What does the provision of equitable mental health treatment look like in practice? How do we offer psychotherapeutic support to those who hear the terms “mental health”, “treatment” or “therapy” and are confused or rightfully untrusting? This presentation describes the journey of one mental health agency in Toronto to anchor its services in three distinct communities, capitalizing on pre-existing partnerships and neighbourhood-level relationships to provide prompt, low barrier mental health treatment to those who are most at risk of being missed (and misunderstood).

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about the Community Outreach Intervention Initiative (COII) at the Garry Hurvitz Centre for Community Mental Health, a program that is redefining equitable access to mental health treatment for children, youth, and families in Toronto.
2. Discover how collaborating with community services across sectors reduces barriers to treatment for some of our most vulnerable populations.
3. Understand how this work supports broader changes in the culture and structure of our organization and drives system level change, explore creative ways of working with the context and environment, and how these can support long-term transformation for families- and organizations.