Brant Mental Health Solutions
139 Grand River Street N, Unit 201 N3L 2M4 Paris, ON, Canada

We are excited to welcome Registered Social Worker, Lynne to the team at Brant Mental Health Solutions! Lynne will be offering Equine Assisted Therapy and Equine Assisted Learning for us, offsite at a farm in Brantford. Lynne will begin working with us on Wednesday April 14th. For more information or to book, call us at 519.302.2300 or email [email protected].... We are so happy to be able to offer this service!. We are hoping to run groups and programs for children and adults through the summer as well, depending on public health guidelines at that time.

Beginning in April, we are excited to be able to offer Equine Assisted Therapy with Registered Social Worker, Lynne. Lynne is really looking forward to offering this service for Brant Mental Health Solutions and we can't wait for you to see the beautiful farm we get to work with for this type of therapy. For more information, or to be put on the wait list, call us at 519.302.2300 or email [email protected]

Visited the amazing farm in Brantford that we will be running Equine Therapy from! What a beautiful space to heal and connect with nature and the animals. Can’t wait to tell you more about the therapist who will be facilitating this and when we will begin!

This is our newest blog on supporting children and their gender identity. Registered Social Worker, Brianna Kerr, wrote this blog to give parents/caregivers 3 tips on how to best support their child. We hope it is helpful. https://brantmentalhealth.com/supporting-your-child-and-th/

Update regarding COVID lockdown and mental health services.

The countdown to Christmas is on! This week our hours are as follows: Monday 21st: 10am - 2pm (Online and telephone appointments only) Tuesday 22nd: 10am - 8pm... Wednesday 23rd: 12pm - 8pm Thursday 24th: CLOSED Friday 25th: CLOSED The following week we will have these hours: Monday 28th: 10am - 2pm (Online and telephone appointments only) Tuesday 29th: Online appointments only Wednesday 30th: 12pm - 8pm Thursday 31st: CLOSED Friday 1st: CLOSED **Please note we will be checking emails and voicemails throughout the Christmas break, and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. If you are in crisis over this time, please call St. Leonard's at 519.759.7188.

Counsellor and coach, Jordon Iorio, has put together a helpful article for students who are studying online during COVID. We hope it is helpful to students and their families as they navigate remote learning. https://brantmentalhealth.com/surviving-online-education-d/

Helpful tips from Registered Social Worker Brianna Kerr. With the holiday's coming up, it might be a good time to work on this with your children while they are off school! https://brantmentalhealth.com/calm-down-kits-for-kids/

Some helpful do's and don'ts when it comes to coping with intrusive thoughts. https://iam1in4.com/2017/05/coping-with-intrusive-thoughts/

A great article about grief from our Grief Recovery Method Specialist, Tammy. "Grieving is not a one size fits all experience. No one else can possibly know what we feel or how we think about the loss we have experienced. When we compare our losses and our reactions to other losses, we rob ourselves, and others, of the intimacy of their unique relationships." https://intuitiveunderstanding.com//grieving-must-be-witn/

These are 7 great questions to help get that conversation started. Please reach out to friends, family, neighbours and check in - so many people are struggling right now. https://www.psychologytoday.com//7-questions-help-people-t

**Trigger warning** This video talks about a suicide attempt. The video from a survivor gives us a very real perspective on those with suicidal thoughts and those who attempt to, or take their own life.... https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=1921713994511568

A helpful and short article on someone's journey with Borderline Personality Disorder. This is also helpful to those who have a friend or family member with BPD. https://iam1in4.com//borderline-personality-disorder-what/

This is a very real problem within our school system. Our counsellor and coach, Jordon, works with a lot of young adults who have left high school and are struggling to figure out their next steps. If they are needing career guidance, support, or just someone to listen, he is there to help! For more information call our office at 519.302.2300 or email [email protected]

If you are feeling stressed and anxious, progressive muscle relaxation can be a really effective tool to use to help you relax. Our counsellor and coach, Jordon, has provided a PMR script on our website for you to practice this technique. Let us know if you have any questions about PMR or other techniques you can use for stress and anxiety. https://brantmentalhealth.com/progressive-muscle-relaxatio/

"I would recommend you do not minimize others' psychological trauma; be curious, supportive, validating, and compassionate when someone risks telling you about a painful past event." A great article from Psychology Today about trauma. https://www.psychologytoday.com//what-most-people-dont-kno

Good luck to the kids who are going back to school today (and over the next couple of weeks.) We are thinking of you all as you prepare for this new school year and we hope your families are adapting well to the changes and challenges of this year. For those who are home schooling/online schooling, we wish you all the best too!

We are closed today, Monday September 7th, for the long weekend. We will reopen tomorrow at 10 a.m. If you are in crisis, please call the St. Leonard's crisis line at 519.759.7188.... Stay safe and healthy, The Team at Brant Mental Health Solutions

Enjoy the last long weekend of the summer, we hope it's a good one! Be safe and stay healthy!

