A Struggle to Access Youth‑Centred, Timely and Integrated Care
Across Canada, youth are experiencing the highest rates of mental illness of any age group. The COVID-19 pandemic, drug toxicity crisis, climate change and rise in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate are just a few of the many challenges youth are facing in British Columbia (BC) and across the country. Drug toxicity and suicide are the first and third leading causes of death in young British Columbians, with youth also reporting the highest rates of worsened mental health of any age group throughout the pandemic. Despite all this, many young people are unable to access the support they need. More than half of youth ages 12–24 with early mental health needs report that mental health services are not easy to access.
Services often require referrals, have strict eligibility criteria, operate siloed from other care professionals or pathways, or have long waitlists, and private options are expensive. Youth and young adults face the additional barrier of navigating services targeted towards either children or adults, ill-suited for their unique developmental stage. These challenges are further compounded by stigma and health care related trauma, systemic racism and discrimination, making services feel unwelcoming and unsafe.
The initial decision to seek out counselling can be difficult. Youth may have fear of judgment around accessing care, of not being ‘sick enough’ to require services or support, or delay reaching out in the hopes that the issue(s) will resolve. Long waits may result in service disengagement, leaving issues unresolved and, over time, worsening without support. The barriers to accessing services directly contradict the evidence on the importance of early and timely interventions for youth mental health and substance use (MHSU) concerns.
The lack of accessible MHSU supports for youth highlights the need to focus on innovative solutions to support young people. As one response to these system challenges, Foundry offers no cost walk-in counselling to support young people ages 12–24 in BC.
Understanding Foundry’s Walk‑in Counselling Approach
Walk-in mode of service delivery
‘Walk-in’ counselling is the term most often found in academic literature, although it is sometimes referred to as ‘same-day’ or ‘drop-in’ counselling. The priority of walk-in service delivery is timely access, so youth can have a counselling appointment on the same day requested when they feel most willing and motivated to seek support. There are no waitlists; youth can go directly into a centre and sign up for a session without the pressures of planning and keeping appointments. More recently, based on virtual innovations during the COVID-19 pandemic, some centres have introduced an option for youth to book an appointment for later the same day.
A one-at-a-time (‘OAAT’ or single session therapy) method
With an OAAT (also referred to as single session) method, or mindset, each counselling session is seen as a complete therapeutic service. Youth are not required to follow-up or book another appointment unless they choose — many report receiving practical benefit from one session and feel it is sufficient for their needs at that time. Others may choose to return for future sessions or for another issue. The OAAT method can be used with a variety of therapies.