Your Gifts: Helping people through tailored care and specialized programs

"I am excited about the future. Who knows what's going to happen? There have been so many opportunities that have opened up to me in the past year in terms of my business and just growing as a person because of my involvement with the clinic and other CAMH programs." -- Margaret Shaw

After Margaret Shaw was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder during her first year of college, she was determined to go back to school and continue with her life. But when she was discharged from hospital after a three-month stay, Margaret found that things were not the same; she felt socially isolated and could not relate to others. She was in denial of her condition and did not want to acknowledge her illness.

During her post-hospital recovery, Margaret joined camh's Women's Clinic for Psychosis. She appreciated being able to relate to women who had faced challenges similar to her own. As she attended the clinic's programs, Margaret learned the significance of accepting her illness.

"It is important to learn how to approach living with a mental illness instead of denying it or feeling bad about having one," she says. "There can be many positive things-you need to accept and grow with it; it's only a small part of you!"

During her stay at the clinic, Margaret became involved with the various programs at camh and began seeing Dr. Mary Seeman for therapy. Dr. Seeman gave Margaret support and encouragement, discussed ways that Margaret could deal with her symptoms and, most importantly, helped her to set goals and plan for the future.

"Dr. Seeman is very open, has a lot experience and understands where I'm coming from- she has helped me immensely," says Margaret. "If it wasn't for her, I would probably not be so accepting of what has happened to me."

Margaret became a member of the Workman Theatre, a non-profit professional arts organization in partnership with camh, which supports the artistic pursuits of people who receive mental health and addiction services. Margaret was finding it difficult to showcase her art in Toronto, but here she found opportunities to create and display her work.

Margaret returned to school at the Ontario College of Art and Design and took marketing and sales workshops at the Toronto Business Development Centre. She has run her own business, creating, marketing and locating places to exhibit her artwork. One of Margaret's pieces was featured at the Metamorphosis Festival in Toronto, and her painting, Birds at the Well, is featured on the cover of this report.

"Margaret is a very independent and resourceful woman who is full of great ideas. In the face of adversity, Margaret has persevered-it has been a pleasure to work with her."
-- Mary V. Seeman, MD, Staff Psychiatrist, CAMH, and Professor Emerita, University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry

Dr. Seeman pioneered the Women's Clinic for Psychosis in 1995, the first outpatient clinic dedicated  specifically to issues of women dealing with psychosis.

The Women's Clinic for Psychosis at CAMH focuses on the transition process for women who have been affected by psychotic illness and provides services such as gender-specific health assessment, a variety of
psychotherapies, woman-specific pharmacotherapy, appropriate management of reproductive stages, and development of relationship and parenting skills in a culturally diverse context. Clinic members are linked to housing and income supplementation. The clinic staff fosters academic, recreational, vocational and creative skills and encourages family involvement.

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