Family Mental Health Resources
Welcome to this issue of professional resources, produced by the BC Schizophrenia Society, in partnership with the HereToHelp.
We hope this newsletter provides you with helpful information to assist you in collaborating with family members and supporters in the care of their loved one with a mental illness. A companion enewsletter is also available for family members.
In this newsletter:
Featured Resources: Anxious Children | Mental Illness Awareness Week | Anosognosia Videos | Ongoing Family Resources – where and how to refer relatives and supporters for support and help.
Featured Resources:
Anxious Children
For many children and youth the start of the school year brings on feelings of anxiety and unease over separation from their parents. These emotions usually go away once new routines have been established, but for some children and teens the anxious feelings continue. Anxiety B.C. has a number of resources to help parents, including Helpful Tips and Healthy Habits for the Home. Their Complete Home Toolkit is a comprehensive resource of tools to help parents help their children.
Mental Illness Awareness Week Resources
Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is an annual national public education campaign coordinated by the Canadian Alliance for Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH). The goal of MIAW is to raise awareness of mental illness and the importance of mental health promotion; to end stigma associated with mental illnesses; and to ensure mental health issues stay on the national social policy agenda.
This year's MIAW is October 3-9 and the deadline to order campaign materials (brochures, posters, bookmarks) is September 12. They can be ordered here: http://miaw.ca/en/campaign/orders.aspx
Many organizations run specific workshops and events to coincide with MIAW. For information on support and education events for MIAW of specific interest to people supporting a loved one with a mental illness, please visit the BCSS Family Calendar.
Coinciding with Mental Illness Awareness Week, a number of BCSS branches are offering Strengthening Families Together, a 10-session program designed to help families and friends of persons with a mental illness by providing support, awareness, and tools to cope with the impact of mental illness and assist the person with their recovery plans. More information on the program can be found at our Strengthening Families Together program page.
Anosognosia Videos
Anosognosia is a condition in which a person suffering from a disability is unaware of or denies the existence of his or her disability. While this condition generally affects those suffering impairment after brain injury or stroke, it can also affect people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, causing them to be incapable of recognizing they are ill.
Dr. Xavier Amador is the author of I Am Not Sick I Don't Need Help! and was a speaker at an Anosognosia workshop in July, focusing on how the condition relates to those with a mental illness. A video excerpt of Dr. Amador's comments can be viewed in two parts online (Part 1 and Part 2). To watch the entire workshop online, visit Anosognosia Workshop July 3, 2010 (NAMI Conference) from Treatment Advocacy Center.
Ongoing Family Resources & Referral Information
Reaching Families Project (BC Schizophrenia Society/ HeretoHelp)
Families to Refer: Relatives or supporters looking for support groups or education events for themselves in their area of BC. No limitations by diagnosis. Relatives, parents, siblings, adult children, family of choice, lesbian /gay / LGTB.
Multi-agency support group listing:http://www.meetings.bcss.org
Family events calendar http://www.bcss.org/familycalendar/
Online support groups for family members – (facilitated) including groups for adult children, lesbian/gay family of choice and siblings
Population-specific resource e-newsletters - feature and promote resources for family members to various audiences.
**If your agency provides support or information events or groups to relatives/supporters of persons with a mental illness in BC, please send in your information for posting on this calendar to onlinesupport@bcss.org
Kelty Resource Centre
Families to Refer: Families needing help finding and accessing mental health info and services for children/youth with a mental health concern, youth with a mental health concern, adults/youth with eating disorder. Run by BC Mental Health and Addictions Services – office in BC Children and Women’s Hospital, service area BC-wide through phone and email.
BC Schizophrenia Society
Families to Refer: Families of persons with a serious and persistent mental illness (including but not limited to schizophrenia, psychosis, schizoaffective disorders) All family members welcome at support groups, family education groups (regardless of family member diagnosis). Kids in Control program provides service to children 8-13 of parents with any kind of mental illness, as does Family Respite program. Online support groups for family members is also not diagnosis-limited and are facilitated including groups for adult children, lesbian/gay family of choice and siblings. Referral details at the above links. Service
areas: BC wide except respite and kids programs.
The FORCE For Kids Mental Health
Families to refer:Parents of children with a mental illness looking for support and information. Service area: specific regions, see website.
Here To Help Website
BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions information offers a wide variety of general audience information on mental health, addictions and mental wellness. All information is evidence based. Funded by provincial health authority.
Research Studies/Projects looking for Participants
Looking to help researchers help understand mental illness? Would you like to be involved in helping researchers figure out what helps the most? Please see this link to the list of ongoing research studies looking for participants with a mental illness or their family members.
Acknowledgements
This resource is developed by the BC Schizophrenia Society. Funding for this project was provided by BC Mental Health and Addiction Services, an agency of PHSA.
The BC Schizophrenia Society is a member of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information. The BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information are a group of seven leading provincial mental health and addictions nonprofit agencies. The seven partners are Anxiety BC, BC Schizophrenia Society, Centre for Addictions Research of BC, Canadian Mental Health Association’s BC Division, F.O.R.C.E. Society for Kids Mental Health, Jessie’s Hope Society, and Mood Disorder’s Association of BC. Since 2003, we've been working together to help individuals and families better prevent, recognize and manage mental health and substance use problems. BC Partners work is funded by BC Mental Health and Addiction Services, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority. We also receive some additional support from the Ministry of Chi
ldren and Family Development. The BC Partners are behind the acclaimed HeretoHelp website. Visit us at www.heretohelp.bc.ca.
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