We are a non-profit family peer support organization for parents whose children to age 25 are facing mental health challenges. We are parents who have supported our own children with these challenges – we’ve been there, we get it, and we can help.

We provide Family Peer Support for parents through our:

Parents’ Helpline for support and guidance navigating the mental health system, finding resources in your community, and for when you just need someone to talk to.

Parent Support Groups for parents to share information and learn from one another, and come together as a community.

Mobile One-on-One Support for more intensive support and guidance through particularly challenging times, in-person and in your community.

How we can help

  • Understanding your child’s concerning symptoms or diagnosis
  • Finding resources and support for your child and family
  • Navigating services for your child at home, in the community, and at school
  • Providing support and strategies for coping with life’s stressors
  • Sharing skills to effectively advocate for your child and family’s needs
  • Providing non-judgemental, understanding support for you as a parent

Call now to speak with a Family Peer Supporter

613.321.3211
855.775.7005

Parents who have used our services report being better able to access the services they need, better able to support their child, and better able to cope with the challenges they face. They also report feeling less anxious, stressed, and isolated.

As a mental health professional working with children, youth and families, I am grateful for Pleo and the support it provides children/youth and their families. As a parent-led organization, it fills the gap that professional mental health services do not provide. If Pleo did not exist I simply don’t know what I would recommend in its place.

Dr. Michael Cheng

Co-Founder, eMentalHealth.ca ; Psychiatrist at CHEO; Associate Professor at uOttawa

All of Pleo’s services are free to join and funded by our funders, donors and sponsors

To see this month’s calendar of events, please click View Calendar

Pleo Events

If you would like to join and/or participate in any of our free events listed below, please follow the links. To view all Pleo events, click here.

Parent Support Group for parents and caregivers of children (ages 13-25) facing mental health or addiction challenges. Every Wednesday, 6:30-8pm, Virtual (Zoom)

This free weekly peer-facilitated drop-in virtual parent support group, Drop-In Virtual Parent Support Group 13-25, is for parents and caregivers of youths, teens, and young adults ages 13-25 facing mental health or addiction challenges, to find support and connection with others who understand, in a supportive, non-judgmental space. It’s held every Wednesday from 6:30pm to 8pm on Zoom and facilitated by two Pleo Family Peer Supporters, parents who each bring their own lived experience supporting a child with mental health and/or addiction challenges to the group, providing understanding and compassionate support. On the fourth Wednesday of the month, this support group is bilingual. Find support, learn from other parents’ experiences, share information and resources, and build your sense of community in a safe, confidential space. This support group helps support the parent or caregiver, helping build the parent or caregiver’s capacity to support their child facing mental health and/or addiction challenges.

Parent Support Group for parents and caregivers of children (ages 0-12) facing mental health or addiction challenges. Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, 6:30-8pm, Virtual (Zoom)

Drop-In Virtual Parent Support Group 0-12, is a free peer-facilitated drop-in virtual parent support group for parents and caregivers of children ages 0-12 facing mental health or addiction challenges, to find support and connection with others who understand, in a supportive, non-judgmental space. It’s held every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month from 6:30pm to 8pm on Zoom and facilitated by two Pleo Family Peer Supporters, parents who each bring their own lived experience supporting a child with mental health and/or addiction challenges to the group, providing understanding and compassionate support. On the 2nd Tuesday of the month, this group is bilingual. On the 4th Tuesday of the month, this group is topic-based (click here for this month’s topic) and co-facilitated by two Pleo Family Peer Supporters, in partnership with mental health clinicians from Open Doors for Lanark Children and Youth. Learn new tools and knowledge and develop skills to help you best support your child facing mental health and/or addiction challenges, while building your own resiliency as a parent or caregiver, in a safe and confidential space. 

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The next session of this free support group, starts in just 9 days. Spots are still open to register!📝

Find support with other parents of suicidal youth, in this free and confidential 8 week online peer-led support group, hosted by Pleo in partnership with Robbie Dean Counselling Centre. This virtual support group is for any parent or caregiver of a suicidal youth up to age 25, who is in need of support with a community of peers, who understand. Pleo, in collaboration with The Robbie Dean Counselling Centre, are hosting 3 sessions of this free support group. Each session runs for 8 weeks every Thursday from 6:30pm-8pm, and is held on Zoom. 🟢Session 4 starts Thursday, October 24, 6:30-8pm. This group is free to attend and registration is required. We ask all parents to attend all dates in a session and to please only register for one session, as spaces are limited. We remind parents to register early, as registration is required.

