“I can truly say that The Sashbear Foundation was the light that gave us hope.”
“The skills and peer support received during that course saved my sanity and my relationship with my daughter.”
You don’t have to carry this alone.
Life transforming skills and hope for families and communities, through workshops and evidence-based programs at no charge.
How can we help you today?
You are not alone in this.
Family Connections gives you skills, support and hope, free of charge, taught by people who have been where you are.
BPD is very treatable.
With the right therapy most people can recover and live a full, productive life. Start with what BPD is, what helps, and how to find a DBT therapist.
Bring families into the work.
Refer families to Family Connections, join the monthly Expert Education Series, or partner with us on research.
Join the sea of orange.
Walk in your city, volunteer, or donate so another family can get skills at no charge.
$0Free for every participant
24Hours of evidence-based skills
20+Countries offer the program
EN + FRAcross Canada, in both languages
The skills and peer support received during that course saved my sanity and my relationship with my daughter.
What we do
Skills, community and hope.
Family ConnectionsAn evidence-based program for family and friends of people with emotion dysregulation.The Sashbear WalkOur community comes together to create a sea of orange in cities across Canada.
Expert Education SeriesFree monthly talks with international experts on emotion dysregulation and family skills.
BPD AwarenessA powerful ripple effect of understanding, acceptance and hope, every May and all year.
The Sashbear Walk
Walk with us Ten cities. One sea of orange.
The largest event of its kind in Canada for emotion dysregulation and BPD.
Give
Families are counting on us.
Every dollar you give goes to provide skills, support and hope for family members and friends of someone with emotion dysregulation.
Why we’re here
Sashbear began with one family.
Lynn Courey and Mike Menu created The Sashbear Foundation in memory of their daughter Sasha, who lived with Borderline Personality Disorder and died by suicide in June 2011.
They brought Family Connections to community settings around Toronto in 2014. Today it reaches families across Canada, led by people who have lived it.
Every March 10, on Sasha’s birthday, we mark Mindfulness Day, to bring hope to others.
Our storyComing up
Free expert talks, live on Zoom.
- 7pm ET on Zoom
When Swimming Gets Hard: Supporting Young Athletes Through Pressure, Setbacks and Big Emotions
With ESWIM
- 7pm ET on Zoom
Understanding Eating Disorders: Early Identification and Evidence-Based Support
Dr. Nina Mafrici and Dr. Michele Foster
- 7pm ET on Zoom
Is It Really DBT? Questions to Ask Potential Therapists
Tony P. DuBose, PsyD
The good news
BPD is very treatable. Families can help.
Research has shown that people can recover, and that recovery is often long-lasting. The Sashbear Foundation gives families the evidence-based skills to be part of it, at no charge.
How can we help you today?
You are not alone in this.
Family Connections gives you skills, support and hope, free of charge, taught by people who have been where you are.
BPD is very treatable.
With the right therapy most people can recover and live a full, productive life. Start with what BPD is, what helps, and how to find a DBT therapist.
Bring families into the work.
Refer families to Family Connections, join the monthly Expert Education Series, or partner with us on research.
Join the sea of orange.
Walk in your city, volunteer, or donate so another family can get skills at no charge.
Why families
Family members are on the front lines.
One in four Canadians are affected by mental health challenges. Too often, the people supporting them end up isolated and hopeless, struggling with their own mental health.
Family Connections is a 24-hour group program that teaches them dialectical behaviour therapy skills, led by trained peers who speak from personal experience.
How the program worksThe evidence
Studied by researchers. Led by families.
Family Connections was developed by Dr. Alan Fruzzetti and Dr. Perry Hoffman in consultation with family members. Sashbear’s own team now helps shape the research.
- 2026BPD and Emotion Dysregulation
Online Family Connections compared with the face-to-face format
A naturalistic comparison found online groups comparably effective to in-person groups on burden and depression. Authors call for randomized replication.
Durpoix, Cohen, Slovak et al. - 2024Family Process
A randomized controlled trial of Family Connections
121 family members. No statistically significant differences against treatment as usual, though effect sizes were larger with Family Connections, and the patients of participating relatives improved significantly in stress, depression and anxiety.
