Welcome to The Client and Family Resource Hub

The Client and Family Resource Hub is a welcoming space located at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. Staffed by helpful and knowledgeable volunteers, it’s a “one-stop-shop” for clients, their family members, caregivers, and trusted others. The Client and Family Resource Hub is located in room 1113 near the main reception area. (Operating hours are typically Mondays and Wednesdays 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays 1­­–7 p.m. but are subject to change.) Drop by if you have questions about the services, programs, and resources at The Royal and in the wider community. Free access to computers and Wi-Fi is also available.

This page is an online companion to The Hub. Here’s where you will find information about: 

• Navigating The Royal
• How to get help
• Helpful resources
• Peer support
• Sharing feedback
• Getting involved  
• Participating in research 

If you have a question and can’t find the answer here, send an email to resourcehub@theroyal.ca. Someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Navigating The Royal

• Client admission handbooks
  • Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre Care and Recovery Handbook
  • Brockville Mental Health Centre Family and Friends Information Guide
• Coming to stay as a client
• Visiting hours and parking information
• Maps:
  • Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
  • Brockville Mental Health Centre
    • Directions to Brockville Mental Health Centre from 401 Eastbound
    • Directions to Brockville Mental Health Centre from 401 Westbound

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How to get help

• If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs emotional support, these crisis and distress lines can help.
• AccessMHA (AccessMHA.ca) is a web-based service that provides a single point of entry to eastern Ontario’s system of care for people need support with mental health and substance use issues.
• The Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinic is a digital walk-in clinic for individuals seeking support for substance use. Go to theroyal.accessRAAM.ca during clinic hours to connect with the RAAM team.

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Helpful resources

• Family Services 
• Other mental health resources
• Mental wellness apps
• Mental hygiene: Challenge yourself to take charge of your mental health
• Self-management online tools and resources

• BounceBack
• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) 2SLGBTQI+ community supports 
• Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA)
• Connex Ontario
• Counselling Connect: Free phone or video counselling
• Ontario.ca: Mental health and addiction services for Indigenous individuals and families
• Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition 
• Pleo 
• Psychiatric Survivors of Ottawa 
• Recovery College (Ontario Shores) 
• She Walks Canada – Changing our relationship with alcohol 
• Wabano Centre 

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Peer support

Peer support is a supportive relationship between people who have lived experience in common. Peer support specialists at The Royal are in a unique position to offer support and guidance to clients and families. Peer support specialists meet with clients and/or family members as equals, validate each other’s lived experiences, provide support for their concerns, and inspire a hopeful future for those living with mental health and substance use challenges. Peer support specialists are not clinicians, but rather, provide confidential, personalized support that meets clients’ and family members’ individual needs and circumstances.  Click here for more information about peer support or contact resourcehub@theroyal.ca.

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Sharing feedback

There are a few different ways you can share a compliment, concern, or suggestion about care or services at The Royal. You can:

• Speak directly to the staff providing your care and services, or 
• Fill out the Client and Family Feedback Form, or 
• Contact Jackie Desrochers, the manager of client and family relations at The Royal. Part of Jackie's role at The Royal is to listen to client and family feedback, help resolve concerns, and share feedback with staff to help improve care and services. You can contact her at jacqueline.derochers@theroyal.ca.

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Getting involved 

There are many reasons why people choose to get involved with The Royal, and many opportunities to do so!  

Volunteering provides a unique opportunity to get involved, give back, and develop new skills. With over 470 volunteers who dedicate their time, skills and talents in a wide variety of ways, our volunteers contribute to building our community both inside and outside of the walls of our facilities. 

Click here for current volunteer opportunities. 

You can also consider:

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Joining the Client Advisory Council (CAC) – The CAC is an advisory and advocacy council representing clients of The Royal. CAC members are clients with lived experience who have received care from different programs at The Royal. Read more about the Client Advisory Council here.

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Joining the Family Advisory Council (FAC) – The FAC is the voice of families at The Royal, transforming lives through family partnership in care, policy, programs and research. We are family and/or friends supporting loved ones through their mental health journey, either through care from The Royal or elsewhere. Read more about the Family Advisory Council here. 

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Participating in research

In order for our researchers to better understand mental health, it is critical for them to work closely with the people who are living with it. Research conducted at the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR) at The Royal depends on volunteers from our community, who become important partners in clinical studies.

These studies help bring researchers closer to unlocking the mysteries of the human brain, which can lead to new and effective ways to prevent, detect, identify, manage and treat mental health conditions and substance use disorders.

Help us to improve mental health care at The Royal and around the world! Learn more about clinical research at The Royal on this page. 

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