family working hard to make sense of mental illness)

Calen Pick, his mother Jessie Close, and his aunt, Glenn Close, are working to alter public perception of mental illness through their stigma-fighting campaign Bring Change 2 Mind

picture 457Calen Pick’s famous aunt, Glenn Close, was a keynote speaker last spring at the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s conference about stigma and the way we see mental illness. Together with her sister, Jessie Close, and her nephew, Calen Pick, the three family members helped to put a family face on the experience of living with–and dealing with–mental illness among family members. (more…)

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High profile visit shines a spotlight on youth issues

February 21st, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on High profile visit shines a spotlight on youth issues)

Laureen Harper, wife of Canada’s prime minister, and Ottawa city councillor Allan Hubley praise the programs of Ottawa’s Youth Services Bureau downtown drop-in centre

picture 456METRO NEWS OTTAWA, February 11, 2013

After years of neglect, youth mental illness is getting the attention it desperately needs, said Laureen Harper as she toured Ottawa’s Youth Services Bureau downtown drop-in centre on February 11, 2013. (more…)

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