I wanted to share this information video on the use of fentanyl strips. I find the information very helpful especially when educating clients. Thought someone else find it useful! Link is below https://vimeo.com/923320008Read More...

The Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health (CICMH) invites you to submit an abstract for the 2024 Virtual Conference! We’re seeking abstracts from stakeholders in post-secondary mental health who can share ideas and offer innovative solutions to campus mental health problems. We are continuing with our theme from last year, “Dialogue to Action” with the addition of “The work continues” since we continue to work towards improving capacities on Ontario campuses in supporting student...Read More...

Are you a family member or close support of someone who used opioids during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you interested in participating in research? You may be eligible to share your thoughts about how pandemic public health measures impacted people who use opioids! For more information and contact details, please see the attached flyer.Read More...

The ideal and ongoing efforts to move government policy towards the principles of Basic Income to address poverty and the social determinants of health will be refocusing here in Ottawa on how to further advance, what many of us believe would be a significant shift with its focus on a whole population approach.Read More...

Overwhelming demand - a nice problem to have - has led the Drug Strategy Network of Ontario in collaboration with Canadian Drug Policy Coalition and so many others to re-open the opportunity to endorse the letter urging provincial action. Timmins and Sudbury are among existing sites winding down this week. Other communities have been stalled at the provincial level for years. Deaths and injuries are guaranteed in the absence of movement from the province. Guaranteed- that's not hyperbole in...Read More...

As health care professionals providing care to vulnerable Canadians, you know that income is social determinant of health.      Prosper Canada is a national charity dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for Canadians living in poverty through program and policy innovation. Part of our work consists of creating and disseminating tailored financial curriculum and content.     Here is what we have to offer:      A free online tool called Making the most of your money .   Are you...Read More...

Methadone and buprenorphine/naloxone are effective opioid agonist therapies (OAT) for opioid use disorder. But some people don’t achieve the outcomes they hope for. Genetic factors are known to influence a person’s risk of developing opioid use disorder, but there is little research on whether they might influence the likelihood that OAT will be effective. Researchers investigated whether certain gene variants are associated with treatment outcomes in people receiving methadone or...Read More...

About the webinar The experience of problem gambling is unique to different groups. Older adults, in particular, frequently engage in gambling as a leisure activity. However, this may increase their risk of developing problem gambling. Various factors play a role in making older adults particularly vulnerable to problem gambling. In this March 14th webinar, we explored how factors such as loneliness and gambling incentives can facilitate problem gambling amongst older adults. A researcher...Read More...

Here is an excellent stigma-reduction resource developed by Canadian Public Health Association and CAPSA . New Challenging Structural Substance Use Workshop Package The Canadian Public Health Association's Normalizing Conversations project is proud to be launching a turnkey workshop package on “Challenging Structural Substance Use Stigma ”, developed in partnership with CAPSA, a national organization of professionals with lived and living experience (PWLLE) of substance use, leading the...Read More...

This week (March 18), Toronto’s Drug Checking Service released two alerts regarding high-potency synthetic nitazene opioids circulating in the city's unregulated opioid supply. The following information is summarized from their website: Alert 1: Two new nitazene opioids identified and circulating N-desethyl etonitazene ( considered to be up to 10 times stronger than fentanyl) and Protonitazepyne, also known as N-pyrrolidino protonitazene ( considered to be more than 20 times stronger than...Read More...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Silence from Ontario Ministry of Health as Time Runs Out to Save Supervised Consumption Sites March 18, 2024 (March 18, 2024) Ontario, Canada | March 18, 2024Read More...

The above question comes from Jiijan Voronka and Lucy Costa's introduction to the Journal of Ethics in Mental Health (JEMH) , special theme issue VI: Disordering Social Inclusion: Ethics, Critiques, Collaborations, Futurities. Its a call for us all to reflect on efforts to include "client voice" in the advancement of mental health care. For myself, I've been wondering how the "co-production" is going in organizations and the broader mental health system. If you are looking to push yourself...Read More...

March is National Social Work Month and it's also Social Work Week in Ontario! To encourage professional development for social workers, psychotherapists, counsellors, and beyond, SickKids CCMH Learning Institute is pleased to offer a 20% discount on select programs. Use the 20% discount code NSWM20 from March 6 to 15, 2024 towards the eligible programs below! Learn more in our latest newsletter:...Read More...

