Strongest Families Institute (SFI) Strongest Families Institute is an award-winning charity providing skill-based educational programs to children, youth, adults, and families seeking help to improve mental health and well-being. We provide timely care to families by equipping them with skills through our unique distance coaching approach – over the phone, the internet, or via a secure website in the privacy and comfort of their homes. Our goal is to be here when you need us, free of barriers.
Our free, bilingual, telephone-based programs are designed to support clients from ages 3 and into adulthood. Programs help children, youth, and caregivers with anxiety and behaviour difficulties such as aggression, behaviour, bedwetting, and anxiety. Our programs are proven to help overcome diagnosable disorders in as little as six weeks. Choose your delivery method (group-based or one-one coaching) and how you would like your materials (handbook, online, or app).
Our Coaches are competency trained to understand personal and cultural sensitivities such as Military, LGBTQ2S+, Indigenous, people living with physical impairments or neurodevelopmental issues, as well as the many life stressors related to Covid-19 impacts. Children and adults alike are facing extreme periods of worry, anxiety and behaviour issues as a result. Our programs are designed to help you at the level of care you need. Our highly trained Coaches are here to support you during the pandemic and beyond.
Behaviour Programs for Children ages 3-12:
Parents Empowering Kids (PEK)
Helps caregivers of children 3-12 years of age learn to prevent and deal with common childhood behaviour problems such as not listening, temper outbursts, and difficulties paying attention through a variety of proven positive parenting strategies. All program materials are free. Programs are available in English and French. Learn more here: https://strongestfamilies.com/parents-empowering-kids/
Anxiety Programs for Children ages 6-17:
Chase Worries Away (6-11)
This program educates parents and children (ages 6-11) about anxiety and guides them as they learn relaxation skills and how to face worry in real life. The program typically deals with difficulties separating from loved ones, worry about performance, and specific fears. Symptoms you may be seeing in your child could be sudden aches and pains (belly/head), lack of attention, withdrawal, and negative thoughts. In this program, your child will explore what anxiety is, practice techniques to help ease anxiety, use their imagination and learn how to take control of anxiety by creating a plan to defeat worry. All program materials are free. Programs are available in English and French. Learn more here: https://strongestfamilies.com/chase-worries-away/
Defeat Anxiety (12-17)
The Defeat Anxiety Program helps youth ages 12-17 learn skills to overcome, control, and gradually face their anxiety. Youth are guided, by their personal Coach, to overcome anxiety surrounding school, social situations, peer acceptance, applying to university or jobs, going to job interviews, getting a driver’s license, and many other common challenges that youth face. All program materials are free. Programs are available in English and French. Learn more here: https://strongestfamilies.com/defeat-anxiety/
Bed Wetting Program for Children:
Dry Nights Ahead (5-12)
The Dry Nights Ahead program is designed to help children overcome nighttime bedwetting with the use of a urine alarm, reward system, and weekly telephone support from a Coach. All materials including the urine alarm are sent to you free of charge. If your child wets the bed at least 2 times a week with no known underlying medical cause, then this program can help you!
Statistics tell us that in the average grade three class, 2-3 children will have bedwetting occurrences. Common causes are often children who are deep sleepers, hereditary factors and/or how the brain and the bladder communicate during sleep. This program is available in English/French.
How it works:
You will complete questionnaires that provide us with more detail about your current situation to better match you to the best program options.
Program options for Parents Empowering Kids and Chase Worries Away:
• weekly telephone support with a coach (one on one or group)
• self-guided option with open drop-in group coaching support when needed.
Program options for Defeat Anxiety:
• weekly telephone support with a coach (one on one or group)
Program options for Dry Nights Ahead:
• weekly telephone group support with peers and a Strongest Families Coach
All of our groups are safe, judgment-free spaces where you can connect with others who are dealing with similar issues, reassuring each other that you are not alone while learning and practicing your skills. As a participant in a group, you can feel free to share as much or as little as you like. Your Coach will leave silence so you and other group members can chat amongst yourselves, answer each other’s questions, and provide peer support.
You can also call Strongest Families directly at 1-866-470-7111 or visit their website to learn more www.strongestfamilies.com