On-Demand Event

Understanding Youth Suicide in Ontario: Insights from Bereaved Parents on the Systems of Care
Original Air Date: December 4th, 2025 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. ET  
Presented by Toula Kourgiantakis, t.s., Ph.D., RSW 

Description:

This webinar presents findings from a qualitative study exploring bereaved parents’ perspectives on Ontario’s systems of care that engaged with a young person in their lives who died by suicide. Participants will gain insights into systemic strengths, gaps, and barriers in youth mental health, addiction, and suicide prevention services. The session will also focus on how to identify and respond to youth in distress, provide compassionate care, elicit hope, and support parents and caregivers. The content is relevant for social workers in any context who wish to strengthen their practice with youth and families affected by mental health and addiction concerns, as well as suicide.

Presenter Bio:

Dr. Toula Kourgiantakis is an Associate Professor in Social Work at Université Laval and Director of the PhD program. Her research focuses on youth mental health and addictions, suicide prevention, family involvement in treatment, and strengthening social work practice. She currently leads several projects on youth suicide prevention, including a SSHRC-funded study on suicide risk assessment in emergency departments and a Fonds de recherche du Québec funded study on the trajectories of girls aged 12–17 who have attempted suicide. Her research is grounded in over 30 years of clinical practice as a social worker and family therapist.

Available On-Demand Until: 6th February 2026

Pricing: 

• OASW Members: FREE (OASW Member ID# Required) 
• Non-Members: $20 + HST

NOTE ABOUT REGISTRATION QUESTIONS:
OASW is committed to inclusion and promoting a diverse range of identities, experiences, perspectives, and voices across all areas of the Association. As such, the registration contains some optional questions that are intended to assist us to better understand our social work community and ensure that our work is reflective of the diverse membership of OASW and our profession.

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