Lerena Greig meets a lot of troubled, frustrated parents, grandparents and other family members in her role as Executive Director of Parents Empowering Parents (PEP).
The nonprofit community organization, now in its 14th year, hosts regular discussion groups involving roughly 30 parents and other guardians who are struggling to support children addicted to crack cocaine, fentanyl, crystal meth or other drugs.
PEP's weekly gatherings, held Tuesday evenings from 7 pm to 9 pm, alternate between the Strathcona County Community Centre in Sherwood Park and the Sunrise Community Church in Mill Woods.
The sessions, run by Greig and other professional facilitators, provide a refuge for stressed-out caregivers to share their fears, frustrations, mutual support and first-hand experience with the ravages of addiction, and what can often be a tumultuous journey back to health.
"The original reason PEP started 14 years ago was that crystal meth hit Strathcona County in a bad way. Our three co-founders - a probation officer, a family support worker and a business owner whose child was struggling with addiction - realized there was a gap in helping parents come together and be supported," says Greig.
"Even now there is still a lot of stigma around addiction. Unfortunately, we often start conversations by appearing to blame the parents for it. That's what they found too, so our co-founders realized they needed to come together as a group, and that's how PEP was born."
Greig, who has worked in the field of addictions for the past 13 years following a lengthy career in sales and marketing with a major printing company, has lived experience with addictions. She says PEP's focus on family-based support is what differentiates it from many other mental health and addictions programs.
"We really are a family-centered support group, with trained professionals who work on teaching or empowering families to stay healthy in the midst of the chaos of addiction," she explains.
PEP's services include an around-the-clock parent support line (780-293-0737) as well as a Parent Mentorship Program, offering peer-to-peer support. It connects newcomers with parent mentors who offer empathy, compassion, ideas and hope to those who desperately need it.
"PEP also has a restorative justice component. So I manage a program called MEDD-X, and I get referrals from probation officers and Edmonton Drug Treatment Court Services," says Greig.
"It involves people who have been charged with trafficking drugs, and they come to our meetings and become an integral component of PEP. They see the impact their lifestyle has had on families, including their own family, and become a resource for parents."
As Greig tells it, putting people together who don't initially trust or respect each other can sometimes create a kind of magic, as hostility and anger gradually give way to understanding, empathy and compassion, creating the foundation for a supportive community.
"What I've also seen is the growth of extended families attending our sessions, including grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles. A lot of times we see people filling roles as parents when it's not really their role to play," she says.
"I think what we're still not recognizing today is that addiction is no longer an Alberta Health situation, or an Alberta Justice situation, or an Alberta Community and Social Services situation. It's a you and me issue, and it's really going to take all of us working together to combat and to effect some change in addictions and mental health."
Although PEP is focused on supporting parents first and foremost, it also organizes a separate discussion group for children and young adults.
"It's called U-turn, and it's a group that meets in Sherwood Park. It's for youth and young adults, from 13 to 25, and they meet with professional facilitators in a separate room. Most are still actively using (drugs) so the group meetings are aimed at helping them with coping skills so they can start making better life choices."
The University of Alberta's Department of Psychiatry has been a key supporter of PEP's community outreach efforts and has actively participated in key community forums.
"The department has been an influential and important voice at our community forums," says Greig. "In particular, the Department of Psychiatry played a key role in the PEP Talks Drugs forum that addressed the fentanyl and opioids crisis, and more recently at the PEP Talks POT gathering we sponsored last year. Dr. Roger Bland, Professor Emeritus, has participated in our panel discussions for two years. So it has been a great collaborative partnership."
PEP also plays an important role as a health system navigator for overwhelmed parents and guardians, and as a voice of advocacy for parents.
"For example, PEP was instrumental in 2006 in getting the government to introduce the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act (PChAD), which gives parents or legal guardians the right to seek a court protection order so an addicted child who is at risk can be held in protective custody for up to 10 days," she says.
In addition, PEP participates in the Valuing Mental Health Stakeholders Committee and works with various public service agencies including Strathcona Family & Community Services; Alberta Health Services Addiction & Mental Health; Strathcona RCMP; Edmonton Police Service; and Alberta Justice & Solicitor General (Courts & Community Corrections).
"We're very lucky to have some good partnerships in the community. Strathcona County supports us with a partnership grant and a host office space, but our activities are funded largely through private donations," she says.
"We also apply for community foundation grants. We apply for various levels of government funding and are hopeful that other municipalities will recognize their need for PEP's innovative programs, along with provincial and federal support."
One major trend that Greig sees unfolding today is the emergence of more concurrent disorders, as individuals struggle with complex and intertwined mental health and addictions issues simultaneously. She believes it stems partly from the nonstop stresses and speed of 21st century life.
"I think part of it comes down to the pace of our culture, so your anxiety and stress levels are higher, plus the fact that our culture is a bit disconnected," she says. "There aren't as many traditional husband-and-wife or two-parent households providing discipline and love for kids. There is a brokenness of the family unit we used to know and understand 30 years ago, and children don't know how to deal with the emotional pain of that."
The structure of today's economy and the constant incursion of technology in our lives are other factors that Greig believes contribute to the sense of isolation and yearning for escapism that many people experience.
"Based on the economy we have, both parents are often working out of the home today," she notes. "Sure, we have technology and the Internet and social media, but I think we have moved away from the basic relationships we used to have, the face-to-face interactions and the sense of community. I think that's where a lot of PEP's strength comes into play."
