Have you heard of the Child and Youth Mental Health – Substance Use Collaborative (CYMHSU)?

This collaborative project began in 2013 with eight Local Action Teams (LATs) across the province aiming to do something about the lack of coordination in response systems for child and youth mental health.

Over four years the initiative has grown to 64 LATs and there’s now one for Pemberton and Area.

This collaborative has spurned great change in our mental health capacity in Pemberton.

Although relatively late to the table, the Pemberton and Area LAT has really embraced the vision of CYMHSU to increase mental health literacy and coordinated response for youth.

In Pemberton we have:

• fostered a relationship between the doctors and local mental health practitioners;
• we have involved the schools in planning and service delivery;
• we are working on a consent form for referral to services for youth;
• have sent teachers and counsellors to be trained in a new Mental Health Curriculum;
• have trained a trainer in Psychological First Aid who will now train others in the community; and
• have developed a web-based resource for youth in the area called Plan-Y.

All this has been made possible by funding that allows us to get together, discuss and plan.

We are looking to the province to continue our funding so that the mental health needs of B.C.’s children and youth do not get relegated to the side of someone’s desk ….. again.

Our local governments are working hard to get the province to continue the support.

Want to learn more about the great things that were accomplished through this collaborative?

Check it out here: http://www.sharedcarebc.ca/initiatives/cymhsu-collaborative