Mental Health Resources

Living Life To The Full is an online, 12-hour, eight-week mental health promotion program offering free opportunities for Ontario adults on the spectrum to learn wellness and coping skills using the tenets of cognitive behavioural therapy. Participants are taught how to deal with their feelings when fed up, worried, or hopeless, and learn skills that help them tackle life’s problems.

Our participants found this course to be valuable. The overwhelming majority of Autistic adult participants who responded to the post-program survey (91.6%) thought the program was valuable, very valuable or extremely valuable. Of autistic survey respondents, 89.5% were either satisfied or very satisfied with the course, 68.6% reported that they used the LLTTF skills outside the program some of the time or most of the time, and 77.7% said they were somewhat likely or very likely to attend another CBT course like this one.

This year 50 autistic adults attended Living Life to the Full.

"Thank you so much, this is the best program I have ever been a part of and I will definitely use these tools in the future,"(program participant).

"This was a wonderful experience to be part of. Really opened up new opportunities and dealing with everything. Thank you,"(program participant).

"There were a few beliefs I had previously held, that were not helpful to me. The biggest one was probably that I needed to get an entire task done; whereas "Living Life to the Full" teaches that any project can be achieved by breaking the task down into smaller steps, thereby becoming less daunting,"(program participant).

Autism Ontario is not currently offering this course.

If you’re interested in attending a course, becoming a trained facilitator, or purchasing the course materials, please visit CMHA British Columbia’s website at: livinglifetothefull.ca or contact them at: living.life@cmha.bc.ca

Have questions about other mental health resources in Ontario? Contact adultsupports@autismontario.com or call 1-800-472-7789 ext. 230 for information. 

The joys and responsibilities of parenting an autistic child often come with a high degree of stress. Caregivers of autistic individuals generally experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression when compared to families of neurotypical children and children with other disabilities. 

What is the CARES Caregiver Support Program?
The CARES Caregiver Support Program is an innovative, multi-week, group-based program focusing on the social, emotional, and psychological challenges that can arise among caregivers of autistic children. 

The CARES program provides a safe space for caregivers to share their experiences and develop a sense of shared identity. This program is focused specifically on caregivers, not on their child’s behaviour or unique journeys, and has been developed by our partners at the South Asian Autism Awareness Centre (SAAAC).

This program offers eight weeks of connection with other caregivers where you will discuss topics such as:

• Let’s Talk About Stress
• Helpful Thinking
• Rewriting Our Story
• Problem Solving
• Self-Compassion

"The CARES program provided a safe space to be ourselves and express our own thoughts and feelings without judgement. The coordinators went through the CARES book, going through different scenarios and tips/tricks for us to use if need be. These groups are essential, as some of us, especially the ones in remote locations, only have these support groups to work with."

Thanks to the generosity of our community, Autism Ontario’s Adult Programs have already made a meaningful impact—but there is still more to do. Donate today to help more autistic adults across Ontario access vital virtual and in-person programs, now and in the future.