Hi, I'm Karen! I am the current student intern here at FAME and am very excited for all of the work that I have the opportunity to be involved in here until April. As my first blog post, I thought I would share what I have been up to!

Tuesday marked the first session of the CAMH Strengthening Families for the Future program offered through The Jean Tweed Centre, and it was wonderful!

            SFF is a 14-week family program for children ages 7-12 and their parent(s). This program is designed for families where one or more members have a mental health and/or addiction issue.  The program helps with parenting skills, effective communication, and improving the family dynamic.

Meeting once a week for 3 hours, the program is broken down into four sections.  During the first hour, participants and staff all sit down for dinner together where we share stories, bond, and provide encouragement. Following dinner, the children and parents part into separate rooms where programming takes place: teaching skills for positive communication, relationship building, and appropriate methods for sharing feelings.  Finally, during the third hour, everyone comes together for a family group session where the skills from the previous weeks are reviewed and discussed (example: what worked well with implementation in the home, and what did not), and skills introduced that day can be actively practiced by all members, with any struggles being worked through as a whole family.

            I am excited for the next 13 weeks to witness both individual and familial growth, and to also grow in my own learning experiences.

            I find it important to highlight this new affiliation with The Jean Tweed Centre, as building the bond and cohesion within the community through positive relationships creates a much-needed sense of continuity. Developing partnerships and a true collaboration in the community (schools, families, agencies, hospitals, etc.) aids in the support that we can provide to our clients, and meeting their needs.