​Lutherwood and kidsLINK keep the Front Door open

Helping children, families with mental health issues access support

Waterloo, Ontario, May 3, 2012- Help is as close as the Front Door for children, youth and families facing mental health issues. For Waterloo Region residents, there’s a place they can turn to for the support and tools they need to live healthier, happier lives.

Front Door, a joint initiative of Lutherwood and kidsLINK, is the access point to services that provide a gateway to increased well-being and quality of life. The organizations are embracing Children’s Mental Health Week (CMHW), which runs May 6-12, as an additional opportunity to raise awareness about mental health issues, reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues and promote the fact that help is nearby. Whether a parent seeks a second opinion or a youth needs an unbiased ear, it’s important to take action, says Lesley Barraball, manager of Front Door. “Take that step and call us,” Barraball says. “With proper knowledge and preventive practices, there are many things people can do to support and maintain the mental wellness of themselves as adults and of their children.”

Lutherwood and kidsLINK are running a series of radio ads and a social media campaign during CMHW targeting Front Door to reach out to more children, youth and families. In addition to linking people with the services they need, the organizations are striving to raise the general public’s awareness about mental health issues to help foster a community of understanding. People who face mental health issues need others to understand them so they can receive the effective, compassionate support they require for increased wellness, Barraball notes. “Being understood by others goes a long way in helping those who are struggling to realize they are not alone, they are accepted and cared for and there is hope. All of these things contribute to one’s ability to find the strength and resilience to carry on, seek help and develop new ways of coping.”

About one in five children and youth -- or 500,000 Ontario youngsters -- has a mental health issue, according to Children's Mental Health Ontario.

Learn more about Front Door or for help, call Front Door at 519-749-2932.

Lutherwood is a not-for-profit organization that provides a wide range of children’s mental health, employment, housing and family counselling programs. Lutherwood annually serves more than 20,000 people in Waterloo Region and Wellington County.

kidsLINK provides a broad range of programs and services to help more than 10,000 children, youth and their families facing or at risk of social, emotional and mental health challenges each year. kidsLINK also provides consultation and training for over 2000 professionals who work with children and youth.
Consistent with its commitment to help children and youth achieve their potential, kidsLINK specializes in enabling wellness, building resilience and reducing the impact of emotional trauma.

Lutherwood is a not-for-profit organization that provides a wide range of children’s mental health, employment, housing and family counselling programs. Lutherwood annually serves more than 20,000 people in Waterloo Region and Wellington County.

kidsLINK provides a broad range of programs and services to help more than 10,000 children, youth and their families facing or at risk of social, emotional and mental health challenges each year. kidsLINK also provides consultation and training for over 2000 professionals who work with children and youth.