Supporting mental health for clients and staff
Children and youth with disabilities are more than twice as likely to experience mental health issues as their peers, yet they face many barriers to accessing the care they need, including long waitlists and providers who lack the specialized knowledge to support their needs.
After a survey revealed that only 25% of staff felt able to address client families’ mental health concerns, Holland Bloorview launched a multi-faceted Mental Health Initiative that includes programs to build capacity in the hospital and resiliency for kids, as well as training for staff and partnerships with community organizations to improve mental health service delivery.
Through lessons, simulations and one-on-one training sessions, staff improve their ability to de-escalate difficult situations and gain a deeper understanding of how to support client families.
“A significant result is that many staff have received suicide prevention and intervention training, and we have a plan in place to continue to offer this education in the future,” says Dolly Menna-Dack, senior director of Collaborative Practice & Clinical Education. “Staff now know how to connect to the resources they need to address the mental health challenges of clients and families.”
The donor-funded Mental Health Initiative also supports Zippy’s Friends, a program of activities for kids and youth that builds social skills, belonging and mental health. It’s now a regular offering at Holland Bloorview.
“Zippy’s Friends has been an incredibly meaningful experience for our family,” one parent wrote. “It gave us a rare opportunity to connect with other parents and discuss our challenges in navigating the unique needs of our children in a way that felt truly supportive. For my son, it provided practical skills that could apply in real life situations. And both he and I made new friends. The connections we formed have been invaluable.”
Staff were also able to receive mental health support themselves through the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy program, and a new Psychopharmacology Transition Clinic was established to provide medication management for clients and a resource database for clinicians, reducing wait times for the Psychopharmacy program as a whole.
“We are offering the holistic support our clients and families need, and we’ve trained our staff so we can continue to offer these programs in the future,” Dolly says. “The real impact was the change from knowing we needed to do something to having the time and space to make the best decisions so our programming can address the needs of kids and families.”
