On your marks....get set....Paint!!!

 Its been a week, so time for an update!

Let me start by saying, I know as much about decorating as Dolly Parton knows about attempting to flat iron her hair, unnatural and hazardous. Thankfully our executive director Christine Cooper has recently redecorated her home and knows all the ins, outs and decorating faux pas. With her careful selection we have narrowed it down to two options;

Colour Scheme Option A

Colour Scheme Option B 

Stay tuned to see what our final decision was and be sure to come by to let us know if we've missed a spot .

Community Based Support System for Parents, by Parents

HOPE - Helping Other Parents Everywhere,  is a community based self help support network for parents of acting out youth. 

HOPE offers parent support groups, which assist parents who are being negatively affected because of their children's behaviour. HOPE is a self help group of parents who assist each other in making the personal changes necessary to cope and deal with problems at home. 

Parents offer parents suggestions of what has worked for them, and offer each other HOPE, respect, and support in a non-blaming, safe environment. 

Meetings happen in various communities in the GTA, Click here to access their website and gain more information. 

Helpful Resource Guide from CMHA

I wanted to share a great resource guide that I found on the Canadian Mental Health Association's (CMHA) website! It is full of helpful tips about navigating the mental health system, coping strategies for caregivers at home, and at work, and offers many different resources. The guide is there to support friends, family members or co-workers and is a straightforward, easy read! See for yourself!
Being There: When Mental Illness Strikes Someone Near You 

There are many other informative guides available on the CMHA website, click here to access their Help for Caregivers and Family Members page!

FAME: TORONTO EDITION

WHO AM I?

Hello!  I'm Laura Vickers.  Yours truly has a splash of experience working in both judicial and trauma therapy, a sip of work in gerontology, a gulp of experience in newcomer and community settings and a bucket full of enthusiasm. I’ve backpacked on 4 continents but this might be my biggest adventure yet.

 Ok, first things first. Confession time. I am the new Family Support worker at FAME and I am thrilled to be a part of such a lively and passionate team. The excitement and energy surrounding the opening of our new office beats any Rob Ford video (sigh, oh Rob).  Like TFC soccer star Jermain Defoe arriving in Toronto...  FAME - ITS A BIG DEAL! 

The mothership itself is located in St James town at 333 Sherbourne in downtown Toronto, not far from Carlton and Sherbourne- an area representing all shapes and sizes of Toronto's varied population. Our community combines 160 languages and as many as 32,000 people with an average family income that is 41% below city average. FAME  is ready to hit the ground running!

FAME’s reputation and assistance has spoken volumes in the local area and we’ve already found ourselves on the St James Town network committee, participating in Toronto public mental health programs, leading scheduled information sessions, and have a continuously growing client base before we’ve even put a lick of paint on the walls. Our calendar is filling up fast with organizations eager to learn more!

Alright...Alright...I swore I wasn't going to just write facts, but I had to be sure to give you the low down on our neighborhood and quite frankly I'm pretty darn excited about what we are doing. Follow me through the trials and tribulations of opening our new office and thanks for reading!

Follow how things are growing by finding us on Twitter: @FAMEforFAMILIES

And on our Facebook too!

Great article from January COPMI Newsletter about “Children of parents with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder” http://www.copmi.net.au/images/pdf/Research/gems-edition-16-nov-2013.pdf

RBC releases it's national survey on Mental Health

Yesterday morning I was reading the Toronto Star and found an article authored by Barbara Turnbull titled "Kids, Parents are not discussing mental health concerns RBC poll finds".

Basically what the article speaks to is that children don't confide in their parents when they are experiencing issues around their own problems.  The poll also reflected that more than 50% of parents don't approach their children to talk to them about mental health.  After reading this article I sat and pondered for a while and thought to myself there was definitely something missing, both by RBC and by the author.  There is a much larger landscape here, and it is my opinion, that we can't see the forest for the proverbial trees.  Let's step back and take a look at what I'm speaking to.  

Happenings in and about FAME....and Save the Date!

Summer comes to a close and as the leaves begin to fall the ground our thoughts turn to the winter activities. So this is just a quick note on a couple of things. Looks like the move in Scarborough will finally take place and our Family Outreach office will be located in their new digs at: 1911 Kennedy Road, Unit 107. The phone number will remain the same as will the email contact with Paul O'Donnell.

Next up....we can practically hear the bells a jingling.... so that means we are busily beginning to plan the FAME family holiday gatherings. So please be sure to mark down a SAVE THE DATE and come on out and enjoy the festivities