The nonprofit community organization, now in its 14th year, hosts regular discussion groups involving roughly 30 parents and other guardians who are struggling to support children addicted to crack cocaine, fentanyl, crystal meth or other drugs.
PEP's weekly gatherings, held Tuesday evenings from 7 pm to 9 pm, alternate between the Strathcona County Community Centre in Sherwood Park and the Sunrise Community Church in Mill Woods.
The sessions, run by Greig and other professional facilitators, provide a refuge for stressed-out caregivers to share their fears, frustrations, mutual support and first-hand experience with the ravages of addiction, and what can often be a tumultuous journey back to health.
"The original reason PEP started 14 years ago was that crystal meth hit Strathcona County in a bad way. Our three co-founders - a probation officer, a family support worker and a business owner whose child was struggling with addiction - realized there was a gap in helping parents come together and be supported," says Greig.
"Even now there is still a lot of stigma around addiction. Unfortunately, we often start conversations by appearing to blame the parents for it. That's what they found too, so our co-founders realized they needed to come together as a group, and that's how PEP was born."
Greig, who has worked in the field of addictions for the past 13 years following a lengthy career in sales and marketing with a major printing company, has lived experience with addictions. She says PEP's focus on family-based support is what differentiates it from many other mental health and addictions programs.
"We really are a family-centered support group, with trained professionals who work on teaching or empowering families to stay healthy in the midst of the chaos of addiction," she explains.
PEP's services include an around-the-clock parent support line (780-293-0737) as well as a Parent Mentorship Program, offering peer-to-peer support. It connects newcomers with parent mentors who offer empathy, compassion, ideas and hope to those who desperately need it.
"PEP also has a restorative justice component. So I manage a program called MEDD-X, and I get referrals from probation officers and Edmonton Drug Treatment Court Services," says Greig.
"It involves people who have been charged with trafficking drugs, and they come to our meetings and become an integral component of PEP. They see the impact their lifestyle has had on families, including their own family, and become a resource for parents."
As Greig tells it, putting people together who don't initially trust or respect each other can sometimes create a kind of magic, as hostility and anger gradually give way to understanding, empathy and compassion, creating the foundation for a supportive community.
"What I've also seen is the growth of extended families attending our sessions, including grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles. A lot of times we see people filling roles as parents when it's not really their role to play," she says.
"I think what we're still not recognizing today is that addiction is no longer an Alberta Health situation, or an Alberta Justice situation, or an Alberta Community and Social Services situation. It's a you and me issue, and it's really going to take all of us working together to combat and to effect some change in addictions and mental health."
Although PEP is focused on supporting parents first and foremost, it also organizes a separate discussion group for children and young adults.
"It's called U-turn, and it's a group that meets in Sherwood Park. It's for youth and young adults, from 13 to 25, and they meet with professional facilitators in a separate room. Most are still actively using (drugs) so the group meetings are aimed at helping them with coping skills so they can start making better life choices."
The University of Alberta's Department of Psychiatry has been a key supporter of PEP's community outreach efforts and has actively participated in key community forums.
"The department has been an influential and important voice at our community forums," says Greig. "In particular, the Department of Psychiatry played a key role in the PEP Talks Drugs forum that addressed the fentanyl and opioids crisis, and more recently at the PEP Talks POT gathering we sponsored last year. Dr. Roger Bland, Professor Emeritus, has participated in our panel discussions for two years. So it has been a great collaborative partnership."
PEP also plays an important role as a health system navigator for overwhelmed parents and guardians, and as a voice of advocacy for parents.
"For example, PEP was instrumental in 2006 in getting the government to introduce the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act (PChAD), which gives parents or legal guardians the right to seek a court protection order so an addicted child who is at risk can be held in protective custody for up to 10 days," she says.
In addition, PEP participates in the Valuing Mental Health Stakeholders Committee and works with various public service agencies including Strathcona Family & Community Services; Alberta Health Services Addiction & Mental Health; Strathcona RCMP; Edmonton Police Service; and Alberta Justice & Solicitor General (Courts & Community Corrections).
"We're very lucky to have some good partnerships in the community. Strathcona County supports us with a partnership grant and a host office space, but our activities are funded largely through private donations," she says.
"We also apply for community foundation grants. We apply for various levels of government funding and are hopeful that other municipalities will recognize their need for PEP's innovative programs, along with provincial and federal support."
One major trend that Greig sees unfolding today is the emergence of more concurrent disorders, as individuals struggle with complex and intertwined mental health and addictions issues simultaneously. She believes it stems partly from the nonstop stresses and speed of 21st century life.
"I think part of it comes down to the pace of our culture, so your anxiety and stress levels are higher, plus the fact that our culture is a bit disconnected," she says. "There aren't as many traditional husband-and-wife or two-parent households providing discipline and love for kids. There is a brokenness of the family unit we used to know and understand 30 years ago, and children don't know how to deal with the emotional pain of that."
The structure of today's economy and the constant incursion of technology in our lives are other factors that Greig believes contribute to the sense of isolation and yearning for escapism that many people experience.
"Based on the economy we have, both parents are often working out of the home today," she notes. "Sure, we have technology and the Internet and social media, but I think we have moved away from the basic relationships we used to have, the face-to-face interactions and the sense of community. I think that's where a lot of PEP's strength comes into play."