In this qualitative study, researchers interviewed 10 participants (five mentees and five mentors) of the 2020–2021 Artemo Black Youth Mentorship program session. The Artemo program takes place with Black youth across Alberta, with a focus in Edmonton, Calgary, and Fort McMurray. The program focuses on providing supports for a mental health preventative approach, employment/educational supports, and a gender intersectionality focus throughout Alberta. To assess the program, organizers hired an independent researcher to maintain anonymity. Findings from the interviews spoke to larger themes related to Black youth mental health and well-being, as well as community-based approaches to supporting them. Our findings offer three key themes. First, youth offered their own perceptions of mental wellness. Second, they explained stigma, a lack of cultural competency and representation among service providers, and financial costs, as significant barriers to mental health and wellness. Third they discussed opportunities for youth mentorship to fill service gaps and act as a form of resistance. Opportunities include strategies to navigate mental health stigma, opportunities to build trust, benefits of centralizing experiences of race and culture, and benefits of non-medicalized mental wellness support.
{"title":"Black Youth Mentorship: Project Artemo and Opportunities for Proactive Cross-Sector Mental Wellness Support","authors":"Mia Tulli-Shah, Odion Welch, Emmanuel Onah","doi":"10.7870/cjcmh-2023-030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2023-030","url":null,"abstract":"In this qualitative study, researchers interviewed 10 participants (five mentees and five mentors) of the 2020–2021 Artemo Black Youth Mentorship program session. The Artemo program takes place with Black youth across Alberta, with a focus in Edmonton, Calgary, and Fort McMurray. The program focuses on providing supports for a mental health preventative approach, employment/educational supports, and a gender intersectionality focus throughout Alberta. To assess the program, organizers hired an independent researcher to maintain anonymity. Findings from the interviews spoke to larger themes related to Black youth mental health and well-being, as well as community-based approaches to supporting them. Our findings offer three key themes. First, youth offered their own perceptions of mental wellness. Second, they explained stigma, a lack of cultural competency and representation among service providers, and financial costs, as significant barriers to mental health and wellness. Third they discussed opportunities for youth mentorship to fill service gaps and act as a form of resistance. Opportunities include strategies to navigate mental health stigma, opportunities to build trust, benefits of centralizing experiences of race and culture, and benefits of non-medicalized mental wellness support.","PeriodicalId":514198,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health","volume":"50 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139603276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Polihronis, Laura Ziebell, Paula F. Cloutier, Ashley Radomski, Purnima Sundar, Sandie Leith, Jodie Stewart, Mario Cappelli
Findings from a novel Primary Care (PC) Mental Health (MH) pathway for children and young people in Northern Ontario, Canada are presented. Overall, 166 MH referrals from PC to a community-based child and youth MH and addictions agency (CB-CYMHA) occurred, with outstanding PC uptake (100%) and faxing referral outcomes (99%) from the CB-CYMHA to the PC provider. Half of referral outcomes (50%) were returned within 2 weeks and 83% of contacted clients reported satisfaction with services received. This successful pilot serves as an example for care pathway improvements and mobilizes knowledge for other pathway sites across Ontario.
{"title":"Closing the Referral Loop: Piloting a Clinical Pathway Between Primary Care and Community-Based Mental Health and Addictions Services","authors":"C. Polihronis, Laura Ziebell, Paula F. Cloutier, Ashley Radomski, Purnima Sundar, Sandie Leith, Jodie Stewart, Mario Cappelli","doi":"10.7870/cjcmh-2023-027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2023-027","url":null,"abstract":"Findings from a novel Primary Care (PC) Mental Health (MH) pathway for children and young people in Northern Ontario, Canada are presented. Overall, 166 MH referrals from PC to a community-based child and youth MH and addictions agency (CB-CYMHA) occurred, with outstanding PC uptake (100%) and faxing referral outcomes (99%) from the CB-CYMHA to the PC provider. Half of referral outcomes (50%) were returned within 2 weeks and 83% of contacted clients reported satisfaction with services received. This successful pilot serves as an example for care pathway improvements and mobilizes knowledge for other pathway sites across Ontario.","PeriodicalId":514198,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health","volume":"132 51","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139605199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rural regions across North America continue to suffer from a lack of community-level mental health supports. This exploratory study explores whether Men’s Sheds, bottom-up, community-driven groups designed to support retired and older men’s mental health by mimicking the social and collaborative aspects of “work-life” by creating opportunities to engage in project-based woodworking, metalworking or mechanics, are generating positive mental health outcomes for their members in rural communities in Alberta, Canada. Relying on a set of semi-structured interviews with participants across two rural Alberta Men’s Sheds, in addition to a sociodemographic and self-rating questionnaire, we demonstrate that the participants in these Sheds enjoy clear and significant mental health benefits by generating opportunities for camaraderie, a sense of purpose and a sense of inclusion. Although not an appropriate substitute for more formal mental health supports in certain situations, we conclude that supporting the formation of new Men’s Sheds throughout rural areas represents a worthwhile investment in the mental health of a group of vulnerable citizens.
{"title":"Men’s Sheds and Mental Health in Rural Communities: Exploring the Benefits of a Community-Level Program","authors":"Clark Banack, Kyle Y. Whitfield, Serena Isley","doi":"10.7870/cjcmh-2023-026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2023-026","url":null,"abstract":"Rural regions across North America continue to suffer from a lack of community-level mental health supports. This exploratory study explores whether Men’s Sheds, bottom-up, community-driven groups designed to support retired and older men’s mental health by mimicking the social and collaborative aspects of “work-life” by creating opportunities to engage in project-based woodworking, metalworking or mechanics, are generating positive mental health outcomes for their members in rural communities in Alberta, Canada. Relying on a set of semi-structured interviews with participants across two rural Alberta Men’s Sheds, in addition to a sociodemographic and self-rating questionnaire, we demonstrate that the participants in these Sheds enjoy clear and significant mental health benefits by generating opportunities for camaraderie, a sense of purpose and a sense of inclusion. Although not an appropriate substitute for more formal mental health supports in certain situations, we conclude that supporting the formation of new Men’s Sheds throughout rural areas represents a worthwhile investment in the mental health of a group of vulnerable citizens.","PeriodicalId":514198,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health","volume":"4 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139525022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article explores the integration of cultural continuity in health programs for Indigenous youth, leveraging insights from Indigenous Youth Wellness Facilitators, in the Culture Is Healing program. It identifies four practices and their impacts, strengthening community and identity among Indigenous youth. The findings provide valuable recommendations for practitioners and policymakers.
{"title":"Culture is Healing: Promising Practices and Impacts from an Urban Indigenous Youth-Led Health and Wellness Program","authors":"J. Ansloos, S. Peltier, Nona Marchand","doi":"10.7870/cjcmh-2023-032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2023-032","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the integration of cultural continuity in health programs for Indigenous youth, leveraging insights from Indigenous Youth Wellness Facilitators, in the Culture Is Healing program. It identifies four practices and their impacts, strengthening community and identity among Indigenous youth. The findings provide valuable recommendations for practitioners and policymakers.","PeriodicalId":514198,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139438772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}