Improving access to mental health services for youth
I had such low self-confidence before and a lot of self-hatred. There’s so much support here. I see a counsellor here and she really helps me just enjoy life…and just being able to cope. When you take somebody to hospital, they’re assessed, triaged if they don’t require admission, they don’t get anything most of the time. Your family doctor makes a referral or a recommendation and you sit on a wait list for like six months. The energy should really be spent on getting better, not trying to find a service. So that young people can walk up to one door, they can step through that door and say you know, “I’m having a really hard time.” Here I met people, I’m learning new skills… It just makes you feel like you’re a part of something instead of just going to an appointment every week. I can’t say enough what that has done for their confidence, for their ability to move forward, for hope for the future.
Integrated Youth Services (IYS) hubs provide barrier free access to quality mental health supports and related services so that youth can get the help they need, when they need it, in one location. Watch to learn how IYS is helping young people get help faster and easier.
Through the Bell-Graham Boeckh Foundation Partnership, we’re proud to support IYS initiatives across Canada so that more young people can access the supports that they need, when they need them. To learn more or find an IYS network delivering services visit https://bit.ly/3BVAdR9.