As of February 5th, youth living with complex mental health needs now have access to Island Health’s intensive day program—the Adolescent Intensive Day Treatment program.
Designed to support youth in recovery, this program offers therapeutic and education services while also allowing them to maintain close, ongoing connection with their home communities.
The program is located at Queen Alexandra Hospital for Children’s Health, and supports youth aged 14 to 18 who require more intensive care and support.
“Making sure children and young people have the supports they need to succeed in life is a top priority,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
“The new Adolescent Intensive Day Treatment program helps kids with high needs develop resiliency and competency in a safe and nurturing environment.”
Participants in this program are referred to the service through Island Health’s Child Youth Family Mental Health and Substance Use Program.
It is completely voluntary and intended to support young people with high, but non-urgent/non-acute needs who do not require hospital-based care.
As described, the program is strength-based, building on each of the participants’ capacity and ability with a trauma-informed focus on resiliency and recovery.
“This new program…will provide a bridge of interventions for youths who may have finished an acute care stay but who are not ready or able to participate in less intense community-based services such as outpatient care and counselling,” said Leah Hollins, Island Health Board Chair.
“Our goal is to build on learnings from the start-up of this service in Victoria and expand to Central Island, likely Nanaimo, in the future.”
The day program runs Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with cohorts of up to 10 youths running from February to June and September through January to align with school.
The youth will meet in the Garden House at Queen Alexandra every day to receive services in a healing environment.
Through a mix of physicians, therapists, counsellors, allied health and education providers, the participants will receive half a day of therapeutic services—either in a group, or one-on-one—then the other half will be spent on schoolwork and building life skills.
In order to develop the most well-rounded program possible, Island Health received input from patients, parents, family, caregivers as well from the Songhees Nation, Esquimalt Nation, and Island Métis Family and Community Services Society.
To learn more about the Adolescent Intensive Day Treatment program, visit Island Health’s website.