Sharing the recording from an online briefing hosted by Canadian Drug Policy Coalition on Tuesday March 5th addressing the recent and impending closures of supervised consumption sites in Ontario. Here is the link to the open letter calling for eight urgent actions Here is the event recording on youtube.Read More...

The Mental Health Commission of Canada is launching a new resource highlighting the experiences of African, Caribbean and Black communities with suicide in Canada to commemorate Black Mental Health Day. To improve our understanding of the experiences of African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities with suicide, this resource was co-created by the Mental Health Commission of Canada and a diverse group of people from ACB communities with lived and living experience (PWLLE) with suicide. This...Read More...

Les machines à griffes sont populaires auprès des jeunes. Ces jeux demandent aux joueurs d'insérer de l'argent ou des jetons afin d'utiliser un dispositif ressemblant à un bras pour attraper un animal en peluche, un jouet ou un autre prix. On les trouve dans de nombreux endroits, tels que les cinémas, les centres commerciaux et les salles d'arcade. Il existe de nombreux types de machines à griffes. Celles de type « jouer pour gagner » offrent un nombre illimité de tentatives jusqu'à ce que...Read More...

What is a claw machine? Claw machines, also known as crane games, are popular among youth. These games require players to insert money or tokens to use an arm-like device to grab a stuffed animal, toy, or another prize. They are found in many places, such as cinemas, malls, and arcades. There are many types of claw machines. Play-to-win ones provide an unlimited number of attempts until you win. Single-play machines give you only one chance to grab the prize. These games can be programmed to...Read More...

Adele Bodson is the Interim Quality and Education Lead for Addiction Services at Health Sciences North (HSN) in Sudbury, Ontario. As of May 2023, HSN has been putting together an application for a supervised consumption site. Adele discusses her experience and reflections on the implementation process so far, to help mobilize knowledge through the Hospital-Based Supervised Consumption Services Community of Practice . READ HERE .Read More...

Elizabeth (Liz) Dogherty is the Clinical Nurse Specialist for Substance Use in the Urban Health Program at Providence Health Care, in Vancouver, B.C.. St. Paul’s Hospital opened an overdose prevention site (OPS) in 2021 in response to the public health emergency. Liz discusses her experience and reflections on the implementation process, to help mobilize knowledge through the Hospital-Based Supervised Consumption Services Community of Practice . READ HERE .Read More...

Casey Schapel is the harm reduction lead for Casey House , a specialty hospital in Toronto, Ontario, that provides ground-breaking care to people living with and at risk of HIV. Casey discusses his experience in implementing supervised consumption services at Casey House, to help mobilize knowledge through the Hospital-based Supervised Consumption Services Community of Practice . READ HERE .Read More...

Janet Butler is one of the Clinical Nurse Educators with the Royal Alexandra Hospital ARCH Program in Edmonton, Alberta. Janet shares her experience and reflections working in the hospital’s supervised consumption service. READ HERE .Read More...

Engaging in refresher training is key to ensuring the completion of quality OCANs to support client care. Join this webinar to participate in some of the interactive OCAN refresher training activities developed by Ontario Health. Are you an OCAN trainer? This is an opportunity to learn how to lead these activities for staff in your organization. Are you an agency staff using OCAN with clients? This is an opportunity to complete some refresher training activities developed by Ontario Health.Read More...

About the webinar Bipolar disorder is associated with premature and excessive cardiovascular disease. Emerging evidence suggests that heart health is related to mood symptoms and other psychiatric outcomes and that these associations are likely brain-based. Despite well-established links between heart and brain health in adults, there is limited research about these links, specifically in youth with bipolar disorder. This webinar reviews recent studies published by our group that help...Read More...

About the webinar On February 16, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) held a webinar event to promote the release of the 'Addressing Opioid Stigma in Pharmacies – Strategies for Pharmacy Professionals’ toolkit that provides valuable insights and resources for frontline pharmacy professionals to support people taking opioids to mitigate the negative impacts of stigma. The toolkit describes strategies for reducing stigma around opioids and the people who use them, including those...Read More...

Staff are putting time and effort into completing OCANs with their clients. Is your organization using the information collected in OCAN effectively? Studies have shown that client outcomes improve when providers focus on the needs identified in OCAN. This webinar shows you how to use OCAN content to support individual client recovery and improve service quality. Hear what other organizations are doing and strategies, challenges and lessons learned. Originally live-streamed on February 8,...Read More...