From our counsellor and coach Jordon M. Iorio. Please reach out for help

"Overall, 27.8% of participants met that criteria during the pandemic period in March and April, compared to 8.7% who reported the same in the earlier survey. Across every age and demographic group, these levels increased, though the same trends held up before and during the pandemic." https://gizmodo.com/the-pandemic-is-taking-a-heavy-toll-on-

Some amazing resources for families and caregivers of young children! https://developingchild.harvard.edu//a-guide-to-covid-19-/

If your family has decided to keep your kids home this school year, feel free to join this group for families. Our clinic will be providing some resources though this group for families during this time, it will also be an opportunity to receive support from one another and ask questions as we navigate this big change! https://www.facebook.com/groups/825205078220100/

"Tensions are higher than ever as stressed couples are forced to spend more time than ever together and silently stew, in this current pandemic." If you are needing relationship support from a trained mental health professional, call us at 519.302.2300. https://www.psychologytoday.com//the-silent-killer-loving-

We have been busy creating free, downloadable reports for you! This one, created by counsellor and coach, Jordon Iorio, talks you through anxiety and when anxiety stops being "healthy". Head to our website to take advantage of other free reports, just like this one!... https://brantmentalhealth.com/repo/is-anxiety-a-good-thing/

Today is overdose awareness day #supportnotstigmaToday is overdose awareness day #supportnotstigma

Our family and couples therapist, Sharon, has written a helpful blog for those considering online therapy. https://brantmentalhealth.com/all-about-online-family-ther/

Our new free downloadable reports are here!! This one is 5 minute stress test to help assess your level of stress and what impact that might be having on your health. As always, this is a guide, and is not designed to replace seeking the help of a trained mental health professional.... https://brantmentalhealth.com/reports/take-our-stress-test/

Psychoeducational Assessments and your Child: Brant Mental Health Solutions is excited to be a part of this virtual education session, hosted by Parents Walking The Special Education Pathway. If you are raising a child or children with Special Educational Needs, you are not going to want to miss this FREE event. Virtual In-service Date:... - Saturday, September 12, 2020 - 2pm and 6pm Guest Speaker - Daniela R. Switzer, M.A., C.Psych. Register by email - [email protected] See more

Here is our newest team member, Brianna! We are excited to welcome her to the team! Brianna will be joining us to help young children who are experiencing mental health concerns. Brianna strongly believes that positive and caring adults can make a big difference in a childs life. This belief is at the core of the work she does to help children/youth (and all individuals) feel safe, supported, heard, and understood.... Brianna is a registered social worker with over ten years of experience working with children and youth in a variety of settings. Her areas of practice have included domestic violence, trauma, and anxiety. Brianna currently holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Social Development Studies with a minor in Marriage, Family and Sexuality Studies from the University of Waterloo. She recently completed the requirements for a Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, to be conferred in October 2020.

We have been getting a lot of questions about who would benefit from having a Psychological Assessment with our school/educational Psychologist. The purpose of a PsychEd Assessment is to identify and/or diagnose several psychological issues which include learning disabilities, ADHD, developmental/intellectual disabilities, giftedness, and behaviour problems. It is important to understand these issues, especially if these problems are getting in the way of an individuals ab...ility to be successful in school, at work, or in their social interactions. The results of an assessment provides the jumping off point in offering realistic recommendations for the child, parents, school, teachers, doctors, or other caregivers in order to support the individuals growth. If you want more information, call our office at 519.302.2300 and book a free 15 minute phone consultation with our Psychologist.

A helpful video from counsellor and coach, Jordon, about a technique called Progressive Muscle Relaxation. We wanted to re-post this helpful resource for those of you who may be experiencing stress and anxiety right now. For more information about Jordon and his services, call 519.302.2300.... https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=962039157580251 See more

We wanted to give you a quick update as to what we are currently offering: 1. In person counselling sessions for children, teens, adults. 2. In person Psychological Services for children. 3. Online and telephone counselling for children, teens, adults, couples and families. 4. Free downloadable resources on our website ... https://brantmentalhealth.com//suffering-from-postpartum-/ https://brantmentalhealth.com//does-your-child-need-to-se/ https://brantmentalhealth.com//which-mental-health-profes/ Stay tuned for more resources, as we are always working on something! For more information, call 519.302.2300.

We are happy to announce that we are adding an additional therapist to our team to help children and young adults! We know so many of you are wanting in person sessions and we want to accommodate that (without long wait times). We want to be there to support you all as we face the challenges of life and this year in particular.... Registered Social Worker, Brianna, comes to us with years of experience working with children and trauma. We will post her bio soon, so stay tuned! Her first day is Tuesday August 25th, call 519.302.2300 to book!

Our website has a lot of free, downloadable resources for anyone to access. One of our most popular is this report on understanding the different types of mental health providers. https://brantmentalhealth.com//which-mental-health-profes/

#empathy #compassion #ymhc

Our child, family and couples therapist, Sharon, has written this short blog to help people understand how online therapy can work during this time. Sharon also has compiled a list of pros and cons to consider when deciding if online therapy can work for you. *All of our therapists are offering online counselling and most of them are offering in person appointments too. We are working hard to provide both options during this time. https://brantmentalhealth.com/all-about-online-family-ther/

**NOW OFFERING** Our school/educational Psychologist is now offering IEP reviews to families of children with existing Individualized Education Programs. If your child has been given an IEP and you are wanting to know: 1. How best to support your child,... 2. How they learn best, 3. What school support is needed Give our office a call at 519.302.2300 to find out more about the review process.

Many families are making tough decisions about whether their children will return to school this Fall, or whether they will choose online/homeschooling for their family. This is not an easy decision! We will be rolling out some great supports for families as they navigate this challenging time in their children's education. Our Family Therapist, Sharon, is available to help, as is our school/educational Psychologist, Daniela. ... Stay tuned for some helpful tools/education as we strive to help our community.

We hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend! We are closed today and will reopen tomorrow at 10 a.m. Stay safe and healthy!