Fall 2006 - Canadian Mental Health Association - Winnipeg Region

Fall 2006
Canadian Mental Health Association
Volume 3, Issue 2
432 Ellice Avenue
Winnipeg MB R3B 1Y4
Phone: 204-982-6100
Fax: 204-982-6128
Email: office@cmhawpg.mb.ca
Web Site: www.winnipeg.cmha.ca
Winnipeg Region News
Inside this issue:
New Website 2
Staff Profile 2
10th Edition Resource Guide 2
Mental Health First Aid 3
New Brochure for CMHA 3
New Therapy Service 3
CMHA Picnic 3
Housing Think Tank 4
Mental Illness Awareness Week
An annual national public
education campaign that aims
to better inform Canadians
about the issues surrounding
mental illness.
The week was established in
1992 by the Canadian
Psychiatric Association, and is
now coordinated by the
Canadian Alliance on Mental
Illness and Mental Health in
cooperation with all its member
organizations and many other
supporters across Canada.
Campaign elements include a
grassroots public education
campaign, a nationally
distributed poster and
bookmark series and an
education initiative with federal
Members of Parliament both in
their home ridings and on
Parliament Hill.
2006 /2007 Board 4
Board Member Profile 4
Highlights in this
Issue:
• Visit CMHA Website at
www.winnipeg.cmha.ca
• 10th Edition of Mental
Health Resource Guide
is now available
• Mental Illness
Awareness Week is
October 1-7, 2006
• Heroes of Mental
Health Awards
Luncheon—October 4,
2006
5th Annual Heroes of Mental
Health Awards Luncheon
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
12:00 Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Masonic Memorial Temple
420 Corydon Avenue
The Heroes awards acknowledge the many contributions made by individuals
and organizations to the advancement of mental health.
Celebrate the victories, the courage and the resilience of Manitoba’s Heroes of
Mental Health.
Reserve your tickets now.
To reserve tickets call CMHA, Manitoba Division office at 953-2353.

P a ge 2 W innipeg Re gion News F a ll 2006
STAFF
CMHA Winnipeg Region Launched a New
Website Last Spring
Executive Director
Nancy Testar
Administration
Pauline Henderson
Pamela Porth
Rose Tan
Information & Education
Services
Bill Burrows
Carina Melamedoff
Grace Weinfortner
Rehabilitation & Recovery
Service
Curtis Brandt
Kristy Carroll
Sherriann Dexter
Pat Fraser
Sheryl Giesbrecht
Deb Hargreaves
Bob MacFadyen
Michelle Martynuk
Anita Rempel
Andrew Ross
Marie Steele
Stacey Shule
Cara Zabudny
There is information about the
latest news and events from
Winnipeg region, the service
we offer and where you can
find help, including a
downloadable Mental Health
Resource Guide.
You can link to CMHA
Pam Porth, Secretary
Pam Porth began working at
CMHA, Winnipeg in
December of 1991. Pam
started in a part-time position
as a receptionist/typist and
moved to full-time in June of
1993 because of the expansion
of the agency’s housing
program. In October of 1994
Pam took on the position of
Secretary, which she holds
today.
Pam is responsible for
priorizing all of the
administrative work, making
sure the Data Base is updated,
assembling large projects and
scheduling maintenance. She
National which offers
information on public policy,
national events, mental health
and mental illness.
There are links and documents
that highlight the current
thinking in mental health
nationally and internationally.
also is a ‘Jack of All Trades’, as
Pam states, “I’ve installed door
knobs, cleaned bathrooms and
vacuumed when needed.”
Organizing renovations, of
which there seem to have been a
number, is challenging but also
has been enjoyable for Pam.
In her position as Secretary, Pam
doesn’t have as much of an
opportunity to meet the people
that come into the office as often
as she would like, yet she still
tries to remember everyone’s
name.
Pam has also been very active in
serving on a number of
committees at CMHA. These
In August our website had 5800 hits
and has increased each month since it’s
spring launch.
Our website is www.winnipeg.cmha.ca.
We welcome comments, suggestions
and feedback on our website. You can
email us at office@cmhawpg.mb.ca.
have included the United Way
Campaign and Social Committee and
currently serves on the Heroes
Luncheon, Communication and
Labour Management Committees.
For Pam her job is very rewarding.
“The job has always grown, with new
ideas and needs. My days are never
boring or dull. Of course I like what
I do and
the variety
of tasks
always
make the
days easy to
get
through.”
Mental Health Resource Guide 10th Edition
10th Edition
CMHA Winnipeg Region has
published a Mental Health
Resource Guide for Winnipeg
since 1999. It is an eight page
tabloid style guide that
provides information on
mental health issues as well as
a comprehensive listing of all
of the services and resources
available in the Winnipeg
community. The guide is
organized under specific
headings such as self-help,
counselling, housing, crisis,
employment, etc. The guide is
user friendly and easy to read.
The guide is updated as needed
and currently is in it’s 10th
edition. The Winnipeg Regional Health
Authority funds the printing of the
guide and it is distributed free through
agencies and clinics in the city.
If you would like a copy of the guide or
you would like multiple copies for an
agency or office please call 982-6127 or
email: information@cmhawpg.mb.ca.

