An environmental scan of mental health services for indigenous youth in Canada.

Abstract

Background: There is an urgent need for culturally and contextually relevant mental health support for First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth.

Objective: Our aim was to identify mental health and wellness services that are currently available to Indigenous youth across Canada.

Methodology: As a first step, we conducted a web-based environmental scan of services tailored to Indigenous youth. Specific factors were examined for each program, including organization type and mission, types of services, and who provides services.

Results: One hundred and seventeen programs were found, with 54% being non-profits and 34% being on-reserve. Four core features were identified. The first was a strengths-based focus, rather than a pathology/deficit-focus, in programs' vision and mission statements, reflected in words like wellness and resilience. The second (87% of included programs) was the integration of mental health services with a range of other services and supports (e.g., health, employment, housing). The third was the provision of land-based programming (in 34% of programs) such as camps or hunting. Such programs were framed as promoting wellness and healing and strengthening identity. The fourth was the role of community members without formal mental health professional training (in 42% of programs), for example, as youth workers or knowledge keepers. This stems not only from the dearth of specialists in many Indigenous settings, but also a valuing of Indigenous knowledge.

Conclusion: These core features in mental health services for Indigenous youth may be promising avenues for communities seeking to strengthen the services they offer to First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth.