Understanding the Current Landscape of Emerging Adult Mental Health Services and Needs in Calgary and Surrounding Areas Understanding the Current Landscape of Emerging Adult Mental Health Services and Needs in Calgary And Surrounding Areas Acknowledgments PRIMARY CONTRIBUTORS Natasha Lifeso, Naomi Parker, Shannon McInnes, Robbie Babins-Wagner, Cathie Scott, and Kyla Brown PROJECT SPONSORS Hunter Family Foundation ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is with thanks we acknowledge the many individuals and organizations who have contributed their wisdom, experience, and perspectives to this project. We would like to thank the participating organization for sharing their data, Alberta Health Services, Boys and Girls Club Calgary, Calgary Counselling Centre, Calgary Post-Secondary Counselling/Wellness Services, Distress Centre, and Wheatland County Counselling. This project was built on collaborative learning, and we would like to thank the agencies and partners of the Steering Committee. Specifically: Robbie Babins-Wagner, Calgary Counselling Centre Avril Deegan, Alberta Health Services Sara Jordan, Canadian Mental Health Association Jennifer Kamps, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation Laureen MacNeil Cindy Negrello, Canadian Mental Health Association Gena Rotstein, Karma & Cents Inc. Joanne Weninger, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation SUGGESTED CITATION Lifeso, N., Parker, N., McInnes, S., Babins-Wagner, R., Scott, C., & Brown, K. (2020) Understanding the Current Landscape of Emerging Adult Mental Health Services and Needs in Calgary and Surrounding Area. Edmonton: PolicyWise for Children & Families. SHARING GUIDELINES It is the hope of all those who contributed to this project that these findings are shared and used to benefit others and inform policy and practice to improve child, family, and community well-being. Hunter Family Foundation, Calgary Counselling Centre and PolicyWise asks the intent and quality of the work is retained; therefore, Calgary Counselling Centre, PolicyWise for Children & Families, and the Hunter Family Foundation ask to be acknowledged. © 2021 Hunter Family Foundation PolicyWise for Children & Families | 2 Understanding the Current Landscape of Emerging Adult Mental Health Services and Needs in Calgary And Surrounding Areas Executive Summary This report explores current mental health needs and availability of mental health services for emerging adults (i.e., 15 to 24 years old) in Calgary and surrounding areas1. The report describes the mental health2 experiences of emerging adults including their needs, types of supports and services they accessed, and barriers they faced. The report also explores ways the emerging adult population can be better supported. To understand how emerging adults experience mental health services to meet their needs, three data components were used3: Client and Caregiver Funding, Costs, Population Trends Experience Survey Service Utilization An online survey to identify Analysis of Statistics Canada data Funding Survey, Service Use Survey, what the current mental health to describe the current inventory search and analysis of needs and experiences are for demographics of the emerging administrative data to identify emerging adults and their adult population in the Calgary funding distribution, available caregivers. Health Zone. services and utilization of services for emerging adults. Key Findings 1. There are subgroup populations who are less likely to seek or access mental health services (i.e., emerging adults from rural/remote areas, newcomers to Canada, gender diverse individuals, and distinct groups of parents/caregivers of emerging adults) 2. In addition to mental health concerns, emerging adults experience complex and unique challenges as they transition into adulthood such as relationship, housing, and financial concerns 3. Emerging adults often seek support from their friends, family or their family doctor and may rely on these supports to help access mental health services in different settings (e.g., health, education, or community) 4. Services provided in different settings (i.e., health, education and community) offer similar mental health support but are generally not well coordinated with one another 5. Lack of coordination among mental health services from different settings reduces continuity of care and emerging adults’ ability to navigate and access services 1 For the purposes of this project, the Alberta Health Services Calgary Zone will be used to define the geographic area. This includes: Airdrie, Banff, Black Diamond, Calgary, Canmore, Chestermere, Claresholm, Cochrane, Didsbury, High River, Nanton, Okotoks, Strathmore and Vulcan. 2 This report focuses on services that support general mental health and well-being as opposed to mental illness 3 Data collection occurred during the first lock down due to the COVID-19 pandemic PolicyWise for Children & Families | 3 Understanding the Current Landscape of Emerging Adult Mental Health Services and Needs in Calgary And Surrounding Areas Implications and Opportunities 1. The experience of emerging adulthood is generally not recognized nor supported across mental health settings. There are opportunities to bring awareness and normalize the emerging adult experience as a time of transition and as a unique developmental stage, these include the following: Utilizing technology by communicating on various social media platforms for social marketing campaigns to increase awareness of emerging adults’ experience and life stage. Engaging and incorporating emerging adults’ and their family’s voices to guide how settings providing mental health care can better recognize their experiences and provide better support for emerging adulthood. 2. How different mental health settings offer support does not meet the needs of the emerging adult population. Strategies to better meet emerging adult needs include the following: Streamline information that can empower and equip natural supports (i.e., family, friends) with reputable/evidence-informed mental health information and services. Explore how technology can be used to encourage help-seeking behaviours for emerging adults and their natural supports. As well, how technology can be used to improve awareness of available mental health services and can reduce barriers to receive the help needed. Engage emerging adults in developing strategies and improving how organizations can pro- actively reach out to the population. 3. In order to respond to the needs of youth and adults, mental health services in Alberta have developed across several settings (health, community, and education). While providing mental health supports in multiple settings is beneficial, the current structure presents a challenge to provide care in a timely, consistent, and coordinated way. At a system level, opportunities exist to: Evaluate existing service delivery settings based on their scalability, affordability and acceptability. Where required, adapt service delivery models to account for the needs of emerging adults and clarify the roles and responsibilities of providers. Promote client-centred access and reduce gate keeping between mental health delivery settings. Reduce barriers to information sharing between mental health settings and service providers. Promote and enhance targeted mental health training to allied professionals in a consistent, sustainable, and planned way. Develop a strategic framework and implementation plan for emerging adult mental health services with representation from service providers in all settings. Create a Mental Health Centre of Excellence that convenes industry experts, researchers, technologists, inventors, community agencies and funders to promote innovation and leading practices. PolicyWise for Children & Families | 4 Understanding the Current Landscape of Emerging Adult Mental Health Services and Needs in Calgary And Surrounding Areas Table of Contents Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Key Findings ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Implications and Opportunities ................................................................................................................. 4 Project Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Project Goal ............................................................................................................................................... 7 Project Components .................................................................................................................................. 7 Project Component Notes ......................................................................................................................... 8 Background on Emerging Adults ................................................................................................................... 9 Who are emerging adults? ........................................................................................................................ 9 Why do emerging adults matter? ...........................................................................................................