Programs & Projects |
Chapter Programs & Services
Chapter Projects
Organizations We Support____________________________________________________Chapter Programs and ServicesSchizophrenia Support CentreThe Support Centre is open from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday to Friday, and is located at #201, 10621 100 Ave in Edmonton. Join us for a cup of coffee or tea and discuss your questions and concerns about mental illness, or call Cathy during office hours at (780) 452-4661. Kits and booklets can be sent to people living in rural Alberta.
Books and Video LibraryAn excellent and extensive collection of books, articles, educational materials and videos are available to members and local groups at the Edmonton Support Centre. Anyone is welcome to browse our library, but only members can take materials home with them. For information on membership click here. Family Support GroupOur family support group meets the first and third Thursday of the month from Unsung HeroesThis group was formed for the support, education and encouragement of individuals with schizophrenia or other related illnesses. Unsung Heroes meets Wednesday nights from 7-9 PM at the Schizophrenia Support Centre, #201, 10621 100 Ave. Unsung Heroes membership is free. The only requirement for joining the group is that you have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Friends and family are always welcome. At the meetings, members share experiences. Our aim is to recognize our complex, mixed feelings of anger, fear, sadness and helplessness and work on strategies for handling them. Through self-education and support, members are able to put their illness in proper perspective, in a way that is separate from the "real you." Unsung Heroes organizes coffee nights on the first Wednesday of each month, movie nights each Friday, as well as periodic pizza parties, barbecues, and other fun events. See the Unsung Heroes Schedule on our events and notices page for details.
This new SSA Edmonton & Area Chapter program promotes active living and reduces social isolation by providing Emotional Support, Companionship, Acceptance, Pleasure and Entertainment for persons with mental illness. The ESCAPE team will provide social support, home visits, recreational activities, hospital visits, and program referrals for persons with mental illness. Participants are given up to $100/month in funding for social outings. To participate or to volunteer, call us at (780) 452-4661. Strengthening Families TogetherStrengthening Families Together is a ten week family education program designed to provide families, friends, and other caring people with the information they need to cope with a loved one's mental illness. The program is facilitated by a caregiver of a person with schizophrenia to provide an understanding, compassionate environment for learning. Start dates vary. For more information and start dates, contact Cathy by email or call (780) 452-4661. Speaking of Schizophrenia PresentationsAlso known as the "Partnership Program," this service is designed to educate, dispel myths and promote acceptance and understanding about schizophrenia. Two volunteers--one who has schizophrenia, one who is a a family member of someone with schizophrenia--share their experiences of the illness by talking to groups about how they cope. Presentations include clinical information and the scientific background of the disease as well as personal stories. By presenting people who are managing their illness and are doing well, we challenge the stereotype of the ‘psychopathic homicidal schizophrenic' and give hope that people can have schizophrenia and also be valued citizens. We send speakers to junior and senior high schools, universities, colleges, public meetings, staff in services, community agencies, service providers, health care providers, religious groups, rural groups, police, bus drivers, and any other interested group. Contact Cathy at (780) 452-4661 or speakers@ssa-edmonton.com for bookings or more information. SOS PlayersThe SOS Players perform educational and entertaining plays about schizophrenia to schools and community groups. Plays are presented by people living with schizophrenia who want to dispel the myths and misconceptions that persist about their illness. The Players now have their own website! Check out www.sosplayers.ca For more information about the players or to book a show, contact Sam Varteniuk, SOS Players Director, at (780) 452-4661 or players@ssa-edmonton.com or visit the website above. Monthly Family MeetingsEveryone is welcome to attend our family meetings, which take place on the fourth Tuesday of every month (excepting July, August and December) from 7PM-9PM. Meetings feature a variety of guest speakers on matters related to mental health, and light refreshments are provided. Please check our Events & Notices page for meeting locations and speakers. NewsletterMembers receive Grey Matters, our monthly newsletter, which contains information about activities locally and around the world, as well as views from local and other groups involved with mental illness. Information about research and medications is added as available. If you would like to make a submission to the newsletter, please contact the editor at tara@ssa-edmonton.com. Open Minds Walk & RunThe Open Minds Walk & Run is the SSAEA's major annual fundraiser, which takes place in early September. For more information, see our Open Minds Walk & Run page. Chapter ProjectsPeers Supporting Housing Pilot (PSHP) ProjectThe Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, Edmonton & Area Chapter (SSAEA) is proud to announce that the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund (EHTF) has approved our proposal to develop and deliver a pilot project aimed at helping persons living with severe mental illness maintain their independent housing situations. The Peers