Our Team

Family Peer Supporters: Zoya & Liat

Zoya is a mother of three children who along with their strength in character, manage physical and developmental disabilities. Zoya knows intimately what it’s like to navigate multiple systems of care to ensure that her children are living their best lives. Zoya is passionate about advocacy and ensuring that children, youth, and family voices and experiences are shared to improve the systems of care in Ontario.

Liat is the mother of four children; two of her sons live with autism and her daughter has struggled with mental health challenges and required live-in treatment. While living in Israel, she was a community social worker and understands the importance of peer support and creating space for families to connect. Liat has spent years supporting and advocating for her children with their mental health and developmental needs and believes that advocacy and elevating the family voice leads to system change that meets the family’s needs.

Family Peer Supporters: Shalyn and Sarah

Shalyn is a wife and mom of two. She has experienced mental illness and the navigation of mental health services first hand. Her children have a diverse set of medical and emotional needs that have allowed her to further increase her knowledge of the services available to individuals and families in the Brantford area. She volunteers with PCMH as a Family Peer Supporter as an opportunity to share the resources and hope that she has gained over the years.

Sarah has been married for over 20 years and has two children.  She has journeyed through life as a late-diagnosed neurodiverse woman and as a mom of neurodiverse children. Sarah attended PCMH for two years before stepping into a facilitator role in December 2023 to walk alongside other families who are also on a mental health journey.

Family Peer Supporters: Chrystal and Kristin 

Chrystal is a mom of two boys with disabilities and found her experience as a recipient of peer support was a lifeline. Her journey in the child and youth mental health and addictions sector began when she was a child as her own family of origin was significantly impacted by mental health challenges and addictions. She found that as a recipient of peer support, talking to others going through similar experiences was a game-changer and gave her hope when she felt like things were hopeless. “It was like a breath of fresh air knowing that if others could make it through tough times, so could I”. Chrystal wanted to give back and became a Peer Support Chapter Leader & Family Peer Supporter for Burlington PCMH this past year. She is also a Family Advisory Council member with the Knowledge Institute of Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions. Chrystal has recently been training with a local Urban Indigenous organization, Grandmother’s Voice, for Indigenous Wisdom In Trauma Recovery. Additionally, she is involved in building a non-profit organization, All Abilities Allstars, whose goal is to create supportive spaces for people of all abilities and their support networks, fostering inclusivity and giving them opportunities to showcase their abilities. She is passionate about improving access to services, reducing stigma, and promoting holistic approaches to treatment and support.

Kristin is a mom to two differently wired, almost teenage boys and has been (unknowingly at first) navigating the path of neurodivergence for many years. Anticipating school and social challenges she began searching for resources and support when her eldest son was still in  daycare. She understands how frustrating it can be when none of the typical advice or routines seem to work for your kids. With first hand experience of the daily struggles and stigmas families often face, she relates to the feelings of overwhelm, shame and loneliness that can surface. Despite connecting with many organizations in the area, feeling seen and heard by other parents was a lifeline to me. Through PCMH I hope to give that anchor to others. With her professional medical background and extra training in Mental Health First Aid, Peer Support, and Mindfulness, Kristin connects with others from a place of non judgment and empathy. I remind parents that you are a person with mental health needs too . It really is true that we need to fill our own bucket first!

Family Peer Supporter: Laurie

Laurie is a mom to three adult sons and grandmother of four. She has been a volunteer peer supporter with PCMH for 7 years, sharing her lived expertise about her own journey of supporting a loved one with mental health concerns. Laurie believes that peer support enables family/caregivers to safely tell their story to someone who has been in similar situations – hearing “Me too!” is like receiving a glass of water in a desert! After 31 years of being an educator, Laurie also believes in the importance of early intervention and the value of receiving early supports in navigating systems, building a support network, and knowing this will lead to a family thriving amidst these challenges. Laurie believes that by accessing support early, when symptoms first appear, the entire family is able to be more resilient, and to experience less suffering. Laurie is a facilitator of the evidence- based “Family Connections” course through Sashbear.org, which gives families the DBT skills they need to manage their own emotions when their loved one is experiencing mental health and other challenges. With Laurie’s experience facilitating family advisory councils, she encourages family members to advocate for improved services. Laurie’s involvement in both provincial and national family council networks has enabled her to be aware of the services offered in other communities, and successful advocacy pathways. She continues to bring these values and supports for families to the hospital, community and school settings and hopes to engage more families in this work.