W innipeg Re gion News F a ll 2006
P a ge 3
Mental Health First Aid
This program is designed to
teach the general public,
frontline public services and
employees to recognize the
signs and symptoms of
someone with mental health
problems, such as
depression, anxiety and
psychosis, and to help deal
with a crisis situation
through guiding someone
towards professional and
other help.
Some staff people at
CMHA will be attending
training for the program
this fall and we hope to
offer the Program to the
community early in 2007.
WE HAVE A NEW
BROCHURE
CMHA Winnipeg has a
new agency brochure. It is
available at our 432 Ellice
Avenue office and also can
be downloaded from our
website.
(www.winnipeg.cmha.ca)
New Therapy Service Pilot Project Begins
A fourteen month pilot
project began in July at
CMHA Winnipeg.
The project is designed to
offer individuals who have
limited access to therapy,
because of long waiting lists
or prohibitive costs, the
ability to receive therapy.
The service is for current
participants of the
Rehabilitation & Recovery
Service.
Participants have the
opportunity to participate in
a service in which
psychiatric rehabilitation
and therapy are concurrent
and integrated.
Kristy Carroll is the
DID YOU KNOW
therapist. Kristy worked in
our Rehabilitation &
Recovery Service as a
Rehabilitation Worker
from 2003 to 2005. she
took an educational leave
during 2005 and 2006 to
complete the requirements
for Master of Marriage and
Family Therapy.
CMHA
Picnic
About sixty participants and staff
enjoyed a beautiful day, good food
and fun at Assiniboine Park in
June. It was a great way to kick-off
the summer season.
The Mental Health
Resource Centre
(MHERC) contains a
large lending library with
reading materials, videos,
training kits, newsletters,
brochures and fact
sheets on mental health
and related issues. Two
research computers are
available for searches in
the library and on the
internet.
Everyone across the
province is welcome to
use the resources
including individuals with
mental illness, friends and
families, doctors, service
providers, educators and
the general public.
The Resource Centre is a
program of CMHA
Manitoba Division. It is
located at 100-4 Fort
Street. MHERC has a
website, www.mherc.mb.ca,
which provides information
on mental health, available
services and related issues,
links to other mental health
resources, including an online
lending library listing
resources available through
the Centre.
For more information call
953-2355.
“Out of the Shadows at Last”
The Standing Senate Committee
on Social Affairs, Science and
Technology released their report
in May 2006. This is their final
report on Mental Health, Mental
Illness and Addictions. You can
access the report at
www.winnipeg.cmha.ca.

Winnipeg Region News
C M H A W I N N I P E G
M I S S I O N
“People with mental
illness in the
Winnipeg Region are
full participants in
society”
Housing Think Tank Planned for
October
The Political Linkage Committee, a committee of the Board, has focused on
encouraging the provision of decent and affordable housing.
To this end there are plans to bring together approximately 30 experts from a variety
of sectors including government policy planners, non-profit and for profit housing
developers, mental health planners, city planners and academics to discuss what needs
to be done to increase opportunities for people with mental illness to live in housing
that is safe, decent and affordable but also promotes community inclusion.
The Think Tank is in collaboration with the Department of City Planning, University
of Manitoba. The Winnipeg Foundation and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
have generously provided financial support for this event.
Board of Directors 2006 / 2007
Harvey Slobodzian—Chairperson
Karen Kaplen—Director
Margaret Orina—Director
John Tabbernor—Past Chairperson
Ruth-Anne Craig—Director
Catherine Lee—Director
Bob Melnyk—Vice Chairperson
Norma Gray—Director
Gayle Leverton—Director
Risa Altman—Director
Rudy Ambtman—Director
Wendy Peters-Nedelec—Director
Visit us on the Web
www.winnipeg.cmha.ca
Board Member Profile . . .
Rudy Ambtman has been on the Board
of CMHA Winnipeg Region for two
years.
Born in Holland, he came to Canada in
1974 to do an internship for his Master’s
in clinical psychology. He was not
planning to stay, but met his future wife,
Zobida, and has not looked back since.
Rudy and Zobida have two children:
Vanessa who works for a non-profit
agency in Toronto and Erick who works
for the City of Edmonton. Erick was
married just this summer.
Rudy worked in various capacities in
mental health services in Ontario and
Alberta before he went back to school to
get his Ph.D. in clinical and community
psychology from the University of
Manitoba. After that he worked for the
Addictions Foundation of Manitoba
and—as a Director—in the Mental
Health Division of Manitoba Health. In
the latter capacity he was involved in the
closure of the Mental Health Centre in
Brandon.
His next job was as the Executive
Director of Knowles Centre, a treatment
facility for children and youth with
emotional disturbances in Winnipeg. For
the past eight years, Rudy has been the
Director of the Child Guidance Clinic.
CGC provides clinical services to three
school divisions.
As a board member of CMHA Winnipeg
Region, Rudy chairs the Political Linkage
Committee. This committee has as its
main mandate to advocate for mental
health services in Winnipeg. Currently
the committee is working on an advocacy
project to improve housing for people
with mental illness.
Rudy is also a member of the Alliance on
Mental Illness and Mental Health in
Manitoba, where he focuses on mental
health services for children and
adolescents. He is also the chair of the
Public Policy Committee of the Council on
Exceptional Children, an international
advocacy organization for students with
special needs or gifted students in the
education system.
In his spare time, Rudy plays soccer in the
summer and fences (yes, the sword thing)
in the winter. He runs all year round and
ran the Manitoba Marathon a few years
ago. Says Rudy, “That was a challenge my
son got me into. Even though I feel really
good about having finished it, I swore I
would never do another marathon.”
Rudy
loves to
travel and
he and
Zobida
have been
all over
the world.