4.3 Collaborate with youth (and family members/caregivers, if invited by youth) to identify adult services that are an appropriate fit, and confirm the adult mental health service eligibility criteria.
4.3 Collaborate with youth (and family members/caregivers, if invited by youth) to identify adult services that are an appropriate fit, and confirm the adult mental health service eligibility criteria.
Work with the young person to identify appropriate adult services based on program alignment with clinical needs and their treatment goals. Engaging young people in the transition process can help ensure that their needs and preferences are considered, and can increase levels of trust between providers and youth (O'Hara et al., 2020).
Transition navigator partners have shared some key elements to identifying adult services:
1. Assessing the young person's acuity, i.e., severity of current mental health symptomology
2. Outlining any cost-related issues or financial barriers to accessing care, services, or treatment
3. Identifying services that offer easy access, timeliness, and responsiveness (i.e., wait time considerations)
It is important to confirm the youth's eligibility with the agency before completing the transition process. Having a pre-existing relationship with the agency can help expedite contact and confirm eligibility.
NOTES FROM A NAVIGATOR
Honestly I think it depends on… [the youth's service] catchment area. It's based on their postal code, and a lot of places may have better services, but they don't accept someone with that postal code area, so you have to look at what's available within their region.
And then just appropriateness [of potential services]. What's their identity? What would they benefit from... what kind of counsellor is going to be the most beneficial for them, and finding those appropriate resources for them is important.
And then looking at wait times, this might be appropriate, but it's a one-and-a-half year wait, so what's something in the meantime that we can get you connected to, that is maybe a shorter wait, and then in the future you get connected to this resource.
