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.
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.
Follow us @pleo4families
The Art of Support: Pleo’s Gala for Mental Health, on October 10, 2024. 📷✨
We are pleased to share photos with you from our inaugural gala fundraising event, The Art of Support: Pleo’s Gala for Mental Health, on World Mental Health Day (October 10th, 2024) at Ottawa Art Gallery. A very heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in this event, or contributed by buying tickets, donating, or sharing this fundraiser on social media. We thank you all for your support and for supporting Pleo and the parents and families we support!
A very big thank you to our event sponsors: TD, Ottawa Art Gallery, Emond Harnden and Tiffany Fisher Real Estate – Innovation Realty, for their support and generosity and for helping make this event possible. #ArtofSupport
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L'Art du Soutien : Gala pour la Santé Mentale de Pleo, le 10 octobre 2024. 📷✨
Nous sommes heureux de partager avec vous, des photos de notre premier gala de collecte de fonds, L'Art du Soutien : Gala pour la Santé Mentale de Pleo, à l'occasion de la Journée mondiale de la santé mentale (10 octobre 2024) à la Galerie d'art d'Ottawa. Un merci très sincère à tous ceux qui ont participé à cet événement ou contribué en achetant des billets, en faisant un don, ou en partageant cette collecte de fonds sur les réseaux sociaux. Nous vous remercions tous pour votre soutien, et pour votre soutien à Pleo et aux parents et familles que nous soutenons !
Un très grand merci à nos commanditaires de l'événement : TD, Galerie d'art d'Ottawa, Emond Harnden et Tiffany Fisher Real Estate – Innovation Realty, pour leur soutien et leur générosité, et pour avoir contribué à rendre cet événement possible. #L’ArtduSoutien
Please click the link below to see our programs and support groups for this week:
pleo.on.ca/where-to-find-us/#calendar
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Veuillez cliquer sur le lien ci-dessous pour voir nos programmes et groupes de soutien pour cette semaine :
pleo.on.ca/fr/ou-nous-trouver/#calendrier
Pleo In The Media:
Journalist Caroline Phillips from Ottawa Business Journal covered our inaugural The Art of Support: Pleo's Gala for Mental Health, on October 10th at Ottawa Art Gallery. Read her article, “Pleo’s new gala helps families facing mental health hardships”, published on October 15.
Read the article here: pleo.on.ca/pleo-in-the-media
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Pleo dans les médias :
La journaliste Caroline Phillips de Ottawa Business Journal, a couvert notre premier L'Art du Soutien : Gala pour la Santé Mentale de Pleo, le 10 octobre à la Galerie d'art d'Ottawa. Lisez son article, « Pleo’s new gala helps families facing mental health hardships », publié le 15 octobre.
Lisez l'article ici : pleo.on.ca/fr/pleo-dans-les-medias
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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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.