The Housing First approach starts with providing homes to chronically unhoused people, but it doesn’t stop there — and that’s what makes it so effective. In this podcast by the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, Dr. Tim Aubry shares findings from a major Housing First study and the keys to a successful program. About Dr. Tim Aubry Dr. Tim Aubry is a Full Professor in the School of Psychology and Senior Researcher at the Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services at...Read More...

Housing First is a housing intervention for people with serious mental illness who have experienced long-term homelessness. This approach is backed by decades worth research in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It has been identified as a preferred housing intervention in national, state, or provincial housing policy in the United States and Canada, and increasingly across Europe as well. This paper examines factors affecting the evolution and growth of Housing First from the...Read More...

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The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health just launched first-of-their-kind national clinical guidelines on social isolation and loneliness in older adults . In Canada, older adults are facing growing rates of social isolation and loneliness. Almost 25% of people 65 years and older reported they would like to have participated in more social activities in the past year, 19% felt a lack of companionship, while 30% were considered at risk of social isolation (Angus Reid, 2019; National...Read More...

The Canadian Coalition on Seniors' Mental Health recently released first-of-their-kind national clinical guidelines on anxiety in older adults . Anxiety disorders represent the most common mental health problem across the lifespan, including in late life. Every year, 18% of older Canadians experience symptoms of anxiety or depression that they find difficult to cope with, and 6% of older Canadians have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and phobias being...Read More...

Learn how to use our Cannabis and Mental Health resources with your community, including an online course created by Youth for Youth and the accompanying mentor guide with activities for educators, peer support, youth workers, parents, and youth allies. Details: Monday, March 4, 2024 - 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM EST | Virtual Friday, March 15, 2024 - 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM EST | Virtual Tuesday, March 19, 2024 - 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM EST | Virtual Thursday, March 28, 2024 - 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM EST | Virtual...Read More...

Nearly 1 in 2 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience a mental health issue in their life. Often family physicians or primary care providers are the entry points to accessing specialized care and support. However, most family physicians or clinicians are not specifically trained to serve individuals with IDD. A new online mental health toolkit, developed by the Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Program at Surrey Place, complements the Canadian guidelines on...Read More...

The Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines for Psychosis (LRCUG-PSYCH) are evidence-based recommendations for reducing psychosis-related risks when using cannabis. The guidelines aim to empower individuals to understand the potential risks related to their cannabis use and to make choices about their consumption to help reduce their individual risk of psychotic outcomes. The LRCUG-PSYCH were developed by a team of international health and addiction experts and are based on a comprehensive review...Read More...

The Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines for Psychosis (LRCUG-PSYCH) are evidence-based recommendations for reducing psychosis-related risks when using cannabis. The guidelines aim to empower individuals to understand the potential risks related to their cannabis use and to make choices about their consumption to help reduce their individual risk of psychotic outcomes. The LRCUG-PSYCH were developed by a team of international health and addiction experts and are based on a comprehensive review...Read More...

Advocacy updates from the Ontario Psychiatric Association 1. The OPA submitted a Brief to the AMAD/Federal Special Joint Committee on MAID last week, just after AMAD released its report concluding that Canada is not ready for MAID expansion. The OPA Brief includes an overview of preliminary results for the recent MAID study, led by OPA Councillor Dr Sephora Tang (Ottawa). A key finding was that the majority (80%) of respondents disagreed that the Canadian medical system is prepared to safely...Read More...

The Mental Illness Caregivers Association https://www.micaontario.com/ planning discussion document is aimed to develop more effective approaches that both strengthen and maintain continuity of care and address future needs. It is drawn from the perspective of family caregivers. It resonates and benchmarks with ---the key components of the Recovery Model and the current Ministry of Health standards of community care provided by: Intensive Case Management and Assertive Community Treatment.Read More...

E-QIP’s Foundations to QI (IDEAS) e-learning course is a FREE comprehensive quality improvement (QI) course designed for the community mental health and addiction sector based on the Model for Improvement (MFI). Participants who complete this course will have the necessary skills to confidently use QI tools and methods and participate in QI projects and initiatives at their home organization or workplace. This course is completely asynchronous (self-guided) and uses a variety of learning...Read More...

The Centre for Innovation and Research in Aging (CIRA) is looking for research participants for their most recent research project, titled: Passive Aware for At-Home Informal Dementia Care. This project is funded by the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation. The goal of this project is to reduce feelings of stress and burden for caregivers and to enable individuals experiencing memory loss or dementia to more safely and comfortably live in their home and community. We are seeking...Read More...

