Child & youth mental health
Mental health problems relate to our behaviour, emotions and relationships.
Serious mental health problems in childhood can include depression, anxiety, unmanageable behaviour, and an inability to get along with others.
These problems can cause much stress and heartache to children, youth, their families, their teachers, and the community. In addition, they often lead to even more serious mental health problems in adulthood.
A wide range of programs and services staffed by well-trained professionals who are connected to other local and provincial services is available to support your child and your family.
We help families of children who have a mental health challenge through these programs:
- Through spending time with both the individual and the family unit, counselors can provide an assessment based on observations, and recommend a particular type of treatment or a treatment plan.
- Once treatment is determined, the child or youth, family, and all Hands professionals involved can identify goals or milestones and work together to monitor the path to achieving these goals that are tailored to the child or youth’s individual needs.
- Identifying and achieving these goals and milestones can lead to improved family functioning, increase positive family dynamics, and help the family to understand the impact of the problem on both the child or youth, and the family unit.
- The School Mental Heath program begins by assessing the child or youth’s individual needs through interviews with the individual, parents and/or caregivers and teachers.
- A team is then developed based on the assessment to establish goals and develop an individualized plan tailored to the child or youth’s individual needs.
- School-Based Mental Health Services can indirectly decrease stress within the family by increasing success in the school setting, communicating the child/youth’s progress to the family and by the transference of skills learned in school to home life.
There are 3 levels of School Mental Health involvement:
1. Classroom
School Mental Health facilitators from Hands meet with teachers to collaborate and develop a plan that will assist the individual to be successful at school.
2. Group
School Mental Health facilitators from Hands form groups where children/youth are taught new skills and strategies to promote success at school. The new skills are practiced within the group setting and students are encouraged to use their newly developed skills in their day-to-day life.
3. Individual
Both Classroom and Group involvement processes are used along with one-on-one support with the child/youth to problem solve, teach new skills, coach, and provide counseling support within the school setting.
- Mental Health facilitators from Hands complete a family assessment based on observations made in the child’s home environment.
- Based on the assessment information, the home-based worker(s) and the family unit come together to establish goals and develop a plan that is tailored to the child’s individual needs.
- Progress is made through role-playing exercises, coaching, modeling and counseling within the family unit.
- Mental Health facilitators from Hands join the family in daily activities to share immediate observations and provide feedback that reflects progress in the home on a regular basis.
- This service can help the family to understand the impact of the problem on both the child/youth and the family as a whole, and provide strategies that lead to improved functioning and positive family dynamics.
