Peer Support
When it comes to having a child or teen with mental health challenges, many parents and caregivers are left feeling like there are few people who understand them or can relate. It’s hard for others to understand the intensity of everyday life experiences of having a child with mental health challenges. Mental health struggles don’t only impact the child, they impact the entire family system. Often families can feel out of their depth, overwhelmed, isolated and confused by the many stressors that arise with a loved one struggling. On top of it all, it can feel like the hardest thing in the world to navigate the mental health system—a frustrating and scary experience when all we want is to help our children.
Find a Peer Support Chapter in Your Community
Special Topic Chapters
FASD Ontario
Virtual Meetings:
Monthly meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month from 6:30 to 8 pm EST. There will be no meetings in July or August.
This is a provincial group, therefore, all meetings are virtual. This group provides peer support for parents and caregivers of children or youth with suspected or diagnosed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
Click here to register and receive the Zoom link.
For more information please contact Darlene & Eilish at FASDpeersupport@pcmh.ca.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Chapter Leader, please email support@pcmh.ca.
FASD London
In-Person Meetings:
Join our in-person meetings on the first Wednesday of each month, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm ET at Merrymount ~ 1064 Colborne St., London, ON.
*Exceptions: September 2024 and January 2025 meetings will be held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. No meetings will be held in July & August.
For more details, email Ginette & Lisa at FASDlondon@pcmh.ca.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Chapter Leader & Family Peer Supporter, please email support@pcmh.ca.
FASD Thunder Bay (NEW!!!)
In-Person Meetings:
Join our in-person meetings on the third Tuesday of each month, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm ET at NorWest Community Health Centres ~ 535 Simpson Street, Thunder Bay, ON.
For more details, email Miranda at FASDthunderbay@pcmh.ca.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Chapter Leader & Family Peer Supporter, please email support@pcmh.ca.
One-to-One Peer Support
Virtual Meetings:
Click HERE to book a private, one-to-one peer support session with someone on our peer support team. A Zoom link will be sent to you once you register!
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Family Peer Supporter, email support@pcmh.ca.
One-to-One Peer Support: School Advocacy
Virtual Meetings:
Book a one-hour session with a PCMH peer supporter to receive personalized tips and essential advocacy skills for collaborating with your child/youth’s school. Emphasizing the importance of partnership between families and educators, our peer support team encourages a positive, collaborative approach with schools, empowering families to confidently advocate for their child/youth.
Click HERE to book a private, one-to-one peer support session with someone on our peer support team. A Zoom link will be sent to you once you register!
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Family Peer Supporter, email support@pcmh.ca.
The Healing Path
In-person meetings:
Meetings held the second and fourth Monday of each month from 7 to 8:30 pm at Hospice Northwest ~ 63 Carrie St., Thunder Bay, ON.
September 9th & 23rd
October 28th (no meeting on Thanksgiving Monday, Oct. 14th)
November 11th & 25th
December 9th & 23rd
This group provides a safe and non-judgmental peer support environment for parents surviving their child/youth/young adult’s suicide.
Email thehealingpath@pcmh.ca for more information about this group.
If you are interested in starting a peer support group like this in your community, or would like to attend one, please email support@pcmh.ca.
Grandparents COMING SOON!!
We are currently training volunteers who will soon be offering peer support in a virtual environment! Check back here in October for more information about when this group will be offered!
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Family Peer Supporter, please email support@pcmh.ca.
CAS Care Providers COMING SOON!!!
We are currently training volunteers who will soon be offering peer support in a virtual environment! Check back here in October for more information about when this group will be offered!
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Chapter Leader & Peer Supporter, please email support@pcmh.ca.
Regional Chapters
Click on a region or select from the dropdown menu to find a peer support chapter near you! If you can’t find a chapter near you, please contact support@pcmh.ca.
- Virtual
- In-Person
- Hybrid (Virtual + In-Person)
- No Chapter Yet
Upcoming Peer Support Groups
You are not alone.
Our Parents for Children’s Mental Health (PCMH) peer support chapters are here for you.
Located in communities across Ontario, our chapters are made up of volunteer Chapter Leaders and parents and caregivers on their own journey of supporting their child with mental health needs. Our chapters meet regularly providing parents and caregivers a safe and friendly place to connect with others, feel heard and get help navigating the child and youth mental health system. It’s also a chance to hear from others who understand.
Peer Support FAQs
Why join a peer support chapter? Is it right for me?
Parents and caregivers join us at various stages in their journey. Some are just beginning to understand the challenge they face, others are waiting for treatments and some are at the other end of their journey, working on mental health recovery.
Our peer support chapters provide opportunities for parents to seek support when it comes to any issues, big or small. For example, some parents may be looking for support to ensure their child’s needs are addressed at school, or when preparing for an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) meeting or a meeting with the treatment team supporting their child.
- Meet other people who are having similar experiences, which can also lead to lasting friendships for you and your child.
- Ask questions and clarify things you may not understand.
- Learn about workshops and seminars that are pertinent to you. See and hear guest speakers on relevant subjects.
- You may receive handouts on parenting tips, or tips for teachers and schools.
- Share your stories with other adults without judgment.
- Learn how to advocate for your child
What can I expect while attending a peer support meeting?
We understand how hard it is because we have all been there. Our peer support chapters offer safe and confidential spaces to share experiences or to ask questions so that we can learn from one another and make the journey a little easier.
- Our group meetings are informal and there’s no pressure at all to attend or share.
- You can share as little or as much as you like.
- When we meet, it’s a place where you can ask other parents questions for tips and ideas on how they have managed different situations.
- Sometimes there are guest speakers, so it can be a place to gather information and share perspectives.
- You may hear other perspectives that are hard to manage or understand; be sure to check in with the Chapter Leader and debrief if you need to.
- You can also ask to meet individually if the group meeting atmosphere is not something you are comfortable with.
Our group sizes vary from chapter to chapter, but you can expect as few as seven people to as many as 30 parents in your group. Some chapters have regular guest speakers on topics ranging from anxiety and ADHD to parenting and self-care. When you join a PCMH peer support chapter, it is free and there is no commitment required.
What are the benefits of peer support chapters for the whole family?
- Find acceptance – Families deal with strong and conflicting emotions. We need to be able to express our feelings safely, without being criticized or judged.
- Receive affirmation – Families may sometimes feel discouraged and powerless, peer support groups celebrate the resiliency, determination and ability that is seen in each other.
- Sense of belonging – Families sometimes describe themselves as living in a different culture or foreign land and may feel isolated and that they do not belong anywhere. A true sense of belonging may only come in the companionship of others facing the same challenges and overcoming the same barriers.
- Get information – In order to be confident and effective, all families need the information to support their child’s development and families supporting children with mental health issues require additional information that can be gathered from a peer support network.
- Be understood – Few understand the intensity of everyday life experiences of having a child with mental health challenges. Peer support groups offer that understanding and knowledge of that intensity and the struggles that accompany it.