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Welcome to Lifeboat Family Skills

Dedicated to helping parents and caregivers of young people who are struggling.

(No diagnosis or referral required)

IMMEDIATE HELP

OUR PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS:

COMBINING psychology WITH
LIVED EXPERIENCE

We’ve been where you are and are eager to help you to worry less, create calm in your home and find hope for a brighter future.

A Problem Worth Solving

Lifeboat Family Skills-youth mental health

Mental Health Struggles Begin in Young Adulthood

Approximately 60% of mental health issues arise between the ages of 12 and 25.

Lifeboat Family Skills-big emotions

The Most Common Difficulty is Managing Emotions

Whether or not they have a formal diagnosis, problems managing “intense emotions” is the most common feature.

Lifeboat Family Skills-family struggle

When Young People Struggle so do Their Families

When young people struggle with mental health issues, their entire family, regardless of education level or income, can be thrown into chaos.

Lifeboat Family Skills-family support

Families Need New Approaches to Provide Support

While support from family is pivotal to the young person’s recovery, conventional methods are often not that helpful.

FACILITATION BY TRAINED
FAMILY PEERS

Come learn from facilitators at Lifeboat Family Skills who understand your experience firsthand. We can offer you practical, effective strategies to support your loved one and maintain your own mental health.

  • We created these workshops with the help of clinical experts, to respond to parents’ feelings of frustration and confusion as they learn to navigate these rough and unfamiliar waters.
  • We are not therapists or counsellors and so cannot give you advice about your personal circumstances.
  • We have, however, become adept at examining our own family situations and have used these skills to lessen our stress and to feel like capable parents again.

The Program

Eleven Interactive Workshops Organized into Three Levels

Lifeboat Family Skills offers flexible workshops that can be taken in any order, at every level.
All the sessions at one level must be completed before signing up for those in the next level.

Introductory - Worry Less

Foundational skills related to:

  • Understanding how behaviour is related to overwhelming emotions.
  • Paying attention to our loved ones in a more focussed way.
  • Recognizing emotions in ourselves and our loved ones so we’re better equipped to manage them.
  • Understanding how to take care of our minds so we can keep going even when the going gets tough.

Intermediate - Create Calm

Building on the foundation, we learn:

  • How to honour strong emotions in ourselves and our loved ones without escalating them.
  • How to lower the emotional temperature in our homes so that all of us are able to think more clearly and work together more effectively.

Advanced -
Find Hope

Drawing on learning from the previous levels, we discuss:

  • How to be more effective when asking our loved ones for something.
  • Being clear about why we choose limits and how we can be flexible while still observing them.
  • Reflecting on recurring issues in a way that gives us better options for responding. 

Delivered

ONLINE or IN-PERSON

What you can Expect:

  • Skills based in psychology.
  • Peer facilitators who provide examples from real life.
  • No complex clinical language.
  • Small confidential groups.
  • Flexible scheduling.

Testimonials

What our particpants are saying

quote mark on Lifeboat Family Skills

“This was fantastic. It felt comfortable, engaging and I learned a lot.”

“I really like the guiding principles. I also appreciate that the facilitators are willing to share their personal stories. So relatable and so very helpful.”

“I enjoyed learning about the personality traits of highly sensitive people and having that new lens to see my child.”

“Your sessions have helped improve the relationship with my daughter tremendously. She actually said, “mom you are more present”. You and your group have made us a better family.”

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity to learn and the depth of knowledge you bring to the sessions.”

“This workshop was amazing. I learned so many new skills. I felt comforted that I was not alone on this journey. [Facilitators] provided patience, empathy, thoughtful feedback, examples I could relate to, and they changed my course path by a few degrees in the right direction.”

“I really appreciated the conversations, the reminders of how these skills fit with what I am already trying and what I can work towards doing better.”

Life changing skills. I am so happy I took this class; it is finally a class that works!

Would like to thank you for the job you are doing. As a parent, I did not know who to discuss my problems with, but I am glad to find out that there is someone I can talk to and learn from.

Item #10

Workshops were fantastically done. I appreciate their honesty to say things we are actually feeling but may be ashamed to say out loud. AND have proper ways to deal with it - which is the most important part!

The best part is that they don't make you feel like you're bad parents when you're trying your best. All you need are a few new tools to get you on the right path.

JOIN US WHEN YOUR LIFE WILL LET YOU

You and your loved one deserve to have a better future TOGETHER.

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Dedicated to helping parents and caregivers of young people who are struggling.

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