The Robbie Dean Centre was founded by Robbie's mother, Monique Yashinskie, following the tragic loss of her son to suicide. (RobbieDeanCentre.com photo)
As Mental Health Week continues, Monique Yashinskie of the Robbie Dean Centre says one of the best parts of the awareness campaign is that it reminds people that their brain, like other vital organs, doesn’t always work correctly, and that it’s not shameful.
Monoique Yashinskie founded the Robbie Dean Centre in 2013, after losing her 18-year-old son – the centre’s namesake – to suicide in 2013. Today, the facility is a community-funded charity that bridges gaps in mental health services across Renfrew County.
Yashinskie says it’s important to remember that counselling only works when the person receiving it wants it.
She says she understands from her own experience that it can be frustrating, as the parent or loved one of someone struggling, when they don’t reach out for help. She urges those individuals to get help themselves, for a number of reasons.
Yashinskie says parents getting counselling, in particular, can be valuable as a way to get advice on how to help and support their children when they’re struggling mentally.
She says there are resources out there for people taking care of individuals struggling with their mental health, including online resources.
Yashinskie encourages anyone interested in learning more about those resources, and anyone who’s struggling themselves, to contact a professional organization or the Robbie Dean Centre.
She says the centre is always just a phone call away for anyone in need.
(Written by Steve Berard)
