The Yukon's first grassroots community mental health organization, Second Opinion Society has nearly twenty-five years of experience in building community and promoting alternatives to psychiatry and the mental health system. We have a long history of community development, peer support, access to social and recreational activities, and public education in holistic alternatives that address the needs and aspirations of the whole person.

 

Our vision

We aim at creating and nurture a community where everyone is equal, respected, encouraged, and empowered to take ownership of their lives.

 

Our mission

SOS is a safe, accessible, non-judgemental, support and resource community, which offers an alternative and holistic approach and services to endorse mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness. We promote choices through education, advocacy, and support.

 

Guiding Principles
 

1. Choice: We believe that people facing mental health challenges have the right to define themselves, define what recovery is and how best to achieve it, and determine the direction of their own lives. Choice is about having access to non-bias information and being able to take ownership for the decisions one makes.

2. Inclusion:  We aim to promote an environment that fosters a sense of connectedness, belonging, openness and non-judgment. We focus on ensuring that our community embraces and celebrates the uniqueness and diversity of all those who walk through our doors.

3. Holistic Approach: We believe in a holistic, non-medical, self-directed approach to emotional healing and in the power of individuals to change and recover as expressed in the recovery model. We emphasize the need for education and advocacy in establishing a safe space to explore one’s next steps.

4. Voice: We believe that people facing mental health challenges have the right to be heard, validated and acknowledged for the experiences that they have had. We believe in honouring the history and stories of those who have been marginalized and stigmatized. We aim to ensure that all means of communication and expression are celebrated and that everyone feels empowered to share.

5. Rights Protection: We believe in social change, advocacy and education to safeguard the rights of all those who have experienced mental health challenges, to combat discrimination, and to make mental health care more responsive and accountable to those who use it.