Guillén, Fernández-Felipe, Marco et al. - 2024Family ProcessSashbear co-authored
What happens when caregivers become leaders
347 participants. Caregivers who went on to lead reported higher wellbeing and lower distress than those who did not. Preliminary, and supportive of caregiver-led rollout.
Hayes, Courey, Kells, Hyndman, Dempsey, Murphy - 2021Health Expectations
Family Connections for caregivers of youth in Ontario
94 caregivers across three Ontario sites. Significant improvements over time, including caregiver burden, grief and coping.
Boritz, Sheikhan, Hawke, McMain, Henderson
Try one skill
The difference between fixing and validating.
Mike Menu, Sashbear’s co-founder, calls it the transformational power of validation. When your loved one says:
Fixing
“That’s not true. We all try so hard.”
Validating
“It sounds really lonely right now. I’m here, and I want to understand.”
Fixing
“It’s not a big deal. Just move on.”
Validating
“This really matters to you, so of course it hurts.”
Fixing
“After everything I do for you?”
Validating
“You’re feeling alone in this. Tell me more about what happened.”
Example wording for this preview. Sashbear’s peer leaders would write the real thing.
Coming up
Free expert talks, live on Zoom.
- 7pm ET on Zoom
When Swimming Gets Hard: Supporting Young Athletes Through Pressure, Setbacks and Big Emotions
With ESWIM
- 7pm ET on Zoom
Understanding Eating Disorders: Early Identification and Evidence-Based Support
Dr. Nina Mafrici and Dr. Michele Foster
- 7pm ET on Zoom
Is It Really DBT? Questions to Ask Potential Therapists
Tony P. DuBose, PsyD
One quiet minute
March 10 is Mindfulness Day.
Each year on Sasha’s birthday we ground ourselves in the present. You can do that here, right now.
One quiet minute.
No need to evaluate anything. Just notice this moment.
Shine a light on BPD.
Life transforming skills and hope for families across Canada, at no charge.
15 landmarks lit in 2026CN Tower, May 24
A stigma free world where life coping skills, support and hope are available and accessible to anyone in need.
How can we help you today?
You are not alone in this.
Family Connections gives you skills, support and hope, free of charge, taught by people who have been where you are.
BPD is very treatable.
With the right therapy most people can recover and live a full, productive life. Start with what BPD is, what helps, and how to find a DBT therapist.
Bring families into the work.
Refer families to Family Connections, join the monthly Expert Education Series, or partner with us on research.
Join the sea of orange.
Walk in your city, volunteer, or donate so another family can get skills at no charge.
What we do
Four ways we make waves.
Landmarks
Fifteen landmarks. One message.
Health Canada recognizes May as Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month. In 2026, these landmarks shone for it.
British Columbia
- BC PlaceMay 9
- Vancouver Convention CentreMay 9
- Sails of Light, Canada PlaceMay 9
Alberta
- Calgary TELUS Convention CentreMay 9
- Calgary TELUS Spark Science CentreMay 9
- Calgary Reconciliation Bridge*May 9
- High Level Bridge, EdmontonMay 23
Saskatchewan
- Saskatoon City HallMay 17
- Prairie Wind MonumentMay 17
Manitoba
- Esplanade Riel BridgeMay 21
- WINNIPEG signMay 21
Ontario
- Burlington Brant Street PierMay 24
- CN TowerMay 24
- Mississauga Clock TowerMay 24
- OTTAWA 3D sign, Byward MarketMay 24
*The Calgary Reconciliation Bridge is lit yellow, because orange is reserved for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.
Stories
Hope is the whole point.
“A life worth living truly is possible.”
“No matter how much water and sunlight you give to a flower, it will never be able to thrive if it’s planted in the wrong type of soil.”
“Healing shouldn’t be a luxury. And support shouldn’t be a privilege.”
“Hope that by sharing these skills, I can help families build bridges instead of walls.”
Why we’re here
Sashbear began with one family.
Lynn Courey and Mike Menu created The Sashbear Foundation in memory of their daughter Sasha, who lived with Borderline Personality Disorder and died by suicide in June 2011.
They brought Family Connections to community settings around Toronto in 2014. Today it reaches families across Canada, led by people who have lived it.
Every March 10, on Sasha’s birthday, we mark Mindfulness Day, to bring hope to others.
Our storyEvery family deserves skills, support and hope.
Make waves with us. Join a free program, walk in your city, or help another family find their footing.