CYMH Services Definitions

Child and Youth Mental Health Services Definitions

When you are looking for mental health services, you are likely to come upon new words.  When you understand what service providers mean when they use these words, it can help you find the services you need.  If you mouse over the mental health services in our list, you will find definitions. Many people worked on these definitions and they apply to different types of agencies.

Assessment
A mental health assessment is a process in which qualified mental health professionals use specific skills and tools to identify a child/youth's problems and strengths. They may ask about one's thoughts, feelings, behaviors and level of coping at school, work or home. There may also be written or verbal tests, a physical exam, a look at how the family is managing, and laboratory tests (such as blood and urine tests). The process should take into account the culture of the child, youth and family. 

Case Management/ Service Coordination
The purpose of case management and service coordination to work with the child, youth or family to identify what is needed, work with them to  come up with a plan, help put the plan into place and keep track of how the plan is working. Even if the plan is complicated, the case manager or coordinator will be one person who keeps track of all that is going on.

Counselling/Therapy
Counselling and therapy are interactive processes in which children, youth and families work with a mental health professional to learn about their strengths and challenges. The aim is alway to reach the best possible mental health functioning. 

 People often use therapy and counselling to mean the same thing but in general:

Therapy is a way of working with a child, youth or family using specific methods and detailed plans to work on specific mental health problems.

Counselling involves talking about specific areas of difficulty and thinking of ways to solve problems and get needed information.

Crisis Management
Crisis management is used when there is an immediate and urgent crisis. The goal is  to offer quick and appropriate responses to children, youth and families in distress. It can be home, community and/or hospital-based. The goal is to manage the crisis situation by helping the child, youth and/or family  cope and  get needed support.

Health Promotion
Mental health promotion refers to any action by anyone that improves the mental health and wellbeing of children, youth, families and communities. It can occur at various levels including individual, family, community, cultural, spiritual and political levels. Mental health promotion aims to make people more aware of specific mental health issues like bullying or stigma reduction.  

Medication Management
This is a process where a qualified health care giver manages the medicine itself. The caregiver teaches children, youth and their families about the way prescribed medicines work, why they may be needed and what they are supposed to help, possible side effects and  how to use them on their own and with other prescribed medicine. Also part of medication management are regular follow-up visits to to make sure the medicine is helping, to see that the dose is correct, and to help make sure the medicine is being taken correctly. 

Public Education

Piblic education supports mental health by providing information about mental health and illness. The goals are to improve knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. It includes education about particular mental health or emotional problem, what to do about them, and where to get help. Also, by giving information, public education works to remove stigma about mental health problems.

Referral to other agencies
A referral is when one service provider formally recommends/requests that a child, youth or family sees another service provider, such as a specialist, to receive specific services.

Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation involves a comprehensive program aimed to reduce the effects of a mental health problem that may have come from illness or injury. The goal is, whenever possible, to help the  the child/youth get to an earlier (higher) level of functioning. Where this is not possible, the goal of rehabilitation is to help the child/youth reach the best possible quality of life.

Respite
These are services to give support and temporary help and rest to families of children or youth with mental health problems. The purpose is to give caregivers some time away from care activities. Respite services may be activities outside the home for the child/youth or in-home relief services.

Support groups
Support groups are made up of people who share a common concern (like a mental health issue or problem). The groups provide a safe place to talk about personal experiences, learn from others and feel less alone. These groups may or may not have a mental health professional as leader.

Telephone support services
There are many kinds of  telephone support services. Some offer peer support, information and/or referral. Others offer help or advice, in some cases to people in crisis. How much training and knowledge staff have will vary depending on the type of service.