Family Peer Supporters: Vicki and Jennifer

Vicki is a teacher with the Durham District School Board (having taught in Special Education for several years), and a mom who lost her only son, Tyler, to a long struggle with mental health and addictions. She uses this lived experience to propel her forward to find solutions and effect change in the field of Child and Youth Mental Health Services. She is one of two facilitators for the Durham PCMH Chapter, and represents PCMH Durham on the Youth Suicide Prevention Network. She was awarded the 2014 Kinark Chair’s Award, acknowledging her time spent volunteering in different capacities as a proponent for child and youth mental health, and the Excellence in Family Engagement Award by Parents for Children’s Mental Health in 2016. Vicki’s experience as a parent, a career as a Child and Youth Worker for 17 years before becoming a teacher, and working 16 years in the field of education puts her in a unique role to support families on this journey.

Jennifer is a dedicated mother of two grown daughters, both have faced significant mental health challenges. Her oldest daughter has battled depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder, while her youngest suffers from severe anxiety and OCD. As her children’s biggest advocate, cheerleader, coach, and supporter, Jennifer has immersed herself in learning about mental health by taking numerous courses and attending seminars to support her family and others. She understands the complexities of navigating the mental health care system and the heartbreak parents often experience. To ensure other parents don’t feel isolated, defeated, or lost, she volunteers as a family peer support facilitator, sharing her knowledge and lived experiences to provide a safe space for parents and caregivers to express themselves, share, learn, and find comfort and care.

Family Peer Supporters: Ginette & Lisa

Ginette Lamothe is the sole parent of an amazing boy diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Her adoptive experience included little support or information about her son’s diagnosis. As a result, Ginette became immersed in learning everything she could to understand her child’s needs to give him the best possible chance of success. She has since learned that parenting a child with FASD often requires a shift in understanding and approach, and that success is a two-sided coin which includes understanding and meeting the needs of the child, while learning skills and becoming intentional and resilient as a parent. Ginette’s passion is educating others about FASD, advocating her her son as well as the FASD community, and providing support to other parents on this unique journey. Her goal is to help parents feel more competent and confident by empowering them with the information, resources and support they need to succeed. Ginette has been active as a parent mentor, a member of a number of FASD groups and committees and has played an advisory role in several planning committees and initiatives. Ginette is always keeping current on research, best practices and what’s happening in the FASD world, as she strives to continue growing and learning as a parent of a child with special needs.

Lisa Holic is an adoptive mom of a teen with FASD. Lisa spent many years tirelessly advocating for her daughter’s educational and medical support needs within under-resourced systems that knew very little about FASD. Lisa and her partner advocated tirelessly to receive the assessments, diagnosis, and therapeutic support their daughter needed to thrive when she was younger.  Now, her support search continues as she prepares her daughter for the journey into adult services.  This kind of relentless advocacy was exhausting, and it required her to seek others who understood FASD and could support her on the journey.  She saw the value in such support and was excited when she had the opportunity to join PCMH as a Chapter Leader & Family Peer Supporter for London’s in-person peer support group for FASD caregivers.

Family Peer Supporters: Darlene & Eilish

Darlene Durand is a Registered Early Childhood Educator and part time professor at a local college in the ECE program. Her passion for FASD was sparked when her family became a foster home for newborn babies. They have been blessed by adoption and their 16-year-old daughter who has FASD, is the reason for Darlene’s passion. Finding ways to guide and support her daughter with strength-based modalities has driven Darlene’s advocacy in the community and most recently in the Healthcare system alongside her daughter. Darlene’s passion and energy is supported by her husband Chris, who is the brakes to her gas pedal at times but together they find success even amidst some of the most challenging moments on their parenting journey. Team LOVE is what the Durand Family has called themselves as they navigate situations, leading with love. Knowing that to help anyone be the best they can be, they need to know they are loved first and foremost. Team LOVE is also involved in cheering on caregivers, providing opportunities for connection and community, to give those raising children the hope and strength they need to get through each day.

Family Peer Supporters: Holly and Jeff

Holly and Jeff are the loving parents of 3 boys in Guelph, ON. All three of their children struggle with a variety of serious mental health disorders and challenges (eg: ADHD, bipolar disorder, PTSD, OCD, depression, anxiety). Over the past 15 years they have navigated and worked with many different levels and branches of the mental health system across the province as they advocated for their sons. Holly and Jeff identified the lack of a local support group for parents of children with mental health disorders, which led to becoming PCMH Family Peer Supporters in Guelph. They share a passion for helping families navigate the system, advocate for their children and by listening to their journeys.

Family Peer Supporters: Andrea and Louise

Andrea is a mother of two living in Hamilton with her wife, their 3 dogs, 3 birds, cat and fish. She is raising a youth with complex special needs and mental health concerns, which motivates her to share emotional and practical supports with others in similar situations. Andrea offers her unique perspective and experience to provide hope and empowerment to those struggling to navigate various systems in the Hamilton area.

