Mental Health and Addiction Navigator
What is the Mental Health and Addiction Navigator?
The Mental Health and Addiction Navigator is a free community resource designed to help youth facing mental health and addiction challenges. The task of finding the right support at the right time in a complex system can be daunting and frustrating. This service is designed for youth and/or their parents/caregivers to reach out and receive help navigating available resources and supports more effectively within the community.
How our Mental Health and Addiction Navigator Works
We will assess the needs of the young people requiring support, offer clinical assessment, and recommend the best type of resources and supports that are best suited to meet their needs.
The resources and supports identified will be specific, including the name and location of the Agency, program, or individual and contact information.
The parents and caregivers will be encouraged to reach out to resources and supports immediately. A follow-up with the family is done in a timely manner.
If there are access barriers including such things as excessive waiting lists, transportation challenges or unanticipated financial costs, we will help identify other resources and support options to better meet the families’ needs.
Meet our Mental Health and Addiction Navigator
Chad Dalley
Chad Dalley has been working at Hull Services for nearly 10 years. In this time he has had the opportunity to work in a variety of programs in both community and therapeutic campus-based care settings. Throughout his time with Hull, he has supported a wide range of needs including trauma, maladaptive behaviours, educational struggles, grief and more. He holds a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology and is a Certified Child and Youth Care Counsellor. Chad is passionate about increasing capacity and opportunities of those he works with to access appropriate and individualized services.
How do I Access the Mental Health and Addiction Navigator
Our Mental Health Navigator is a free, self-referral resource and can be accessed by phone or email:
navigator@hullservices.ca | 403-207-2513
Assessment Form
To help speed up the intake process, you can complete the below assessment form (FAQs are listed below):
Please note, the assessment form does not need to be completed before contacting Hull’s Mental Health and Addiction Navigator. You can call or email the Mental Health and Addiction Navigator directly to begin the intake process.
FAQs
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What is a Mental Health and Addiction Navigator for Children and Youth?
A Mental Health and Addiction Navigator is a professional support that helps parents and caregivers of children and youth struggling to more effectively identify and access available resources within our community. At Hull Services, we have nearly 60 years of experience assessing and supporting the mental health and addiction needs of children, youth and their families and bring this knowledge and experience to the Navigator role.
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Do I need a referral from a medical doctor or other health professional to access supports from the Mental Health and Addiction Navigator?
No. Access to our Navigator is a self-referral process based upon your expressed concerns for the needs of your child. At Hull, we believe that parents and caregivers are experts in knowing when their child or teen is struggling, and welcome any referrals upon their behalf.
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Does it cost any money to receive support from the Mental Health and Addiction Navigator?
No. There is no cost for receiving supports from the Navigator. The only costs that could occur is in when a recommended service or support put forward by the Navigator has a fee-for-service component. The capacity to pay for any future services and supports will be discussed during the initial appointment and will help guide the decision-making and referral process.
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Are the appointments in-person or are we able to discuss via telephone or some other on-line meeting platform such as Zoom?
Appointments are usually conducted via phone or other online meeting platforms like Zoom, so the Navigator can quickly connect with families and caregivers, though in-person appointments can be arranged.
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I am a professional supporting a youth or family, can I reach out for support as well?
Yes, the navigator can offer consultations to professionals regarding service options. Professionals can also refer families to the navigator for support.
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Does my child or teen have to participate in the appointment? What if they refuse?
Participation of your child or teen in the appointment is 100% voluntary. Ideally, the opportunity to speak with young people, particularly teens, is invaluable, but if they are not willing to participate, the Navigator can still gather relevant information to make an informed impression about the current needs and next steps for your child.
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What can I expect during a scheduled appointment?
Our Navigator will contact you either by phone or through on-line Zoom conferencing at the agreed upon appointment time. The appointment itself should take approximately one hour to complete. During the course of the conversation, the Navigator will both listen and ask a number of questions to develop a better understanding of what is going on for you and your child. Upon the completion of the appointment, the Navigator will offer initial impressions of the presenting concerns discussed as well as some next steps in terms of referral or support options. The Navigator will also follow-up a few days after the initial appointment to see whether the supports identified were accessed and a good fit for your family.
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What if the supports or resources identified by the Mental Health and Addiction Navigator have a long waiting list or do not seem to be a fit with what our family was looking for?
Our Navigator will respond promptly to any concerns that you have regarding long waiting lists or proposed services not being a good fit. The Navigator will follow-up a few days after the initial appointment to see how things are going, but also encourages all parents, caregivers and families to reach out prior if there are any concerns.
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Is receiving support with the Mental Health Navigator confidential?
Yes. All conversations with a Navigator are confidential. The Navigator will discuss confidentiality at the start of the initial appointment.
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Can we access any programs at Hull Services following discussions with the Mental Health and Addiction Navigator?
Like the self-referral process for the Navigator, there are some programs at Hull Services that may be directly accessed by you and your family. However, others require direct involvement with Children’s Services, for example, where self-referral is not possible. Our Navigator will discuss all resource and support options with you, and the eligibility requirements in order to access them.