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JAN STEWART, is a Toronto\\xa0mother of two children who have multiple and complex mental health disorders. She is also a mental health governance expert; and she is currently the Chair of\\xa0Kerry\'s Place Autism Services. We will discuss all of the above, as well as\\xa0her book, "Hold On Tight - A Parent\'s Journey Raising Children With Mental Illness".\\xa0

FROM HER WEBSITE:

"Jan Stewart is a highly regarded mental health governance expert and advocate.\\xa0Growing up in New York and moving to Toronto after marrying a Canadian, she was untouched by major adversity throughout her youth and imagined a similar, happy life for her children.\\xa0In her raw and emotional book Hold on Tight: A Parent\\u2019s Journey Raising Children with Mental Illness, she candidly describes the shock she and her husband faced when each of their two young children started exhibiting troubling behaviours.

While it took time to find the right doctors, diagnoses and treatments, Jan\\u2019s roller coaster journey with the children\\u2019s multiple mental health disorders taught her to insist on an integrated partnership approach with all those involved and propelled her to help parents of children with similar challenges.\\xa0Her book gives readers invaluable insights and advice to become empowered and inspires them to persevere and never give up.\\xa0It also importantly serves to better educate health care professionals on the parental perspective, as well as families, friends, educators and employers of those affected by these challenges.

While Jan takes great pride in her business career, the majority of which was spent as a senior Partner with the global executive search firm Egon Zehnder, it is her mental health governance experience that has been the most meaningful to her.\\xa0This includes currently Chairing the Board at Kerry\\u2019s Place Autism Services, Canada\\u2019s largest autism services provider, and previously serving as Vice Chair at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.\\xa0She also served on the Parent Advisory Council at Mass General Hospital\\u2019s Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Advisory Council of Access Open Minds, the Advisory Board of LIGHTS, and the Board of Directors of the former Ontario OCD Network.\\xa0In addition, she co-founded the OCD Parent Advisory Group at SickKids Hospital."

janstewartauthor.com