Louise is a mother, grandmother and aunt who adores spending time with the young adults in her family, especially when they are making her laugh or learn about something new! Her family was involved in children’s mental health services for six years before learning about PCMH and supports it offers around the province. Louise helped start the Hamilton Chapter in July 2015, with the goal of ensuring that families in Hamilton know that support is available for them at the beginning of their journey. Her passion for helping families living with mental health challenges meet each day with hope and optimism is what keeps her going as a volunteer. Louise brings over 25 years of grassroots advocacy and support group facilitation to her work with PCMH. Louise works in the child and youth mental health sector, helping organizations and system level initiatives engage youth and families in meaningful ways to improve services. In her personal life, Louise loves to spend time with her family and dogs, spend time with her family and dogs, read novels that make her think and rides her bike on hilly country rides.

Family Peer Supporter: Olivia

Family Peer Supporter: Chantal

Chantal is a mother of two children – one teen and one adult. Her teen has been struggling with challenges since grade one, but is currently on a path to successfully graduating high school. She parents with her wife and their adult child is now out of the house and attending university. She found that she could be a better parent when learning from others and asking questions about how to meet the sometimes volatile home life their family lives as they parent a son who is managing friendships with limits in social abilities. They are often working with doctors, counselors, school and sometimes police to find the best path forward. She wants to learn from others and share the struggle.

Family Peer Supporters: Laurie and Kristin

Laurie is a mom to three adult sons and grandmother of four. She has been a volunteer peer supporter with PCMH for 7 years, sharing her lived expertise about her own journey of supporting a loved one with mental health concerns. Laurie believes that peer support enables family/caregivers to safely tell their story to someone who has been in similar situations – hearing “Me too!” is like receiving a glass of water in a desert! After 31 years of being an educator, Laurie also believes in the importance of early intervention and the value of receiving early supports in navigating systems, building a support network, and knowing this will lead to a family thriving amidst these challenges. Laurie believes that by accessing support early, when symptoms first appear, the entire family is able to be more resilient, and to experience less suffering. Laurie is a facilitator of the evidence- based “Family Connections” course through Sashbear.org, which gives families the DBT skills they need to manage their own emotions when their loved one is experiencing mental health and other challenges. With Laurie’s experience facilitating family advisory councils, she encourages family members to advocate for improved services. Laurie’s involvement in both provincial and national family council networks has enabled her to be aware of the services offered in other communities, and successful advocacy pathways. She continues to bring these values and supports for families to the hospital, community and school settings and hopes to engage more families in this work.

Kristin is a mom to two differently wired, almost teenage boys and has been (unknowingly at first) navigating the path of neurodivergence for many years. Anticipating school and social challenges she began searching for resources and support when her eldest son was still in  daycare. She understands how frustrating it can be when none of the typical advice or routines seem to work for your kids. With first hand experience of the daily struggles and stigmas families often face, she relates to the feelings of overwhelm, shame and loneliness that can surface. Despite connecting with many organizations in the area, feeling seen and heard by other parents was a lifeline to me. Through PCMH I hope to give that anchor to others. With her professional medical background and extra training in Mental Health First Aid, Peer Support, and Mindfulness, Kristin connects with others from a place of non judgment and empathy. I remind parents that you are a person with mental health needs too . It really is true that we need to fill our own bucket first!

Family Peer Supporters: Becky and Sara

Sara is a mom of four with a blended family. She has dedicated most of her life to working with children and families in different capacities. Sara understands a good deal about how each individual brings their own strengths and challenges and the impact this has on family dynamics and well being. Sara volunteers as Family Peer Support because she wanted to give parents a “safe place to land”, where they could feel listened to and understood even if it’s just for a couple of hours.

Family Peer Supporters: Jessi and Tanya

Jessi is an advocate for children’s mental health through her role as a kindergarten teacher in the public school board. She has taken mental health training to better support her kids’ mental health challenges and has stayed active as a volunteer in the mental health community. After having difficulty finding support for herself, she is grateful to be able to provide support to other families through her role with PCMH.

Tanya has suffered from mental health challenges that were undiagnosed for many years and this has led her to become a strong advocate for children’s mental health. She wants for all children including her children to grow up in a world where they do not need to fight the stigma of mental health. Through accessing services for her children in her community the lack of support for struggling families was very evident. PCMH has given the community and the parent voice a chance to be heard and to support each other when the system has failed.

Family Peer Supporters: Laura and Kara

Laura is a champion for children’s mental health. A mother of three, Laura knows firsthand the challenges parents face when navigating the mental health system. A passionate and compassionate teacher, Laura ensures that all of her students feel safe and welcome in her classroom and in the school. She knows that learning happens when children’s social-emotional needs are met.

