Engagement in Mental Health - Success Stories and Lessons Learned from Sea to Sky

Innovations in Mental Health-Highlights

• Sea to Sky-Fall 2016

A convening project

• Build capacity of individuals, agencies, and communities to advance the mental health and well-being of adults and families

– Education through collaborative learning circles

– Dialogue

– Awareness building

Who is involved

• Sea to Sky Mental Health Partnership Table-facilitates sharing between agencies delivering services to those with an affected by mental illness and mental health challenges. The longer range goal of the group is to collaborate on mutually agreed upon actions relating to strengths, challenges and opportunities associated with mental health. The desire is to strengthen access, outcomes and community responsiveness.

• Vancouver Foundation-Core Funder (2014)

• Sea to Sky Community Services Society (Host Agency)

Mental Health Partnership Table • Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Protection (MCFD)

• Helping Hands

• Howe Sound Women’s Centre Society

• North Shore Schizophrenia Society

• Lil’wat Health and Healing

• RCMP

• School District No. 48

• Sea to Sky Community Services Society

• Squamish Nation

• Whistler Community Services Society

It’s about relationships

Other helpers and supporters

• American Friends of Whistler

• Community Foundation of Whistler

• WB Housing; Whistler Arts Council

• Whistler Public Library

• Whistler Question

• WSS PAC

• Squamish Chamber

• Training Innovations

• Partners for Mental Health

• Ross Tayler

• Lisa Richardson

• And other quiet supporters

• December 8th

– MCFD, CMHA, Squamish Nation

– Sydney McDonald and Quest University Students

– Kathleen Lane, UBC, MBA Student

– Couns. Susan Chapelle, DOS

– Nesters Market

• Pemberton Public Library

• Resort Municipality of Whistler

• Rotary Clubs of Whistler and Pemberton

• Parent Advisory Committees (MPCS, SCCS, WCCS)

Values

• Co-learning

• Collaboration

• Honesty

• Willingness to make things work

• Connections

• Education

• Prevention

(adopted Fall 2015)

Improving Mental Health Services Benefits Everyone

In writing about the release of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s National Strategy, the article notes:

“Promotion of mental health and prevention of mental illness must not be left to the health care system, but rather must concern all members of the public….increasing capacities of families, caregivers, schools, workplaces and care settings to promote mental health and prevent mental illness and suicide.”

– (Vancouver Sun Editorial, May 9, 2012)

Phase 1 – 2012 to present – ongoing – goal collaborate to reduce crisis

Phase 2 – 2014 – engage and extend

What next? Developing plan to 2020

All organizations working

together finding solutions

to help individuals of all

ages experiencing mental

health challenges.

Acknowledging, accepting

and appreciating the

pervasiveness and challenges

of mental health disease for

individuals and families

Increased awareness of

services available and a

greater understanding of

psychiatric disorders.

For all community

members to view

mental health just

as they would

physical health

That everyone has support and

an understanding from the

community for their mental

wellness no matter where on

the spectrum they are.

Everyone has

access to

services they

need

Support and education

opportunities so that

the stigma of mental

illness is eradicated

Those who experience

mental illness can talk

about it and get assistance,

resources and tools without

feeling shame.

Address stigma by

teaching people

about mental

illness and the

recovery process.

We can talk

about mental

health openly

Children, youth,

and elders feel

supported and

empowered.

Easy access

and open

acceptance

Working Vision

• “Sea to Sky communities promote mental health and wellbeing at home, work and play and offer services that are easily accessible to everyone.”

– Increased awareness, access, collaboration, outreach

– Increased awareness of legal issues

– Stigma reduction, we may all go through the same things but we experience it differently

– Transportation

– Community safety net, support systems, family, cultural sensitivity (all cultures)

– Social determinants: equity, living wage, housing

– Affordable housing dispersed throughout community – avoid pockets of poverty

– December 8, 2014

Definitions:

Mental health refers to a state of social and emotional

well-being.

Mental illness is an umbrella term that refers to all

diagnosable mental disorders.

