Parents for Children's Mental Health (PCMH)

1. Equity, Inclusion and Awareness of Cultural Diversity

1.1. PCMH has a Family Engagement Report with a section on Cultural Competency, which discusses the need for mental health care providers to pay close attention to their own cultural biases (also a point brought up for educators and leaders in the school system in the document “Culturally Responsive Pedagogy”).

1.2. Mental health care providers must develop cultural humility and reflect on practice in attempting to address biases – starting point for working with families.

1.3. Providers must learn to engage families from their own vantage point.

1.4. Training should address context and needs of delivering services to diverse communities, rather than viewing cultural issues as peripheral (irrelevant). (Ayon & Aisenberg, 2010).

2. Services/Programs for Ontario students and their families

2.1. Support groups

2.2. Workshops for educators

2.3. Online resources/documents

2.4. Family engagement training

2.5. Family resources

3. How are services/programs accessed?

3.1. Support group chapters can be found on their website – just need to check online for your area and find out where and when meetings are. There is also a phone number given for the group leader in case you can’t make the meeting and need support.

3.2. Workshops for educators – Can book a presentation online by leaving name and number

3.3. Online resources/documents – Can be found on their website

3.4. Family engagement training – Full curriculum report online on their website

3.5. Family resources – FAQs/documents/information available on website

4. Other pertinent information

4.1. Online conversation available on website to chat with others/leave questions and/or share stories

4.2. Emergency kit document now available

4.3. Twitter: @PCMHontario

4.4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F_PxzLIIzQ

5. Visions and goals

5.1. Mission: To improve the lives of families raising children and youth with mental health disorders/illness by building the capacity of families to advocate for and access child and youth mental health services that are family-centered and seamlessly delivered.

5.2. Vision: That every child, youth, and family has the right to achieve mental wellness, to be supported, and to be treated with equity and respect.

5.3. Pillars: Support. Educate. Empower.