PEACE Psychotherapy is an association of independent private practice psychotherapists committed to teaching life changing DBT skills to some of the most challenging clients. We offer Individual , Family and Group Therapy to help clients struggling with overwhelming negative emotions and impulses, and habitual problem behaviours. We understand that effectively breaking these maladaptive habits and replacing them with DBT skills can require lengthy and often challenging work. We are dedicated...Read More...

Missed the New Year sale? We extended the 20% discount for select programs! View the eligible programs below and use discount code NEWYEAR2024 during the registration. Don’t miss out on this last offer and register by January 31, 2024 ! * Applicable to new registrations only. Offer valid from January 25-31, 2024 . Cannot be combined with other active discount codes or promotions. Qualifying programs include: Supporting neurodivergent children and youth: Improving access and treatment...Read More...

The Mental Health Commission of Canada, in collaboration with Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, is pleased to announce the four sites that have joined a national demonstration project dedicated to improving care and treatment for schizophrenia. Over 18 months, the following participating sites will receive tools, education, and training to implement Ontario Health’s Schizophrenia Quality Standards: • Adult Forensic Mental Health Services - Manitoba • Hôtel-Dieu Grace...Read More...

In 2021, the Canadian Public Health Association developed a national, bilingual online substance use resource centre - the Canadian Substance Use Resource and Knowledge Exchange Centre (SURE) ! Visit substanceuse.ca to explore the hub. SURE provides a curated series of tools and resources to support you in implementing a public health approach to substance use in your community. Visit substanceuse.ca to discover the breath of resources and tools on a variety of topics, including harm...Read More...

Join this co-design workshop on "Aging in Place" as part of the Design for Health Master’s program at OCAD University. Under Dr. Michelle Wyndham-West's supervision, explore architectural, interior, and technological interventions to foster Aging in place. Your 3 to 3.5 hours will contribute to user-centered residence designs addressing mobility, visual, hearing, and cognitive challenges at home while carrying out daily activities. Participants (occupational therapists, caregivers, and...Read More...

Announcing a Virtual Support Group for Anxiety Are you experiencing day-to-day anxiety or stress which is causing discomfort and disturbance? If yes, please avail this opportunity to learn how to get a grip over your discomfort, and feel supported by the professionals, and others experiencing similar struggles. A team of Registered Psychotherapists at TherapySupports created this group to provide a closed, confidential, and safe space for those dealing with day-to-day anxiety, and provide...Read More...

Submissions for abstracts are welcome (deadline: February 2, 2024) for the QI Innovations: Building a Culture of Quality virtual conference, hosted by the Excellence through Quality Improvement Project (E-QIP), Ontario Health, and the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions. The QI Innovations conference is taking place on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 and admission is free. If you're interested, please submit your abstract to: English:...Read More...

Ready to start the new year strong by developing your professional skills in mental health services? SickKids CCMH Learning Institute is pleased to offer 20% off select programs. Check out the qualifying list of programs below. Use discount code NEWYEAR2024 during the registration. We look forward to supporting you on your journey of lifelong learning and fostering excellence in mental health care together. * Applicable to new registrations only. Offer valid from January 10-24, 2024 . Cannot...Read More...

The Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa , https://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/ hosted by CBC's Catherine Cullen gather's leaders and decision makers in conversation to explore how... "Ending Homelessness is Possible" Event details: Tuesday January 16th at 8 pm at Dominion Chalmers Event Space in Ottawa . RSVP here to attend in person (space is limited). RSVP here to attend online.Read More...

We’re making a few updates to EENet Connect and we want to tell you about it! Based on feedback received over the past few years, we are now updating the look and feel of EENet Connect. So what does this mean? You will notice minor updates to the platform over the next few weeks. These will help members navigate and use the platform more smoothly. If you have questions about how this change could impact you, or any particular groups or communities of practice you belong to, please reach out...Read More...

Hi all, We are in need of a moderator for our Friday evening OCD group. One or two Fridays a month- 7 ET/4 PT https://www.paywhatyoucanpeersupport.com/ocd-intrusive-and-obsessive-thoughts. Please reach out if interested here or email me at info@paywhatyoucanpeersupport.comRead More...

A naturally occurring retirement community (NORC) is a regular residential building that has naturally become home to a high density of older adults. Could NORCs help older adults age in place? And, if so, how? In this webinar, you will learn about: NORCs and NORC support programs how NORC programs impact aging in place the University Health Network’s NORC Innovation Centre and NORC Program. Originally live streamed: November 28, 2023 Download the webinar slides and watch the recording . Who...Read More...