Jeff Green | Jun 10, 2015


TAMI, which stands for Talking About Mental Ilness, is a program run by volunteers that is based on an awareness program originally called “Beyond the Cuckoo's Nest”, which was developed in Toronto in 1988.

“TAMI is about public awareness and reducing the stigma of mental illness, which affects 1 in 5 people some time in their life” said Laura Tuepah, a TAMI volunteer who is also an occupational therapist with Providence Care, based in Kingston.

The Sharbot Lake Family Health Team, in conjunction with Northern Frontenac Community Services, is presenting a TAMI event next Wednesday, June 17 from 6 to 8 pm in the lower level of the Family Health Team offices.

As part of the presentation, a number of people who have dealt with mental health issues will be on hand to talk about their experiences, about overcoming the stigma of the disease and about the kinds of treatments that were available to them.

In Frontenac County there are a number of resources available for people suffering from Mental Health issues, and professionals who provide service in the Sharbot Lake region under the umbrella of medical or community agencies will be on hand to talk about what they offer.

Laura Baldwin, program manager at the Family Health Team, says that one of the messages that the therapists and other service providers attending the meeting will be getting across is that they all work together on different kinds of issues that people face, and that “any of their phone numbers is the right phone number.”

Among the agencies that provide service in the Central and North Frontenac region are the Family Health Team, which has both a part-time mental health worker and psychiatrist on staff; Northern Frontenac Community Services, which has a full-time family counselor on staff; affiliate agencies such as Providence Care, and Addictions and Mental Health Services (KFL&A); and other addictions service providers as well.

“In rural communities isolation can be an issue that compounds mental health issues, and what TAMI is all about is providing people with an opportunity to share their experiences, find out they are not alone, and also give a chance for them to find out what help there is and how to access it,” said Laura Baldwin.

“It is also a chance for people to let the professionals know what they need and make suggestions about services they could use.”

TAMI is open to all, and pre-registration is not required. For more information call 279-2100 or 279-3151. 

Support local
independant journalism by becoming a patron of the Frontenac News.