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

There are three ways to access the Youth and Family mental health services at HUM:


  1. 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.
  2. Youth come for a comprehensive assessment and ongoing therapy for those who voluntarily seek help.
  3. 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

Comprehensive assessment

The assessment includes 3 appointments and is designed to get to know you, the acuity of your issues and appropriate treatment recommendations. The 3 appointments include a nursing assessment, an assessment with a registered psychologist or social worker and a session with a medical doctor. Following this, treatment options will be provided that are based on your needs and current situation. Social and peer support in the community may be recommended as well as other aspects of a bio-psycho-social-spiritual framework of recovery.

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1 hour individual or family psychotherapy sessions

At HUM, we use a range of techniques based on experiential relationship building, dialogue, communication and behavior change that are designed to improve the mental health of an individual,and improve relationships with others (eg. family). Our goal is to provide an open, supportive, and confidential environment for you to address the issues that are concerning you.

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Medication management

All medications that an individual may be on – prescribed or over-the-counter – are reviewed to determine their efficacy and interactions. Medications may be prescribed during withdrawal management, tapering or maintenance treatment. We consider symptom triggered withdrawal management that is individualized to be more beneficial than protocol driven prescriptions.

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