Mental disorders are diagnosable health conditions that

affect the way a person feels, thinks or acts that are

associated with distress and/or impaired functioning.

Mental disorders are the result of interacting biological,

developmental, psychological, behavioural and

environmental factors. Mental disorders are catalogued

in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American

Psychiatric Association.

Substance use disorders and substance dependence are

mental disorders. Where substance use disorders and

mental disorders occur together, they are called

concurrent disorders.

Mental health challenges and substance use problems

refer to signs and symptoms that do not meet the

diagnostic criteria for a particular mental disorder but

which are nonetheless disabling for the individual, their

family and community.

FORCE Society for Kids Mental Health. (Undated).

Families Matter: A Framework for Family Mental Health in

British Columbia. Retrieved from

http://www.forcesociety.org/sites/default/files/23154_FAM_F

ramework-3.6-LR.pdf, p. 11.

Continuum

• Mental Illness

• Building on Filling in the Gaps Between Mental Health and Mental Illness (NSSS, 2012/13)

• Helping make our communities the most mentally healthy they can be

MHP Original Brainstormed Priorities

Activities (2014)

On-line survey

Community meetings/Focus groups

• Collaborative learning circles

Events & presentations

Major corridor wide mental health planning event (Dec. 8, 2014)

• Other:

– Newsletters

– Display

– Posters/ads

Additional thoughts to December 2014

• “Just do more of everything”

• Rights

• Natural approaches to treatment

• Services for men, services for everyone, all ages including seniors

• Open dialogue in the workplace

• Residential school experience here.

• Local government leadership, More collaboration, better GP connections.

Added emphasis to previous fish:

• Prevention: add social determinants of health that emerged (poverty, income disparity, better fitness support for low income, income disparity, growing working poor and underemployed). Services (68.75%)

• Training/Education(65.63%

• Continue public dialogue more often (37.04%)

We have lots of strengths!

Mental Wellness Plans

• Sustain and build so that there is regular visibility and action throughout the corridor (community capacity, education, stigma reduction, partnerships, etc.)

• Improve mental health responsiveness (increase awareness of determinants of health based prevention; enhance after hours urgent response and training for those involved; promote improved affordable transportation for those needing treatment and as a means to promoting mental wellness. Learn more about what might be required to move toward a ‘designated observation’ unit in the corridor).

• Explore mental wellness hubs in the northern part of the corridior

December 8th Outline

• Government representatives

• Panel: Key systems and service providers provided current reality

• What’s new examples of achievement: City of Vancouver

• Panel: Looking to the future: key themes and lessons learned

• Keynote: Information sharing

• Networking, displays and table topics

• Food

• Priority setting activity

• Dinner speaker focused on child and youth mental health and prevention

http://healthcaretransformation.ca/infographic-social-determinants-of-

health/

Less than 20% of the population flourishes

• Flourishing Is Good for People and Society

• Flourishing (positive emotions, psychological and social functioning)

• Research has supported the hypothesis that anything less than complete mental health results in increased impairment and disability (Keyes, 2002, 2004, 2005a, 2005b).

– http://tapartnership.org/enterprise/docs/RESOURCE%20BANK/RB-PUBLIC%20HEALTH/General%20Resources/Promoting_and_Protecting_MH__Keyes_2007.pdf

Workplace lessons learned

• Deeper understanding is required to accompany policy

• Workplaces need to know how, when and where to get help.

• Professional Connections help.

• First person stories are important.

• Universal approaches

Signature program?

• Community partners and schools work collaboratively to plan

• School wide

• Theme and core content

• Interactive learning stations

• Student engagement

• Staff engagement

• Passport, scavenger hunt and prizes

• Additional school, community and parent events

• Volunteers and media

Leadership Coaching

• Supporting youth, leaders, post-secondary learners and story-tellers.

