NEW Tele-Mental Health Referral Package Available

SOAHAC has been the coordinating agency for the Aboriginal Child and Youth Tele-Mental Health Service in this region for almost two years, and we are pleased to introduce a new and improved referral package to assist you accessing and/or making referrals to the service.

Tele-Mental Health Referral Package (PDF)

The Tele-Mental Health Service uses existing videoconferencing technology (Ontario Telemedicine Network) to connect under-served children and youth to a mental health specialist/child psychiatrist as close to home as possible. This is a provincial service offered through Sick Kids, to which any Indigenous child or youth can be referred by any service provider who works with them. This includes professionals from schools, hospitals, friendship centres, and health services or youth workers in the justice system. Individuals and families can also access the service by connecting with the Tele-Mental Health Coordinator at SOAHAC.

The improved referral package from Sick Kids is 5 pages long. It has been made more accessible with larger font, and clearer, more specific family questions. Aboriginal clients and families are still required to complete a SOAHAC consent form, and have the opportunity to complete the Aboriginal questionnaire with their service provider or the support of the Tele-Mental Health Coordinator. All of this ensures that the psychiatrist/child mental health specialist is equipped with the proper information to address the youth’s needs when they meet, and that their culture is acknowledged and honoured as part of a wholistic view of mental wellness.

For further information or support, or to make a referral, please contact the Tele-Mental Health Coordinator:

Christine Maracle-Lockwood, 519-289-0352, [email protected]

Learn more about the Provincial Tele-Mental Health Service (TMHS)