National Projects Fund: Mothers’ Mental Health Toolkit

The Mothers’ Mental Health Toolkit was developed as a public resource for community service providers and families for education, advocacy, and treatment support for mothers with mental health problems. The original kit was developed by Dr. Joanne MacDonald and Coleen Flynn MSW, RSW of the Reproductive Mental Health Service, IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It has been revised, and training developed to support the use of the kit in CAPC and CPNP programs through funding from the National Projects Fund of the Public Health Agency of Canada.  The toolkit includes chapters on: Mothers’ Wellness and Self-Care; The Mothering Role; Understanding Mothers’ Mental Health; Assessment and Screening; Intervention and Treatments; Supporting Recovery; and Community Action. In January, regional representatives met in Vancouver for a 3-day Train the Trainer course with the toolkit author, Dr. Joanne MacDonald, and master trainers Lea Laberge and Kate Wilton. Partners from the BC Council for Families, First Nations Health Authority and the Pacific Post Partum Support Society joined the CAPC and CPNP staff for this training opportunity. Over the next two months, regional trainers will hold workshops on the kit across the province.

To find out who the trainer(s) for your region is, please email Jennie. Please also email us to gain access to an online DropBox folder with enhanced toolkit materials.