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Grant to open mental health counselling service

NEWS RELEASE MEDAVIE HEALTH FOUNDATION ************************* At-risk youth in Sault Ste. Marie have improved, easy access to mental health care with today’s opening of the Walk In Counselling Service.
SooToday Staff

NEWS RELEASE

MEDAVIE HEALTH FOUNDATION

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At-risk youth in Sault Ste. Marie have improved, easy access to mental health care with today’s opening of the Walk In Counselling Service.

Medavie Health Foundation is providing a $30,000 grant to Algoma Family Services to help fund the new counselling service, the only service of its kind in Algoma District.

The Walk In Counselling Service offers free and timely mental health care to young people aged zero to 18 and their families, without a referral from a physician or other agency.

It is staffed by registered mental health professionals from Algoma Family Services and their partner agencies, including the Canadian Mental Health Association and Algoma Public Health.

Located at 386 Queen Street East, the counselling service is available every Tuesday, from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, call 705-759-0458.

Algoma Family Services is one of 15 organizations receiving funding through the Foundation’s 2015 Grants Program.

Since late 2011, the Foundation has committed over $6.4 million to single and multi-year grant and partnership programs, some of which have yet to be formally announced.

Quick Facts

  • The 2015 Report Card of Children’s Mental Health Ontario found that some 6,000 kids are waiting a year for mental health treatment and this number is expected to double by 2016. In Algoma District, a youth seeking assistance for depression can wait up to 18 months for services.

  • Without timely mental health help, kids can spiral downward, needing high levels of support at school, using emergency rooms and hospitals, ending up in child welfare or youth justice systems, and leaving families stressed out and unable to work.

  • A study of nine mental health walk-in service clinics in Ontario showed positive clinical outcomes and reduction in agency wait lists. After attending a single session at a walk-in, 91% of clients reported they “felt hopeful after the session,” at least 50% of clients required no further services and 68% reported improvement in their presenting concerns.

  • The report of the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Mental Youth recommended the development of walk-in services based on the emotional and mental health needs of families as part of a brief, collaborative and strength-focused approach to service delivery in Ontario communities.

Quotes

“Wait times are often identified as impeding timely access to mental health services for youth, which can have tragic consequences. The Walk In Counselling Service will provide at-risk youth with improved access to care, helping them to stay in school and out of the hospital, and reducing costs to the system. This aligns with the focus of our Foundation and our support of programs that improve the lives of those impacted by child and youth mental health.” said Patty Faith, Executive Director, Medavie Health Foundation.

“The Walk In Counselling Service provides much needed, quick access to professional help for non-crisis issues. We want to provide support for each person’s own unique needs, at a time when they most need - and are open to receiving - help. There are many children and youth on mental health care wait lists who will be able to make use of this service, while holding their place in the system. Together with our partner organizations, this Walk In Counselling Service allows us to deliver a service that each of us could not provide alone." said Barbara Gough, Manager Intake and assessment Clinical Services, Algoma Family Services.

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