Supporting Housing Project (PSHP) will be funded by the EHTF using the provincial government’s Support Services Innovative Pilot Project funding pool. A truly innovative approach to helping mental health clients maintain their housing The Peers Supporting Housing Pilot (PSHP) project will increase the capacity of service providers to support housing and prevent homelessness using innovative methods: a literature search reveals that there are no organizations that use the peer support model exclusively for supporting housing. The SSAEA is intent on pioneering this approach in the Edmonton area with the expectation that it can be applied to other groups (in addition to mental health clients) as well. People living successfully with mental illness can support the professional care team The project, expected to begin in January 2008, will serve fifty clients over a year and a half (two intakes of 25 clients each) using ten Housing Support Workers (working in pairs), two Coordinators, and one Occupational Therapist. The project staff will support clients by providing support, skills training, and advocacy in the following areas: (1) Housing and Landlord-Tenancy Issues, (2) Basic Skills for Independent Living, (3) Financial Literacy, and (4) Linkage to Other Community Services. The hope is that after participating in the project, clients will be better prepared to maintain their independent living situations and avoid eviction or other housing-related crises. Learning what people need to know about living successfully with a mental illness The SSAEA will work closely with the Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC), the Edmonton Financial Literacy Society (EFLS), Capital Health, and other community partners to deliver a pilot project that would provide community connections, landlord-tenant advocacy, and learning of basic skills for independent living (BaSIL) to help individuals with mental illness maintain their current independent housing situations. These services will be provided by pairs of people with mental illness who have been able to achieve an exemplary level of sustainability in the community and are capable of mentoring and advocating for their peers. Their own experiential knowledge – as well as relevant training, ongoing support and coordination, and supervision by an Occupational Therapist – will be used to assist persons with mental illness in sustaining their housing through eviction risk mitigation, connection to available programs and services, and development of BaSIL and financial literacy over the nine-month course of their participation (six months of home visits followed by three months of weekly telephone contact) For more information, or to refer clients to the project, please contact Peter or Shawna by calling (780) 428-3215 or emailing shawna@ssa-edmonton.com or psangra@hotmail.com. Please download the Info Sheet and Referral Form here. If you are a family member or a person living with a mental illness, these should be provided to your psychiatrist or Capital Health therapist so s/he can refer you (or your loved one) to the project.
Housing for the mentally illA shortage of affordable housing is one of the most serious problems facing those with severe mental illness. The SSAEA is currently investigating its options for tackling this problem in the Edmonton Area. Click here to see our report on housing for the mentally ill in Edmonton. Doctor Education and Referral ProjectSchizophrenia will affect 1 in 100 people and usually strikes in adolescence or early adulthood. Catching the warning signs and starting treatment as soon as possible go a long way towards improving outcomes for these young people. Since someone experiencing first-episode psychosis is likely to seek help first with her or his family doctor or visit the emergency room, primary care physicians need to be well-informed about the signs of psychosis. That's why the SSAEA is spearheading the Doctor Education and Referral Project: we aim to better educate primary care physicians about the signs of psychosis. Media WatchDamaging myths about schizophrenia are too often perpetuated by news sources. We write letters to the media correcting errors and misperceptions about the illness, and encourage our members to do the same. Organizations We SupportProsper Place ClubhouseProsper Place Clubhouse and is independently governed by the Clubhouse Society of Edmonton & Area, and we have cheered it on since its opening in 1997! Modeled on the successful "Fountain House" developed in New York City in the late 1940s, Prosper Place offers a safe place where adults with mental illness participate in their own rehabilitation and function as independently as possible. Here, members can learn new skills or contribute their existing talents in a variety of areas such as the café, maintenance, clerical unit, or thrift shop, and they can also inquire about supported community (paid) employment opportunities. Social and recreational activities take place over the noon hour and in the evenings. Prosper Place is located on the 2nd Floor of 10584 - 107 Street (by the Grant MacEwan Community College City Centre Campus) in Edmonton. For more information, please call (780) 426-7861 or e-mail clubhouse@prosperplace.org. University of Alberta Bebensee Schizophrenia Research UnitWe are a proud supporter of the Bebensee Schizophrenia Research Unit (BSRU), formed in 2001 by the Department of Psychiatry in the University of Alberta, using a generous philanthropic gift of the Ian Douglas Bebensee Foundation. This unit is dedicated and directed to supporting research in the area of schizophrenia with particular emphasis on magnetic resonance spectroscopy, drug metabolism and drug interactions involving antipsychotic drugs, and studies on individuals at high risk for developing schizophrenia.
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