Capital District Mental Health Program - Much more than hospitals.
Sometimes people think that if you are living with mental illness and need support, you can only get care in a hospital. That’s simply not true. While there are times when hospital-based care is needed, there are many times when it isn’t.
More and more mental health services and supports are available in community locations. The people working in the Mental Health Program can be found giving presentations at libraries, leading groups at Community Mental Health, counselling people in doctors’ offices or connecting people to job opportunities at clubhouses. Mental health services and supports come in many different forms.
Who we are
The Mental Health Program is full of amazing people who are committed to helping people manage mental illness and improve their mental health. Mostly, they work together in teams. They work to ensure you get the best care available and that your expectations are met.
Our health care professionals include (in alphabetical order):
Developmental workers
Family physicians
Nurses
Nutritionists
Occupational therapists
Psychiatrists
Psychologists
Recreational therapists
Social workers
Every health care professional brings unique skills to the health care team.
What we do
Mental health professionals support people living with mental illness at every stage of illness. It’s difficult to describe everything mental health professionals do; their activities are different depending on where they work. The teams at Community Mental Health provide different supports than the teams working in emergency care and so on.
While this is true, there are a few common activities:
-
Mental health professionals (mainly psychiatrists) help determine if a person’s mental health concerns are related to mental illness, what specific mental illness a person is living with and what might help the person to stabilize and/or manage mental illness.
-
They provide ongoing support to people living with mental illness. This can range from prescribing medications and helping people to take medications in the right amounts at the right times to providing advice on eating well. It can include counselling, cooking lessons, acupuncture, home visits and more.
-
Mental health professionals also provide support to family physicians, family members and to others. They act as a resource, providing education and information.
- Many mental health professionals do research and teach future health care professionals. The Mental Health Program is part of an academic health district. This means that it actively pursues research and teaching opportunities that will benefit people living with mental illness.
More information on getting help.
Capital District Mental Health Program - Much more than hospitals.
Sometimes people think that if you are living with mental illness and need support, you can only get care in a hospital. That’s simply not true. While there are times when hospital-based care is needed, there are many times when it isn’t.
More and more mental health services and supports are available in community locations. The people working in the Mental Health Program can be found giving presentations at libraries, leading groups at Community Mental Health, counselling people in doctors’ offices or connecting people to job opportunities at clubhouses. Mental health services and supports come in many different forms.
Who we are
The Mental Health Program is full of amazing people who are committed to helping people manage mental illness and improve their mental health. Mostly, they work together in teams. They work to ensure you get the best care available and that your expectations are met.
Our health care professionals include (in alphabetical order):
Developmental workers
Family physicians
Nurses
Nutritionists
Occupational therapists
Psychiatrists
Psychologists
Recreational therapists
Social workers
Every health care professional brings unique skills to the health care team.
What we do
Mental health professionals support people living with mental illness at every stage of illness. It’s difficult to describe everything mental health professionals do; their activities are different depending on where they work. The teams at Community Mental Health provide different supports than the teams working in emergency care and so on.
While this is true, there are a few common activities:
-
Mental health professionals (mainly psychiatrists) help determine if a person’s mental health concerns are related to mental illness, what specific mental illness a person is living with and what might help the person to stabilize and/or manage mental illness.
-
They provide ongoing support to people living with mental illness. This can range from prescribing medications and helping people to take medications in the right amounts at the right times to providing advice on eating well. It can include counselling, cooking lessons, acupuncture, home visits and more.
-
Mental health professionals also provide support to family physicians, family members and to others. They act as a resource, providing education and information.
- Many mental health professionals do research and teach future health care professionals. The Mental Health Program is part of an academic health district. This means that it actively pursues research and teaching opportunities that will benefit people living with mental illness.
More information on getting help.