Young Hamiltonians #ReachOut to New Mental Health Service for Early Intervention
One out of every five young people in Hamilton will be affected by a mental illness and approximately 70% of mental health challenges have their onset in childhood or youth. However, research has demonstrated that the earlier mental illness is identified and treated, the better the outcome – from improved achievement in school to better health outcomes.
Inspired by this evidence and as the regional leader in mental health and addiction care, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton has developed a first-of-its kind program in the province: a Youth Wellness Centre dedicated to providing expert care in early intervention or young people aged 17 to 25 experiencing emerging mental health and addiction concerns.
One young Hamiltonian who understands the need for the centre on a personal level is Kyle Park, a 23-year-old McMaster student. Kyle always has always had feelings of anxiousness; describing it like “the hum of a refrigerator, something always there in the background.” A visible minority, growing up in the small town of Whitby; the pressures of an all-boys private school in Toronto; and the demands facing adolescents to choose a career path, bore feelings of disconnectedness.
By the time he arrived at McMaster University, Kyle’s anxiety had been overshadowed by depression. “I was having serious anger. I felt people were out to get me.” In an attempt to cope and suppress his plummeting emotions, Kyle began binge drinking. But he also knew he needed help, and he began searching online websites and YouTube videos for anything that would help him overcome his dark thoughts. He began to test theories advocating exercise, clean eating and socializing.
“Unfortunately, Kyle’s story is not out of the ordinary,” says Lisa Jeffs, Manager of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton’s Youth Wellness Centre. “We know adolescence is a time of increased vulnerability to mental health and addiction difficulties, impacting as many as 20% of young people. What is uncommon is that Kyle had the skills and motivation to act on his own, and seek out ways to improve his wellbeing. That’s very difficult for many people. One of the goals of the new Youth Wellness Centre is to make that step – that reach for help – easier.”
A first in Hamilton and across the province, St. Joe’s Youth Wellness Centre will provide professional support to help young adults make the same strides Kyle made and achieve success, early on. “Research has proven the earlier we can identify mental illness and intervene, the better the outcome for the person,” says Jeff.
Strategically located in the downtown core, the Youth Wellness Centre has been designed with significant input from those it will serve: the community’s youth and families with lived experience. “One of the things we heard from youth was that they wanted to access this kind of programming outside of the walls of a clinical or hospital setting,” says Jeffs. So while the new West 5th Campus is a remarkable facility, it didn’t make sense to put the Youth Wellness Centre there. Instead, we looked for a space where we could be a part of the community where youth are most comfortable – and that space is the downtown core.”
Ease of access was also identified as a key need – lengthy wait times for expert mental health care was a recurring theme. The Youth Wellness Centre is very similar to other clinical programs in that it is appointment based and requires a referral and assessment – however, in addition to the traditional physician-referral process, the centre is making it easier for young people to access care by enabling self-referral. In fact, even a family member, friend, teacher or school guidance counselor can refer someone to the centre. “With all of these access points, we expect there to be a high demand for the program,and have set an ambitious goal to provide appointments within three weeks after the initial contact,” says Jeffs.
The Youth Wellness Centre offers one on one counselling, peer support, family support, psychiatric consultation, and brief individual therapy. A nurse navigator will connect each client to the program that provides the best fit. If the client’s needs cannot be met by the Youth Wellness Centre’s services, the navigator will liaise with other agencies and programs within the community to provide a ‘warm hand-off’ to another service.
Although Kyle Park didn’t have access to the Youth Wellness Centre at the height of his mental health struggle, he is already an advocate for the centre. “The Youth Wellness Centre will provide support for young people during a critical phase,” says Kyle.
Now in his final year of university, Kyle’s outlook today is very different than it was even five years ago. “I’m still growing. It’s still a journey.” He’s adopted a number of strategies, including daily meditation and running. But Kyle views his recovery as an ongoing process, “there’s no such thing as a finish line to depression.”
For more information about St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton's Youth Wellness Centre, including referral information and contact information, visit stjoes.ca/YouthWellnessCentre
#ReachOut
Young people also told us that raising awareness for the new centre required a modern way of communicating – and as a result of their feedback and engagement, we have developed and are launching an awareness campaign encouraging young people to #ReachOut. The campaign features youth created art and Kyle is one of multiple young Hamiltonians who have contributed a work of art to the #ReachOut exhibition celebrating the opening of the Youth Wellness Centre. Young people will be creating art and sharing the message on social media as part of the campaign over the next year.
To celebrate the #ReachOut exhibition, the public is welcome to a free, community open house event on Friday, March 13th from 7pm to 9pm at the centre. The exhibit features youth art that tells stories of individual experience combined with illustrations of how the Youth Wellness Centre will re-imagine care and break down barriers in our community; all with the goal of encouraging other young people to #ReachOut.
Visit ReachOutHamilton.ca for more information.
Follow the conversation using #ReachOut hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.
If you have any questions about the #ReachOut campaign, please connect by emailing publicaffairs@stjoes.ca.