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Want to know more about Frances Stone?
Frances Stone is a Canadian Certified Addiction Counsellor who throughout her career in mental health and addiction has worked in radio, rehabilitation, and addiction treatment centres for men & women with substance misuse disorder and mental illness. She proudly serves as a Committee Member for səmiq̓ʷəʔelə/Riverview Public Advisory Group with First Nation and B.C. Housing. Frances is currently working on her memoir,
her personal story of recovery from addiction, abuse and poverty. Frances identifies as a Metis woman and mother in long-term recovery from addiction and mental illness with a Bipolar 2 mental health diagnosis. Her hope is to utilize her education & lived experience to help others that are struggling to achieve and maintain sobriety and mental wellness through her writing and YouTube videos.
Addiction Perspective
Addiction is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual in nature. It is experiencing a craving, loss of control, compulsion and consequences. It is a complex & individual medical issue, not a moral failing. Addiction is continuing to use any substance or behaviour in a compulsive manner despite experiencing harmful consequences in your life. You can be equally addicted to substances such as alcohol, drugs, pills, and nicotine as well as foods such as fat, oil and sugar. Behaviours such as shopping, codependent relationships, sex, work, anger, gaming, gambling, watching television and online streaming services can also be a form of addiction. What is different, is whether the consequences are mild or severe. Once you remove the physical dependency, the feeling and the thinking process are the same. That is why people will often replace one substance or behaviour with another, unable to find lasting peace, stability and recovery. Harm reduction in many forms is the reality of “the progress, not perfection” mantra of the recovery process. But where there is life – there is hope. If we don’t give up, we do recover.
Kind Words
"Frances is an intelligent, inspiring, and empathetic counsellor. Between her education, life experience, and passion for her work, Frances is firmly grounded in her craft and committed to her clients."
Sarah Adelsen-Lipsett, MA, RTC, MTC, Creative Climate Counselling
Mental Illness Perspective
According to the American Psychiatric Association, mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in emotion (mood), thinking or behaviour. Mental illness can be mild or severe. Common mental illnesses are Schizophrenia, Borderline Personality Disorder, Biploar Disorder 1 & 2, Anxiety Disorders, Depression Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Eating Disorders. Receiving a mental health diagnosis is not negative or positive information, it is simply information. The intention of a diagnosis is to move forward in the direction of how to best manage and support mental health. Medication, support, education, mindfulness activities as well as sleep hygiene, healthy diet and regular exercise can all be necessary components of an Individual Recovery Plan (IRP).
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Mental Health & Addiction Masterclass
Join Frances Stone for a FREE Weekly Mental Health & Addiction Conversation – This weekly LIVE class is designed to share Frances’ experience & education to empower people about common challenges and supportive solutions when navigating recovery from addiction and mental health issues.
Topics will include Signs of Mental Health Breakdown and Supporting Yourself in Times of Anxiety, Depression, Stress, and Overall Mental Health Management. We will discuss Tips & Tricks about Grief & Loss, Recovery Management, Relapse Prevention, Codependency, Emotional Regulation, Creating Healthy Relationships in Recovery, Finding Your Purpose & Passion in Recovery, Preventing Burnout, Workaholism, Money Recovery, SMART Goal Setting, Healthy Habits & Addiction Recovery, Dating in Recovery, The Creative Process in Recovery, Spiritual Tools of Recovery, Perfectionism, Value-Driven Parenting, Co-Parenting, Self-Esteem, Self-Love, Self-Care & Spirituality. Resources discussed will include how to create an Individual Recovery Plan (IRP), Recovery Capital, Stages of Change as well as helpful DBT & CBT tools for Effective Recovery Management. Guests will include interviews with inspiring authors, musicians, and leaders in the mental health and addiction field. This meeting will be recorded of the host (Frances Stone) video portion only and available on YouTube in a future podcast.
There will also be a Q&A portion of this recording. To submit a question for consideration, please subscribe to the email list. Please include your name or if you prefer to remain anonymous. Thank you.
Ways to Connect & Support:
Please kindly help me share the message that recovery from addiction is possible by kindly
FOLLOWING, SUBSCRIBING, SHARING & LIKING
these platforms and sharing with your friends & family
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