What We Do
Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH) provides direct and contracted community-based services to children, youth under the age of 19 and their families on a voluntary basis. This is most often accomplished through partnership with families and community partners. We also offer information, consultation and training support to other service providers who may be working directly with individuals who are not receiving services from CYMH.
Referrals of a child or youth can be made to CYMH by the child or youth themselves, and individuals who are directly involved with the child and youth such as family members and other agencies or service providers. The child/youth or parent/guardian must have knowledge of the referral and agree prior to referral by an agency or service provider.
Clients go through an initial screening and intake process that ensures mental health services are appropriate for them. If a referral is judged to be inappropriate for our services, attempts will be made to redirect or link the referring person with a more appropriate agency or health provider. Once a referral is accepted to Child and Youth Mental Health, the child or youth's need for service is prioritized according to their level of risk and impairment. Clients who are suicidal or experiencing extreme impaired functioning due to acute mental illness have the highest priority. (Visit If You Need Help for resources).
CYMHS staff typically includes psychologists, social workers, counsellors with masters degrees, and nurses. In a collaborative manner with the client and/or family, staff members provide services for the client such as assessment and planning, treatment, management of community issues, and consultation with individuals involved with the client. Consultation with individuals other than the child or youth occurs after the child or youth has given "informed consent" to the sharing of information. If the child or youth is not able to consent to the sharing of information, the parent or guardian must provide consent.
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