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Addictions / Concurrent Disorders - Resources and Support
We hope that the resources listed below are helpful to you while you wait for mental health services for concurrent disorders or are between appointments. These resources are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health... -
Adolescent Outpatient Services
In partnership with our patients, Ontario Shores provides specialized recovery focused outpatient programs and services. The Adolescent outpatient program is an outpatient mental health assessment and treatment clinic for young people aged 12 to 18 living in Durham Region. Referrals are preferred... -
Adolescent Day Treatment
The adolescent day treatment program at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores) provides mental health and education services in a local community high school to support students as they transition into a community setting. -
Eating Disorders Unit (EDU)
The Eating Disorders Unit (EDU) is a 12 bed inpatient unit for adolescents struggling with an eating disorder. It provides an interprofessional model of care with a focus on recovery and rehabilitation. The unit includes individual patient bedrooms, kitchen, dining room and lounge area. There are... -
Concurrent Disorders Service
The Concurrent Disorders Service provides assessment, consultation, individual counselling and group therapy to both inpatients and registered outpatients of Ontario Shores with substance related issues. Patients will have been diagnosed with a moderate to serious, persistent mental health concern... -
Cindy Gasior
RolePatientAdvocate -
‘My Mental Illness Didn’t Stop Me’ - Raheman
When Raheman was 16, he began experiencing hallucinations and paranoia. He thought people had put implants in his head and uploaded his brain to a computer and could read his mind. Raheman believed that, as a result of being bullied, kids at school were trying to poison him. Quite frequently, this... -
'My Mental Illness Didn't Stop Me' - Cody
Popular, personable and an elite level athlete, in the eyes of many Cody was living the dream. “I come from a great family,” says Cody before participating in a group at Ontario Shores’ Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP). “I had a great childhood, I had friends and all that.” It was in his... -
'We Talk About the Things That Are Important to Them'
It is the “person first” approach that guides the work of Recreation Therapists at Ontario Shores. They work with patients to identify a sense of purpose and build their skills based on their specific preferences and needs. From programs as varied as community outings to sporting activities -... -
'I Epitomized the Ignorance and Stigma Associated with Mental Illness'
If you meet Percy D’Souza today you will find it hard to imagine that he struggled with severe, treatment-resistant, psychotic depression. Percy comes across as high energy, engaging and positive. And yet, just over a year ago, Percy was, as he puts it, ‘a living corpse’. “I had given up on life,”... -
Education Program Supports Patients of All Ages
At the age of 60, Rob felt it was time to finish his high school diploma. It was always something he had hoped to achieve, but so often mental illness and other factors alter the path that so many take for granted. “Life just got in the way,” he says. After leaving school to help his family... -
Oshawa Family Grateful for Support of Loved One Living with Alzheimer's Disease
Paul Szakacsi was 21 when he arrived in Canada from his native Hungary eager to build the life he dreamed of. Already a machinist by trade, Paul worked at General Motors (GM) for a decade before he began to design and fabricate his own products and started Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co. in Oshawa... -
COVID-19: What to Say to Teenagers about Self Isolation
Having empathy for teenagers can be really hard sometimes. During my mental health training and education, I get questions from frustrated parents constantly about how to help with their teenager’s mental health. Now I can only empathize with all the parents out there unsure of what to do or say to... -
Protecting Minds - 'I couldn’t come to terms that he was gone'
Life has been difficult over the last few years. Whenever I could catch a breath, devastating news would follow. In January of 2018, my father passed away. My mother was sick as well and I fell into a deep depression. I didn’t leave my house, went on a sick leave from work and spent most of my days... -
'My Mental Illness Didn't Stop Me' - Jennifer
She did not expect her darkest days to arrive with the birth of her first child. She never thought severe anxiety, depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) related to post-partum would take over her life. She certainly did not ask to become of a voice for mothers struggling with an illness... -
Linda has a message for GPU families
Linda MacLeod has a message for anyone about to be admitted to the Geriatric Psychiatry Unit (GPU) at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores). “You are lucky if you become a patient here,” she says with certainty. “The staff are kind, supportive and dedicated.” GPU is a 25... -
Oshawa Family Grateful for Support of Loved One on GTU
Paul Szakacsi was 21 when he arrived in Canada from his native Hungary eager to build the life he dreamed of. Already a machinist by trade, Paul worked at General Motors (GM) for a decade before he began to design and fabricate his own products and started Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co. in Oshawa... -
Nona Shares her Husband's Story
After many visits to the family doctor and a hospital stay in Durham, it became apparent that Nona’s husband, Lawrence, was deteriorating. It was not just the process of aging. It was more severe than that. The doctors had diagnosed him with Dementia, caused by Alzheimer’s disease and a stroke... -
Mental Health Recovery Colleges Set to Double Across Canada
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores) are proud to announce a new collaboration to help support the expansion and creation of 20 new mental health and well-being learning centres—or “recovery colleges”—in the next year. As... -
'My Mental Illness Didn't Stop Me' - Crysten
Naturally soft-spoken and perhaps a little timid, Crysten has shown a determination that inspires others. “She’s worked so hard,” notes Donna McAleer-Smith, a Registered Practical Nurse at Ontario Shores who supported Crysten through the Grove School. “She’s very kind and has that silent strength... -
Aaron is Determined to Help Others Who Are Battling Mental Illness
Aaron Smith wants to save people from going to the dark places he’s been to during his recovery journey from mental illness. “I don’t want anyone to go through what I have been through,” says Aaron, a 37-year-old father of two. “But if they do have to go through what I did, I want them to know that... -
Recovery is Filled with Ups and Downs
Recovery is not linear. In fact, it is just the opposite. Recovery is filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, and several bumps along the way. It is something that I strive for knowing it’s possible it just doesn’t come in a neat tied-up bow. I’ve lived with mental illness most of my life and... -
Sterling's Eating Disorder no longer defines him
My eating disorder no longer defines me; because Ontario Shores was there for me when I needed it the most. I am a Trent University biochemistry and molecular biology major and an established mental health advocate at my university and elsewhere. I am also a member of the Ontario Shores Center for... -
Chelsea's anxiety no longer defines her
Anxiety does not define me. Ontario Shores was there for me when I needed it most. A copy of Ontario Shores' 2015 annual report with my smiling face on the cover can be found in my parents' living room. It's been seven years since that photo was taken, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to...