What is Hull Services?

Hull Services has long had a reputation for providing leading edge child, youth, and family mental health services. We work with children, youth, and families who have experienced significant challenges. Hull offers them an opportunity to seek well-being and happiness, with a focus on mental health.

At Hull, our employees are our strength. The level of continuous training our staff receive and their passion and commitment to excellence is what sets Hull apart as a leader in child and youth mental health.

Why We Exist?

Hull’s vision is for resilient young people and families to thrive within communities that support their mental health and well-being. In Calgary we’ve been working toward this goal for more than 60 years.

We work with children who have often experienced chaotic, trouble filled lives. Hull offers them, and their families, an opportunity to seek health and happiness with a focus on mental health.

At Hull we believe in the dignity, wellness and worth of all. This, combined with a commitment to building respectful relationships, holding space for authentic dialogue and working effectively together, will guide us in how we undertake our planning, decision making and collective work toward our vision.

Our founder, and continuing inspiration, William Roper Hull, was an entrepreneur, visionary and philanthropist. His contributions to Calgary, the province of Alberta and Western Canada left a blueprint of good citizenship for legions of others to emulate. Mr. Hull recognized that a good life requires a fabric of services, resources and relationships. Because of William Roper Hull’s generosity, thousands of children and their families are helped each year through Hull Services.

 

Our Vision

Resilient young people and families thriving within communities that support their mental health and well-being.

Our Mission

Hull partners with young people and families, building resilience today for a brighter tomorrow.

Core Values

  • Purpose: We are clear about our purpose, intentional in our practice and ethical in our conduct.
  • Inclusion: We are better together, celebrating diversity and honouring the uniqueness of each person.
  • Connection: We believe that well-being and healing happen through authentic, respectful and nurturing relationships.
  • Knowledge: We draw from multiple sources and ways of knowing to guide our planning and practices.
  • Space: We create environments to promote relationship, healing and safety.

Evidence-Based Models

To be effective, generate change and help kids and families build resilience, Hull has invested in ten evidence-based intervention models practiced within many programs. Evidence based models are well specified, researched for decades in well-controlled studies by third party investigators and are replicable by other investigators.

Evidence-based models delivered at Hull are:

  • Attachment, Self-Regulation and Competency (ARC) is a framework for intervention with youth and families who have experienced complex traumatic stress. Hull School joined the Calgary Board of Education’s initiative to create trauma sensitive schools.
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a treatment program for psychological and personality problems. CBT combines two forms of therapy, cognitive restructuring, which identifies and changes stressful thoughts and behaviour modification, which alters inappropriate or unhealthy behaviours. Hull’s Pre-Adolescent Treatment Program (PTP) has successfully used CBT for kids in care. PTP also uses the trauma focused cognitive behavioural therapy model (TF-CBT), which focuses on helping kids overcome negative feelings and behaviours resulting from traumatic experiences.
  • Community Parenting Education (COPE) is an adult education program for parents of children with disruptive behaviours. CPEP, Hull’s Community Parent Education Program uses the COPE model.
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a system of therapy originally developed to treat persons with borderline personality disorder, in which a severe emotionally unstable personality develops often because of traumatic childhood experiences. DBT is also effective in treating individuals with other issues such as eating disorders, behavioural problems, chemical dependency and sexual abuse victimization. DBT combines cognitive behavioural techniques with concepts derived from Buddhist meditative practices. DBT is utilized in whole or in part within Hull’s Bridging the Gap, TRACC, Lasting Impressions, Family Initiatives and Voluntary Detox programs.
  • The PATHS® program is a school and community-based, early intervention curriculum for all children, including those with serious behaviour issues and at risk of developing conduct disorders. The PATHS® program is a social-emotional learning curriculum designed to facilitate the development of self-control, emotional awareness and problem solving skills with preschool and elementary school students. *PATHS® is a trademark of PATHS Program Holding, LLC.
  • Functional Behaviour Analysis (FBA) is a problem-solving process for addressing challenging behaviours in children and adolescents. FBA begins as an assessment to help determine the reasons behind the problem behaviour. Hull’s Cottage Seven Campus-based and Day Program has successfully used FBA in the learning and behaviour for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities.
  • High Fidelity Wraparound (HFWA) is a process that helps families with complex needs that are at significant risk of breakdown, or are preparing for a child/youth being reunited with the family. The Calgary Wraparound Initiative, established in 2006, is a partnership with Hull Services, Calgary and Area Child and Family Services, McMan Youth, Family and Community Services, and Enviros.
  • Stop Now and Plan (SNAP®) is a cognitive behavioural strategy designed to help children and adults effectively manage emotional responses to stressful situations before they act. SNAP® teaches kids and adults to stop and think of alternate ways of expressing emotions such as anger and make better choices to control impulsive and aggressive behaviours. Hull’s New Roads Program is a licensed user of SNAP® and in partnership with The City of Calgary – Community and Neighbourhood Services and the YMCA Calgary.
  • Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) is an intervention and prevention program for parents. Its strategies aim to prevent severe behavioural, emotional and developmental problems in children as well as support families with current and potentially future problems before they escalate. Hull’s Family Initiatives Program delivers Triple P.

Hull Services’ Logo

The Hull Services logo represents the journey of healing of young people and families. The yellow path represents the journey of the young person or family as they grow with the first arch representing a traumatic experience that leads to a downturn in their lives. The yellow path bounces on the “U” of Hull Services highlighting the importance of the unique individuality of all those we serve: “You”. Once the yellow path connects with the “U” of Hull Services, representing the support Hull Services can provide to young people and families, the path returns to an upward trajectory of healing and growth. The star represents the full potential the young people and families will reach in the journey of their lives.

William Roper Hull

Our Founder

There will be a city of at least 25,000. I see houses, schools, shops and churches and everything one needs for a happy life and I will help to build it.

William Roper Hull was an entrepreneur, visionary, philanthropist. His contributions to Calgary, Alberta and Western Canada left a blueprint for legions of others to follow.
Mr. Hull recognized that a quality life requires a fabric of services, resources and relationships.

As a result of William Roper Hull’s generosity, thousands of kids, young adults and families are helped every day through Hull Services.

His spirit of influence remains as strong today as he once envisioned.

William Roper Hull was born in Somerset, England in 1856; Hull sailed for Panama with his brother John in 1873 when both were in their late teens. They crossed the isthmus by foot, travelled by steamer to Victoria, B.C. boated up the Fraser River toward Yale looking for their Uncle William Roper. After working on their Uncle’s ranch for a number of years.

Read more about him

Board of Governors

Mr. Ross Middleton, Chair
Managing Director & Senior Partner Boston Consulting Group
Ms. Joanne Cox, Vice-Chair
Corporate Director & Lawyer

Hull Services is accredited by CARF International.  Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, CARF is an independent, non-profit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process and continuous improvement services focused on enhancing the lives of the persons served.