COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER |
OCTOBER 2020
 

Supporting our youth with back to school

Our community needs mental health support, now more than ever. This especially applies to our young people. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 70 per cent of mental health problems come to light during childhood or adolescence.

Pandemic or not, our youth need a caring adult in their lives to give them a sense of belonging, acceptance, empowerment and connection. All of these factors play a significant role in fostering mental health and emotional wellbeing.

At SOS, we are working closely with the school districts to ensure those who need support can access it. Our Child and Youth team has been hosting community presentations on topics including stress management, cyber bullying, self-harm, suicide, mindfulness and anxiety.

In addition, we are continually expanding our online resources to provide the community with information and tools to help support the mental health of everyone in your family.

If there are specific resources that you’re looking for and can’t find, please let us know.

Take care,

Jason King
Executive Director
 

Young people asking for help

In September, we saw a significant increase in calls from parents looking for support for their children and young adults.

In fact, the majority of counselling clients last month were between the ages of 5 and 20 years old. The next largest group was 20-30 year olds. This trend is concerning and shines a light on the importance of managing the mental health and wellness of our children from a very young age.

Learn more about our counselling programs.
 

The Seven Stages of Grief

The use of a grief and loss tool is a visual aid to help people identify and normalize the feelings they are experiencing during the grief and loss process.

No one person walks the same journey; the experience of grief and loss are individual and unique. The diagram represents the stages that people may go through; however, it is not a linear process and individuals can go back forth through the stages. There is no timeline on grieving and delayed grief and loss may occur for some people.

Finding ways to acknowledge, accept and cope with emotions and life transitions surrounding grief and loss are the building blocks to developing healthy and hopeful lives for those impacted by grief and loss.

Learn more about the Seven Stages of Grief in the resource section of our website.
 

The Mentoring Effect

Mentoring has a significant impact on improving mental health and wellness. On top of that, it has been known to assist in breaking the cycle of poverty, lower obesity and reduce bullying/cyberbullying.

A few fast facts about those who are mentored:

-17% are more likely to be employed
-80% pursue healthy lifestyles
-50% are more likely to volunteer
-98% believe they make good life choices
 

Introducing Paula

Paula Caines has joined SOS as a Mental Health Counsellor. Paula has been practicing in Fort McMurray for more than 20 years and has a passion for the therapeutic process. She supports clients on their life journey in dealing with mental health struggles, life transitions, family issues and more.

To learn more about Paula and the rest of the SOS team, visit our website.
 

On the blog

September 2020

Fall 2020: Programs and Services at SOS

While the pandemic has impacted our daily lives, one thing hasn’t changed. Some Other Solutions remains a primary resource for mental health and wellness in our community. Most of our programming has continued all summer and into fall, offered through virtual means.

 Read More 
 

Support SOS

We are here to work together as a community to empower and elevate individuals and families to deal with life’s challenges. Mental wellness affects each and every one of us. Your donation can directly impact the life of a neighbour, friend or loved one.