Kara is a mother of two and a Student Success Teacher with the Rainbow District School Board. As part of her work as a teacher, she has walked parents through the assessment process to educational identification. She has worked diligently with families, supporting them as they accessed services, read Individual Education Plans, and participated actively in their children’s education. She is passionate about community building for the mental well-being of its members and advocacy for students with special needs.

Family Peer Supporters: Mary Louise and Nicole

Mary Louise is a mom of three beautiful children, currently grieving the loss of her youngest to suicide in 2022. She and her family worked tirelessly to navigate finding support while managing the struggles her daughter, Jaida, was experiencing, such as substance use, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. She and her husband, Rob, decided that they could not let this loss go unnoticed and decided that they wanted to help other young adolescents and their families who may be struggling as they were. They started the Jaida Project in her name and continue to raise awareness surrounding mental health and suicide with the goal of ending the stigma surrounding this illness. The Healing Path is for parents who are surviving the loss of their child to suicide so that, as a community, their children can be spoken of and remembered while supporting each other on this journey of healing. You can learn more about The Jaida Project HERE.

Family Peer Supporter: Cathy

Cathy started the Chapter in Timmins in 2019 because she knew that her community needed a safe, non-judgmental, supportive place for parents to go to share their experiences.  It is easy to feel alone in the journey through a child’s mental health illness, and she wanted to provide a place for parents to connect and feel less alone.  The monthly meetings can serve whatever purpose a parent needs, from support with a crisis or navigating care or school, to just getting out of the house and having a cup of coffee and a chat to clear their head.

As a profession, Cathy has worked her entire 24 year career with children and their families.  She was a Resource Teacher for most of that time, assisting families in navigating the special needs system.  She quickly recognized the need among those families for extra support in accepting, advocating for, and receiving emotional support as they navigated their children’s various diagnosis.  Many of the “special needs” diagnosis came with a mental health component as well, which was often considered secondary by professionals, but made life at home difficult.

Cathy is a mother of two young adults, and grandmother of two boys. Her lived experience comes from supporting her daughter who has struggled with her mental health since 2010, when she was in the fourth grade.  Cathy has experience navigating the school system with a child with mental health issues, as well as the public mental health system.  Over the years she has sought support for various “diagnoses” for her daughter, including anxiety, ADHD, borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder, and continues to do so.

Cathy recognizes that limited resources in a smaller community can make this journey even more challenging and difficult on parents and siblings.  She strives to make the few hours she spends with parents as supportive, informative, and refreshing as possible.

Family Peer Supporters: Damion and Larissa

Damion is a cake artist, and owner of the award-winning Toronto-based bakery, Cinnabean cakes and former executive producer of the Canadian television series, ‘da Kink in my Hair. As the father of a teenage son who has experienced mental health challenges since early childhood, Damion has been closely connected with many mental health agencies and has previously served on several advisory committees devoted to child and youth mental health.

Larissa is a single mom and long-time Toronto resident. She has been supporting her daughter through complex mental health challenges since age 9. Most recently she has been helping her daughter navigate through the transition from child and youth to adult care. Through this journey, Larissa found peer support and discovered a vital component to her own recovery from traumatic events involving her daughter. Peer support remains an important part of her self-care. She is an advocate for suicide prevention and works at reducing stigma around mental health at every chance she gets. In her spare time, Larissa enjoys skiing in the winter and searching for beach glass in the summer.

Family Peer Supporter:  Kristen

Kristen is the mother of three children. Her oldest has been involved in all levels of the Region’s mental health system since a very young age. Kristen has extensive experience in advocacy within community resources and the school system, along with a passion for de-escalation strategies and crisis management. Professionally, Kristen is a Registered Practical Nurse and previously spent most of her career in the foster care system, supporting youth with developmental delays and mental health diagnoses. Kristen is looking forward to supporting families along their journey and providing comfort on this road of parenting through mental illness.

Family Peer Supporters: Cherie, Andy, and Stacia

Cherie wants to advocate for parents and children alike as they traverse through mental health challenges.  As a mother of now older children, she wants to share her knowledge and help other parents and caregivers navigate the “system”.  She wants parents to know that they are not alone and provide them with the space to feel comfortable sharing thoughts that are often uncomfortable sharing with parents of atypical children. Cherie currently hosts our daytime chapter meetings.

Andy and Stacia have two grown children, their son is 26 and their daughter is 23. Their daughter has suffered with depression, anxiety and a few suicide attempts since the age of 11 and is now living independently and attending school away from home. They want other parents to know that they are not alone on their journey with their child. They want to help others have a safe space to talk, cry or just be heard and currently host our evening chapter meetings to do just that.