Moms Stop the Harm provides peer support

By Joan Janzen

Willi McCorriston is passionate about her involvement in Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH). As a member of the Board of Directors, she has been the Regional Director for Saskatchewan since 2019.

MSTH provides peer support for grieving families and helps people with loved ones who use or have used substances. As a national group, MSTH advocates for changes in drug policies and harm reduction.

Willi McCorriston is Regional Director for Saskatchewan for Moms Stop The Harm.

“We would like to see a safer supply available to people. Many of those dying are dying because there’s substances in the drugs that aren’t supposed to be there,” she explained.

Since its formation in 2015, the fifteen original members have now multiplied to a network of several thousands of Canadian families. “A lot of us didn’t know there was someone we could reach out to. There was a time when there were very few organizations,” Willi noted.

Each parent has a different story to tell, but all have been touched by the devastating effects resulting from substance abuse. Most of the parents have lost a child, and a large number have family who are using drugs or are in recovery.

“We have two support groups: Healing Hearts and Holding Hope,” Willi explained. “It’s a big part of what we do in those two supports. The support groups are both virtual and in-person, and we have a number of social media support groups.”

Through her daughter’s experience with substance abuse, Willi discovered that the prison system’s rehabilitation model did little to support persons with mental health and substance-related disorders.

“Quite often, people have a mental illness as well as a substance addiction. Corrections Canada acknowledges that they aren’t good at treating those things,” Willie said. “A lot of these people have had childhood trauma, which was never dealt with.”

She knows firsthand that criminalization is a very isolating experience, making mothers feel like they’re alone during a painful experience. “Having another parent to talk to is very helpful. If someone contacts us, we try to hook them up with another parent who had a similar circumstance,” Willi said.

It helps parents to have someone to talk to at a time when they feel misunderstood. Ideally, MSTH desires to help the parents with referrals to get help for their child if their child is willing to accept it.

She said Corrections Canada also acknowledges that people in jail don’t respond well to treatment, and most people aren’t there long enough to gain help or get stabilized. “Most of the programs are 12 step-based and don’t resonate with everyone, but it’s either that or nothing in prisons,” she said.

MSTH conducts presentations to local organizations, and most of its members are willing to share their personal stories. However, it’s not always possible if someone has a family member who is still struggling and doesn’t want their story told.

“We like to advocate for caring for people instead of punishing people,” Willi said. “Moms often find that being an advocate actually helps them.”

MSTH has a website (momsstoptheharm.com) where people can sign up. “We have lots of people who join on the website and get on our mailing list. There’s no fee,” she explained.