Access to Mental Health Supports and Services: Perspectives of Young Women Living in Rural Nova Scotia (Canada)

There is limited literature on youths’ experiences of accessing mental health supports and services in rural Canada. Through interviews with young women, this research explored barriers and facilitators to accessing mental health services and supports in rural Nova Scotia. Participants shared numerous barriers at the family, school, and community levels, including stigma from family, lack of knowledge of school supports, and limited community service options. Facilitators also existed at these three levels, including supportive parents, school-based service availability, and supportive community members. Increased investment in school-based services may improve access; however, an understanding of young men’s experiences is needed first.

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Use of School-Based Health Centres for Mental Health Support in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/070674371005500508 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 55 (5) ◽

pp. 319-328 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Magdalena Szumilas ◽

Stan Kutcher ◽

John C LeBlanc ◽

Donald B Langille

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Nova Scotia ◽

School Based ◽

Cape Breton ◽

Health Centres ◽

Mental Health Support ◽

Health Support

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The Federal Case for School-Based Mental Health Services and Supports

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry ◽

10.1097/chi.0b013e31815aac71 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 4-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

JANICE L. COOPER

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Services ◽

School Based ◽

Federal Case ◽

Services And Supports

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Gender differences in mental health in the Middle East

International Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/s1749367600003982 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 79-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Suhaila Ghuloum

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Gender Differences ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Middle East ◽

Young Women ◽

Psychiatric Treatment ◽

Well Being ◽

Cultural Norms ◽

The Family ◽

Health And Well Being

We are now seeing in clinical practice a generation of young women who are referred for psychiatric treatment by their parents because they are rebelling against society's cultural norms but it is often apparent that women fear their families finding out that they are seeking psychiatric help. Despite improvements in the cultural understanding of women's right to equality, there remain deeply rooted practices and cultural norms that continue to adversely affect women's mental health and well-being. Physical abuse, for instance, is rarely reported, for fear of shaming the family, or of retaliation with further abuse. Mental health services in many countries in the Middle East are undergoing reform, but little research has been done into gender differences in service delivery or needs.

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School-Based Family Counseling

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1493 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Brian A. Gerrard ◽

Gertina J. van Schalkwyk

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systems Approach ◽

Family Counseling ◽

School Resources ◽

Child Advocacy ◽

Alfred Adler ◽

New Approach ◽

School Based ◽

The Family ◽

Mental Health Interventions

School-based family counseling (SBFC) is an integrative systems approach to helping children succeed academically and personally through mental health interventions that link family and school. SBFC may be practiced by any of the mental health approaches and is best viewed as a supporting approach to traditional mental health disciplines. An important precursor to SBFC was the guidance clinics attached to schools that were developed by the psychiatrist Alfred Adler in Vienna in the 1920s. A core assumption in SBFC is that the two most important institutions in the life of a young child are the family and the school and that an effective way to help children is by mobilizing both family and school resources. SBFC has eight strengths: school and family focus, systems orientation, educational focus, parent partnership, multicultural sensitivity, child advocacy, promotion of school transformation, and interdisciplinary focus. Despite its early origins, SBFC remains a new approach that challenges traditional mental health disciplines that focus on either school or family, but not both. There is moderate evidence-based support (EBS) for the effectiveness of SBFC, but further research is needed on different approaches to SBFC.

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Family Considerations in Supporting Bereaved Students

Supporting Bereaved Students at School ◽

10.1093/med:psych/9780190606893.003.0007 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 82-95

Author(s):

Melissa J. Hagan ◽

Allie Morford

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Professional ◽

Mental Health Professional ◽

Family Cohesion ◽

Developmental Level ◽

Grieving Process ◽

School Based ◽

Death Of A Parent ◽

The Family

This chapter reviews the role of the family in a student’s grieving process and the role the school-based mental health professional can play in supporting the families of bereaved students. Key challenges that caregivers face in supporting bereaved youth are addressed. Strategies that school-based professionals can use to engage family supports around the student are discussed. Key considerations, including the age and developmental level of the student, and family cohesion, are highlighted. The differing impacts of varying types of death, including the death of a parent or a sibling, expected versus sudden deaths, and stigmatized deaths, are also discussed.

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Caregiver Report of the Utilization of School-Based Services and Supports Among Clinically Anxious Youth

Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders ◽

10.1177/1063426620942155 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 106342662094215

Author(s):

Jamie LoCurto ◽

Jeffrey E. Pella ◽

Grace Chan ◽

Golda S. Ginsburg

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Service Utilization ◽

School Counselor ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Published Data ◽

Emotional Difficulty ◽

School Services ◽

School Based ◽

Services And Supports ◽

Anxious Youth

Despite the high prevalence of and documented impairment associated with pediatric anxiety disorders, less than half of youth access mental health services. This study examined (a) the utilization of eight school services and supports (e.g., seen a school counselor for a mental health reason, placement in a special class for a behavior or emotional difficulty) and (b) demographic (gender, age) child clinical (anxiety severity and impairment) and family (parent psychopathology, caregiver strain) predictors of service utilization. Participants included 208 anxious youth between ages 6 to 18 years ( M = 10.92, SD = 3.29, 51% male, 64% White) who were enrolled in a school-based randomized controlled trial for anxiety treatment; only baseline data were used for this study. Parents, children, teachers and independent evaluators completed measures of the above predictors. Results indicated that less than half (48%) of youth received school services for anxiety. Several predictors of higher total service utilization were identified. Youth with comorbid externalizing behaviors were more likely to be referred for and receive school-based services. Consistent with published data in community samples, less than half of anxious youth received needed services. Results suggest a need for improvements in school assessments and service referral mechanisms for students with anxiety.

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