Reach

• Over 1800 people per year

• Social media

• Newsletter lists

• Events (Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and Mt. Currie)

• Over 95 people engaged December 8th

• Increasing numbers of community volunteers

Other Activities

– Poster & Ad campaign

– Issues in Adolescence: Tools for Parents Session

– Suicide Awareness Rides with the Suicide Awareness and Prevention Working Group

– BCHRMA Workshop: National Standards for Psychologically Health and Safety in the Workplace, Healthy Workplace Month

– Presentations to seniors, multicultural peer educators, local government

– Display-Mental Illness Awareness Week

Schools

• Model for school-community partnerships

• Collaborative planning for mental health education

• Story-telling

• Student and staff involvement

• Core table activities (monthly meetings) – Hoarding and gathering

– Suicide/sudden death post-vention protocols

– Participation-Housing Strategy

– Squamish resource list and wallet card

– Collaborative planning protocol

• Workshops – Pemberton Wellness Series

• Suicide Awareness and Prevention – Maladjusted

– Youth Prevention

• Volunteer & student engagement and blogs

Communities Define

• Messages

• Topics

• Needs

• Gaps

• Vision – Across the continuum (prevention, treatment, recovery, mental health)

Other events:

• Mental Health Week (May 4-10, 2016)

– 5th annual school based fair in Whistler

– Speaker series/Anxiety presentation for parents/service providers/community members/students in April (Pemberton and Whistler)

• World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10)

• Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 6-14)

• Healthy Workplace Month (October)

Priorities (December 8)

• Squamish (In order after multi-vote)

– Urgent response (after hours) includes training for RCMP and ER

– Transportation

– Mental health liaison officer

– Public education

– Squamish hospital designated as an observation unit

– Reduced stigma (public and GP/ER)

• Whistler/Pemberton (In order after multi-vote)

– Squamish hospital designated as an observation unit

– Virtual and physical wellness hub

– Awareness of service, social/health services, emergency housing, daycare, school support, employment…

– Affordable housing (immediate and with supports)

– Transportation

Priorities 2015-2020 (Corridor)

• 3 way tie

– Urgent response (after hours) includes training for RCMP and ER

– Transportation

– Designated observation unit in Sea to Sky

Privacy and Information sharing

• Discussions at the table are governed by related codes of conduct, agency policies and the Mental Health Act.

Mid-term Measures

• Mental health calls to RCMP in Squamish

• Sea to Sky students vulnerable on one or more EDI scales (K)

• Binge drinking rates in youth

Leadership • Leader wellness

• Engagement of children, youth, parents and Aboriginal communities

• Responsible development of people leading to the development of individuals strengths, resilience and vitality

• Compassion

• Leadership congruence with action

• Impact of leaders influencing organizational members that in turn allows organization to render services to social stakeholders

• Leadership that uplifts organizations to attain higher purpose and unexpected levels of achievement

• The value of online social media and related leadership skills for use in authentic leadership

Leadership

• Collaboration, cooperation and coordination

– Partnership models

• Methods for developing skills that improve care

• Activism

– “Good clinical practice coupled with advocacy and self-advocacy”

• Complexity

• Evidence Based Practice

• Outcome accountability

Collaboration yields success

• Improved understanding:

– Mental health & mental illness

– Suicide awareness and prevention

– Importance of early intervention

– Roles of individuals living with mental health challenges, health care professionals, community services, families, employers and others

– Services

• Reduced stigma

Still more to do

Evaluations

• Beneficial

• Builds capacity and connections

• “I learn something every time I attend.”

• Stimulated reflection on personal role and practice

• Supported us in taking action

• Most helpful: ‘hearing that many of us have the same concerns/priorities at the forefront’

• Allows us to build on past efforts as well as to take on emerging opportunities

• Professionals report increased referrals, requests for consultation

Feedback

• “I feel as though I’ve gained a deeper and more comprehensive awareness of the issues surrounding mental health disorders since connecting with the project in that I can spread the word and have conversations as well. Lately a few co-workers have asked me for support and advice (both client and personal related) and I feel better equipped to offer both as well as direct to appropriate services/supports when needed.” (unsolicited email, 2015).

Thank you!

Please join us

• For more information or to get involved, please contact:

Christine Buttkus

604.849.2252

[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/SeaToSkyMentalHealthPartnership