Register here 👇🏽
pleo.on.ca/psy-support-group/
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La prochaine session de ce groupe de soutien gratuit commence dans seulement 9 jours. Des places sont encore ouvertes pour s'inscrire !📝

Trouvez du soutien auprès d'autres parents de jeunes suicidaires, dans ce groupe de soutien en ligne gratuit et confidentiel de 8 semaines dirigé par des pairs, animé par Pleo en partenariat avec Le Robbie Dean Counselling Centre. Ce groupe de soutien virtuel s'adresse à tout parents ou aidant(e)s d'un jeune suicidaire de moins de 25 ans, qui a besoin de soutien auprès d'une communauté de pairs qui comprend. Pleo, en collaboration avec Le Robbie Dean Counselling Centre, organise 3 sessions de ce groupe de soutien gratuit. Chaque session dure 8 semaines tous les jeudis de 18h30 à 20h et se déroule sur Zoom. 🟢La session 4 commence le jeudi 24 octobre, de 18h30 à 20h. La participation à ce groupe est gratuite et l’inscription est requise. Nous demandons à tous les parents d'assister à toutes les dates d'une session et de ne s'inscrire qu'à une seule session, car les places sont limitées. Nous rappelons aux parents de s'inscrire tôt, car l'inscription est obligatoire.

Inscrivez-vous ici 👇🏽
pleo.on.ca/psy-support-group/
... See MoreSee Less

The next session of this free support group, starts in just 9 days. Spots are still open to register!📝

Find support with other parents of suicidal youth, in this free and confidential 8 week online peer-led support group, hosted by Pleo in partnership with Robbie Dean Counselling Centre. This virtual support group is for any parent or caregiver of a suicidal youth up to age 25, who is in need of support with a community of peers, who understand. Pleo, in collaboration with The Robbie Dean Counselling Centre, are hosting 3 sessions of this free support group. Each session runs for 8 weeks every Thursday from 6:30pm-8pm, and is held on Zoom. 🟢Session 4 starts Thursday, October 24, 6:30-8pm. This group is free to attend and registration is required. We ask all parents to attend all dates in a session and to please only register for one session, as spaces are limited. We remind parents to register early, as registration is required.

Register here 👇🏽
https://pleo.on.ca/psy-support-group/
--------------
La prochaine session de ce groupe de soutien gratuit commence dans seulement 9 jours. Des places sont encore ouvertes pour sinscrire !📝

Trouvez du soutien auprès dautres parents de jeunes suicidaires, dans ce groupe de soutien en ligne gratuit et confidentiel de 8 semaines dirigé par des pairs, animé par Pleo en partenariat avec Le Robbie Dean Counselling Centre. Ce groupe de soutien virtuel sadresse à tout parents ou aidant(e)s dun jeune suicidaire de moins de 25 ans, qui a besoin de soutien auprès dune communauté de pairs qui comprend. Pleo, en collaboration avec Le Robbie Dean Counselling Centre, organise 3 sessions de ce groupe de soutien gratuit. Chaque session dure 8 semaines tous les jeudis de 18h30 à 20h et se déroule sur Zoom. 🟢La session 4 commence le jeudi 24 octobre, de 18h30 à 20h. La participation à ce groupe est gratuite et l’inscription est requise. Nous demandons à tous les parents dassister à toutes les dates dune session et de ne sinscrire quà une seule session, car les places sont limitées. Nous rappelons aux parents de sinscrire tôt, car linscription est obligatoire.

Inscrivez-vous ici 👇🏽
https://pleo.on.ca/psy-support-group/Image attachment

... See MoreSee Less

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Please note: this inbox is not monitored 24/7. If you are in distress or crisis, please call: Youth and Family Crisis Line under 16 yrs (Ottawa area: 613 260 2360, Outside Ottawa: 1 877 377 7775). If you are over 16 yrs (Ottawa: 613 722 6914, Outside Ottawa: 1 866 996 0991). If you are in need of support, or just someone to talk to, call our free Parents’ Helpline open Mon-Fri 9 am-7pm EST to talk with a Family Peer Supporter, by calling us toll free at 1.855.755.7005 or local at 613.321.3211. Questions submitted by parents may be used in our Dear Pleo newsletter and all submissions are confidential and anonymous.

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Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from Pleo, free upcoming events, parent resources and Pleo fundraising initiatives. Occasionally, we will send appeals for donations, testimonials and surveys, to help us serve you better. We are committed to protecting your personal information and privacy, and we will not use, share, or disclose your email for any other purposes. By clicking “Subscribe,” I am giving permission for Pleo to contact me by email. I understand that I can unsubscribe at any time.

Where to find Pleo in your community

We are here to help, in communities across Eastern Ontario. Click the link below to find your local Pleo Parent Support Group, or to find a Pleo Family Peer Supporter available at your community mental health agency.