The Online Peer Group Discussion
New Interest Groups for 2025
Two new interest groups have been specifically created to provide a space in which people with Tourette Syndrome and/or OCD can feel comfortable and at ease:
An online Dungeons and Dragons for adolescents 11 to 14 years olds
An online book and film club for adults
Please view details below and sign up by contacting Julian at: touretteocdabnetwork@ucalgary.ca
Tourette Canada Support Groups
Tourette Canada offers a range of weekly online support groups for moms, adults, and teenagers.
Moms of Children with Tourette Syndrome
This support group offers a safe, confidential and encouraging environment for moms who have children, of any age, living with Tourette Syndrome.
Adults with Tourette Syndrome
This is a great support group for any adult living with Tourette Syndrome. Join us every Tuesday night at 8:00 pm EST to be part of the conversation in this fun, encouraging, safe and empowering group where you’ll get to connect with other adults throughout Canada.
Youth Hangout (13-18)
Our Youth Hangout is a safe, encouraging, fun and educational group for youth between the ages of 13 and 18 living with Tourette Syndrome. In this group, youth can look forward to connecting with others in their age group throughout Canada, sharing some of their experiences, playing virtual games and learning new things about Tourette Syndrome, mental health, and self-care. If you are a parent of a youth, or a youth interested in joining our virtual group please reach out and join us every Wednesday night at 8:00pm EST.
Alberta OCD Foundation - AOCDF
Support Groups and Mentorship Program
Adults and OCD Support Group
Online, Alberta GOAL stands for "Giving OCD Another Lifestyle" based on the GOAL Handbook by Dr. Jonathan Grayson. The main objective of the GOAL group is to help each attendee develop self-help skills in an atmosphere that offers emotional and practical support. The GOAL group is free and open to all adult individuals who suffer from OCD.
Family & Caregiver OCD Support Group
Online, Alberta This free, drop-in support group is an opportunity to meet other family members (or caregivers) of someone who lives with OCD. It is a supportive environment that also offers tips and resources. Due to it's sharing nature, it is intended for family members and caregivers only.
Mentorship Program
The Alberta OCD Foundation is proud to announce our new Mentorship Program. The Mentorship Program pairs mentor and mentee applicants, with the goal of fostering a relationship that is valuable to both parties.
What is the online peer group discussion?
The peer discussion group is moderated by a psychologist with special interest in Tourette syndrome
The group meets weekly for 1.5 hours over a five week period to discuss and listen to each other's lived experience in relation to tic disorders and comorbid conditions. Dr. Jennifer Ference-Belhomme, who has facilitated these groups for the last three years, moderates the discussion. She is a clinical psychologist with the Alberta Children’s Hospital, and has a special interest in Tourette syndrome and neurodevelopmental disorders.
For the first 15-30 minutes of the discussion Dr. Ference-Belhomme presents a key issue, and the remaining hour/45 minutes is an opportunity to share family experiences, tips, and insights in relation to the topic.
To ensure we have a healthy discussion and different participant voices are heard, we cap the participant numbers at 15. Our primary aim is to share your lived experience and provide you and your family with support and guidance.
Exemplar discussion schedule and agenda
Week
1 Relationship challenges and family dynamics
2 Emotional regulation, anxiety, rigidity and perfectionism
3 Coping – for parents and for the children'
4 Building confidence and self efficacy to combat stigma associated with tics
5 ADHD, frustration, boredom tolerance, managing schoolwork and behavioural expectations
Parent Feedback
We have held many online peer group discussions during the last few years. We always strive to interview parents who participate and get feedback to enable us to improve the content and structure of the discussions going forward.
A summary of the main benefits parents report they gain from sharing lived experience:
- Parents are not alone. It is often very helpful for parents to know that others are having similar experiences.
- It provides a context to understand a Tourette syndrome diagnosis- eg, What does "moderate tics” mean?
- In comparing experiences with others, parents feel a connection, which they often find healing.
- The familial experience is normalized.
- Discussing the practical application of strategies week to week provides a renewed perspective on parenting.
- New ideas give opportunities for intra-family conversations about their child’s issues.
Quotes from previous peer support group participants
“I'm not alone, this isn't our own journey, there's lots of other people that are going through a similar journey and that was really comforting for me.”
“I think mostly it was kind of normalizing that we're kind of doing it the same as everybody else and that felt good.”
“She's allowed to feel her feelings and it just opened up for great conversations between all of us.”