Toronto, September 25, 2024 – Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada Celebrates 50 Years of Promoting Mental Well-being for Youth

50-Day Countdown to 50th Anniversary Calls for $50 Donations and 50 Mental Health Strategies for Kids

Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada from The Psychology Foundation of Canada, a national charity dedicated to the mental health promotion of infants, children, and youth, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. For almost five decades, they have been using psychological science to nurture resilience with youth by giving them the tools needed to manage adversity and thrive. As the country recognizes a growing mental health crisis, they need help to continue this critical work. 

As they approach their 50th anniversary, they are excited to announce their Growing Strong Minds Conference and Growth Gala, set to take place in just 50 days on November 14, 2024. In preparation for this milestone, they are launching a donation campaign, asking Canadians to donate $50 in support of their crucial programs. These funds will directly support initiatives that help build resilience and prevent mental health issues in children and teens across the country.

As part of their anniversary celebration, they are releasing a curated list of 50 psychology-based strategies designed to nurture resilience and promote mental and emotional well-being in youth. Read full release here and access list here.

Toronto, May 14, 2024 – MEDIA ALERT: A Beacon of Hope Shines Bright: Dr. Dan Andreae Champions Youth Mental Health at Strong Minds Strong Kids’ Growth Gala

Renowned Professor, Author, Advocate, and Philanthropist, Dr. Dan Andreae, emerges as the driving force behind youth mental health with his unwavering dedication as Presenting Sponsor of Strong Minds Strong Kids’ Growth Gala. Set against the backdrop of a critical need for proactive promotion of mental health, Dr. Andreae’s sponsorship underscores a profound commitment to fostering resilient, empowered youth across Canada. Read full press release.

TORONTO, April 30, 2024 – The Quinn Family Future Foundation is providing $150,000 over five years to Strong Minds Strong Kids, ensuring at-risk children gain vital coping skills for their mental health

The Quinn Family Future Foundation is ensuring at-risk children are given the vital coping skills they require for their mental health with a five year $150,000 commitment to Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada. Strong Minds Strong Kids is a national charitable organization focused on promoting positive mental health outcomes for children and youth. The Quinn Family Future Foundation is supporting the expansion of Stress Busters which merges evidence-based stress management techniques from the renowned Kids Have Stress Too! program with an engaging peer-to-peer support element. Read full press release.

TORONTO, February 14, 2024 – Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada, joins forces with GreenShield to improve parents’ mental health and bond with their infants within their first years of life.

The ‘Make the Connection’ program is based on seven pillars of attachment for parents and caregivers to acquire strategies and engage in activities to help form a secure bond with their baby. It’s designed to increase knowledge of how attachment-based parenting will improve outcomes for their infant.

Approximately 15% of babies born in Canada are anticipated to develop a disorganized attachment to their caregiver. The parent-infant relationship is crucial for optimal development into childhood and adolescent. For many parents, isolation, social support, or existing mental health challenges prevent them from fostering a bond within the first year of their infant’s life. In partnership with GreenShield, a not-for-profit health and benefits company, Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada, is providing parents with access to their ‘Make the Connection’ program. Read full press release.

TORONTO, May 2023 –  New online game world to help youth build resilience. Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada with support from Meridian Credit Union launches a new psychology-based online world to help youth learn new skills to build resilience.

Children’s mental health continues to suffer post-pandemic and new ways to provide support are needed now more than ever. This Mental Health Week, Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada (SMSKPC), a national charity dedicated to helping children and teens become more resilient, has developed a new online game world to help children and teens build skills that will foster resilience. Read full release.

TORONTO, September 2022 – Building Resilience for Back to School and Beyond Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada’s new Zen Garden App and Resiliency Quiz helps teens handle life’s ups and downs.  

Back to School is long known to be an especially stressful time of transition for teens.  And this year, in light of living through the pandemic, teen worries about lagging academically or reconnecting with friends may be heightened even more as they head back to class.  Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada (SMSKPC), a national charity dedicated to helping children and teens become more resilient, has developed two new interactive evidence-based resilience tools to help teens aged 13-17 build the mental strength to handle these stressors and any other curves that life throws.  Read full release.  

Toronto, November 15, 2021 – Platinum-selling CCMA and Juno award winner Brett Kissel and best-selling author and international speaker Dr. Natasha Williams to be featured at 17th Annual Breakfast for Champions

Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada (SMSKPC) is hosting their 17th Annual Breakfast for Champions on November 30, 2021 to raise funds to develop and deliver their crucial psychology-based programs and resources that nurture resilience in children.  This year, CCMA and Juno award winner Brett Kissel will be performing, and best-selling author and international speaker Dr. Natasha Williams will be delivering a keynote on using resilience beyond survival.  Read full release.

Toronto, March 29, 2021 – Ontario elementary school students to benefit from stress management resource thanks to partnership with Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada and School Mental Health Ontario. Student support staff across Ontario will be trained on critical Kids Have Stress Too! program that will help elementary school students to identify and manage their stress.

Starting today, Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada will begin to train upwards of 1,400 Ontario student support staff on their evidence-informed Kids Have Stress Too! resource which is designed to help students to identify and manage their stress while providing crucial coping skills to last a lifetime.  Thanks to commitment from School Mental Health Ontario, all student support staff will be provided with the opportunity to access Kids Have Stress Too! resources and training giving them the knowledge and tools to promote mental well-being with students throughout Ontario. Read full release.

TORONTO, November 5, 2020– Today, “Strong Minds Strong Kids Psychology Canada” (SMSK) unveiled its refreshed brand identity and purpose to nurture resilience in children. The charity, supported by leading Canadian psychologists, will deliver psychological knowledge, expertise, tools and resources to 1,000,000 children in Canada in 2021. See full Press Release

TORONTO, October 29, 2020 – The Psychology Foundation of Canada receives an $18,000 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant to help children and families in Calgary build core coping skills to promote their mental well-being The Psychology Foundation of Canada is pleased to receive an $18,000 grant from the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund to support Kids Have Stress Too! and Stress Lessons training for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary (BBBS Calgary) staff, mentors and families to help prevent and mitigate mental health issues for youth facing adversities in the Calgary area.  Full release.

TORONTO, February 20th, 2020 – MAKE THE CONNECTION 0-3 ELEARNING COURSE LAUNCHES TODAY giving access to VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ON CRUCIAL INFANT ATTACHMENT INFORMATION. The most rapid period of brain development is the first three years of life and neuroscience research indicates that it is the parent-child attachment relationship that is essential for healthy brain development. The Psychology Foundation of Canada (PFC) has created Make the Connection 0-3 eLearning Course to ensure that every family has access to attachment-promoting activities that will be particularly useful for parents or primary caregivers that may be at risk for a poor attachment. MAKE THE CONNECTION 0-3 ELEARNING COURSE