Family
Youth and Family Mental Health Services
Youth and Family Mental Health Counselling
HUM provides counselling, a comprehensive assessment and outpatient mental health treatment for youth and family members in Calgary and surrounding areas.
HUM’s focus with youth and families is early intervention. Early intervention refers to getting help early for people showing initial signs and symptoms of a mental health problem. Recent research indicates that early intervention and treatment dramatically impact the course of mental health and that many people can go on to live happy and productive lives with appropriate treatment.
The benefits of early intervention includes:
- Helping youth and families get healthier faster and prevent problems from becoming worse.
- Improving the quality of home and family life
- Providing the family with healthier coping tools to deal with life stressors
- Improving awareness and seeking professional help proactively
- Increasing the opportunity for enhanced health and well-being for all the family members
A goal of HUM’s youth and family mental health counselling services is to increase the health and wellness of the family unit, help strengthen the ability of parents to support their children, help the youth with their addiction issues and improve family relationships and functioning.
HUM provides support for youth ages 12 to 18 years old, their parent(s)/guardians and family members. For those families that are separated or divorced, it is important for you to provide a copy of legal custody and access orders, parenting orders, and agreements, as well as consent from the non-accompanying guardian prior to your first appointment at HUM.
Warning signs your teen may be struggling with mental health issues:
- Is your teen unhappy, angry, depressed, or anxious for prolonged periods of time?
- Has your teen lost interest in hobbies, sport, school and family?
- Does your teen have low self-esteem?
- Does your teen exhibit mood swings, intense feelings?
- Has there been any self-harm (eg. cutting)?
Here are some suggestions to help you and your teen.
- Get informed about mental health
- Seek Professional help
- Discuss rather than interrogate
- Expect resistance
- Set boundaries
How we treat youth mental health
- The parent(s) or guardian(s) come for a comprehensive assessment and ongoing therapy. This is beneficial when needing support and guidance when your youth is not ready for help
- Youth come for a comprehensive assessment and ongoing therapy for those who voluntarily seek help
- Both youth and parent(s) come for a comprehensive assessment and ongoing therapy
The comprehensive assessment includes 3 appointments with a nurse, psychologist or social worker, followed by a medical doctor to gather information about you and provide individualized treatment recommendations. Social and peer support in the community may be recommended as well as other aspects of a bio-psycho-social-spiritual framework of recovery along with continued professional support.
Following the comprehensive assessment, a one-hour family appointment is recommended to talk about the treatment plan (covered by Alberta Health Care). The family appointment will include your child, you, your family, and a HUM physician. Additional family sessions are recommended and available upon request.
Available Services For Mental Health
Health Upwardly Mobile (HUM) is a counselling and therapy provider based in Calgary. Our team includes a variety of healthcare providers including nurses, physicians, psychologists and social workers.
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