To help parents and guardians manage their child or teens’s mental health concerns, the links below provide information about a variety of health issues and where to get help.

Parent Support Call-In Service

Maryvale provides a brief phone service for parents/caregivers of youth ages 13-17. A Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) trained staff will provide parenting strategies with a focus on developing positive relationships and improving communication.

Available Tuesday – Thursday,  8 AM – 6 PM.  Call 519-419-1949.

School Mental Health Ontario Resources

School Mental Health Ontario works with Ontario school boards to support student mental health.

School Mental Health for Parents has a website full of resources, click here for the resources.

Check out their video messages to parents and caregivers.

How do you know if you should be concerned about your child/teen’s mental health and well-being? Please note this Tip sheet is not a replacement for a consultation with a regulated Mental Health Professional, but offers some guidance to parents/caregivers about how you might know when to access professional supports.

 


School Mental Health Ontario offers a series of 12 mental health activities designed for parents and families to try at home. They’re connected to six areas of social-emotional learning and are available as a PDF file or graphics. Click on the image below to access these simple and effective activities.

  


About 70% of mental health challenges have their onset in childhood or youth. That’s why early identification and intervention is so critical and can lead to improved achievement in school and better health outcomes in life.

Dr. Ian Manion, is a clinician Psychologist & Researcher with children, youth, and families for over 30 years.

Watch his video below titled "What's the difference between normal teenage behaviour and a mental health concern?"

Additional Resources

Anxiety
Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. Learning to cope with anxiety is an important part of good health. The following websites offer a more in-depth understanding of various types of anxiety and strategies for coping.

Anxiety Canada - https://www.anxietycanada.com/
Kids Mental Health - https://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca
Strong Minds Strong Kids - https://strongmindsstrongkids.org
Family Care Centre - https://www.family.cmho.org/about/


Grief
Supporting your child during and after traumatic events can be challenging. The following resources are designed to help parents support their children when someone in their life is dying or has died.

Kids Grief
Helping Young Children Coping With Traumatic Grief
After a Loss: Tips for Students
How to Support a Friend Who is Grieving


Self-Injury
Sometimes individuals try to cope with emotional pain by deliberately harming themselves. This can be very different from suicidal gestures. The following resources build a deeper understanding of self-injury.

Self Injury Guide for Parents & Caregivers - A guide to coping with urges 


Substance Use & Abuse
Adolescence is a typical time for experimenting with various substances. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health identifies alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco as the substances most commonly used by adolescents. The following materials offer parents and caregivers more information. 

Visit our Safe Schools webpage for resources that provide families and caregivers with information about the risks of substance use and dealing with a substance use problem.

Parents for Children's Mental Health (PCMH) is hosting information sessions for parents. If you're interested in attending, please see the flyer below.