When a child is experiencing mental health difficulties such as emotional trouble, socializing behaviour, or self-regulation, the need is often immediate and support for the whole family is usually required. The pandemic has taken a significant toll on the mental health of children. Before the pandemic began, half of Ontario’s children and youth were at risk for mental health issues. Sadly, the number of young people struggling with their mental health has only been increasing over the past two years. (CMHO)
How has CMHA WW transformed the way we provide service in a more effective and efficient way to reduce the wait list in Children’s services? In June 2021, the team introduced Brief Service. Brief Service builds a child’s skills and reduces their immediate needs. It also builds a caregiver’s understanding about how to help their child. Brief Service includes, up to 10 counselling sessions, this could be therapeutic support for the child who is 0 to 6 years of age and their parent/caregiver or one to one counselling for a child/youth who is 6 to 18 years of age, including the parent/caregiver as needed. Parents/caregivers participate as this relationship is a critical part of their child’s mental health journey. Help for the family to connect with other community services and resources such as housing, financial, food, school connection is also provided if needed.
“I have seen an immense amount of resilience, strength, and growth within those who have attended our Brief Service. I have worked with youth who have gone from struggling with significant anxiety where they weren’t able to attend school in person, to actively attending school every day while using their coping skills and having the backing of their school and family to help guide them after our time together. A lot of great work can be done in a Brief model which can allow families to move forward with their lives rather than continue to feel stuck while waiting for services. Through this program, I’ve been able to see and support children and youth to better understand themselves, their experiences, and the impacts of their experiences, children and youth to begin to positively cope with and work through their anxieties, trauma, depression, and other mental health complexities, parents to better understand, support, and connect with their child or youth as well as their own self-care needs, and families to receive the help they need and deserve in a timely manner,” says Sarah Popowich, Mental Health Clinician, Children’s Services CMHA WW.
Since the introduction of Brief Service there has been a decrease in waiting from 8-9 months to 3 months in Guelph and less than 2 months in Centre Wellington for Children’s mental health support. Oftentimes families worry about being discharged from Children’s Services at CMHA WW in case they need support in the future and are faced with going back to square one at the bottom of the wait list. With the new Brief Service concept, families can come in and out of service on a need’s basis, this also means they are not on our caseload when they are not in need of service.
For more information about Brief Service, please click here.