Mental Health Matters: Family support group for people caring for those with mental health concerns
By Medicine Hat News on March 9, 2019.
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is excited to offer a great family support group in Medicine Hat. Caregivers Connections: Finding Balance is a drop-in support group for parents and others, who are caring for individuals with mental health concerns. Parents and caregivers often have struggles attending to individuals with mental health issues, which in turn cause them to struggle within themselves. Caring for an individual who is dealing with negative symptoms from a mental illness can be a tiring, thankless job, one where we often feel alone. Caregivers Connections is a different type of support group, as one facilitator is an individual with lived experience taking care of someone with a mental illness. The group creates an environment where people can openly discuss their concerns without fear of judgment or scrutiny. It is an opportunity to meet individuals who have experienced similar adverse situations; and to connect through sharing, learning and growing as people. Many community members accessing support and education about mental health indicate a need for greater support for themselves. There are supports available to someone living with a mental health concern but family members are often left in the dark perhaps feeling confused, frustrated, scared and even angry. This group has a process over context approach which means instead of providing specific information about mental health diagnosis, we provide encouragement and validation to each individual journey that members are currently experiencing as they take care of their loved one. Through the support of peers with lived experience, parents and caregivers will learn how to best take care of themselves, how to ask for help when necessary, the importance of boundaries, how to incorporate self-care into their lives and when to say no. In addition to these topics, other key areas of need as identified by the families and caregivers will also be covered. The members of the group will decide topics of concern and the staff will provide direction and resources when needed. Group discussions and activities are aimed to create tools that individuals can use in their daily life to have a more fulfilling life. Caregivers Connections runs every Monday evening from 6:30-8 p.m. The group will take place at the CMHA office, which is located at #204 1865 Dunmore Road S.E. Snacks and coffee will be provided by the CMHA staff and this group is open to all community members. It is a drop-in group with minimal sign-up and is cost-free. Justine Fiegler is the Youth Mental Health Worker with Canadian Mental Health Association. In addition to the youth program, Justine also serves as a Facilitator with Caregivers Connections. For any inquires please call 403-504-1811 ext. 115. 6-5
