1. Family Outreach & Response Program Family Outreach & Response Program Presents The Family Mental Health Navigation Program April 25, 2015 Elly Litvak Family Mental Health Navigator Coordinator www.familymentalhealthrecovery.org

2.  The Family Navigation Program is a partnership between St. Joseph’s Health Centre and Family Outreach and Response Program  Funded by the Toronto Central Health Integrative Network (LHIN)

3. Our Mission To provide education, support, skills and resources that will help families and concerned friends support their loved one’s recovery… And thus, to allow all of them to continue to thrive! Family Outreach and Response Program (2015)3

4. Family Outreach and Response Family Outreach and Response Program (2015) 4 “ When one person in a family is struggling, everyone is ”

5. Family Outreach and Response Recovery-oriented mental health support to family members  Individual counselling  Group support  Dialectical Behavioural Therapy  Youth peer support group

6. Family Outreach and Response Advocacy Efforts  All staff have lived experience of mental health or are supporting a family member  Promotion of recovery alternatives locally and globally  Promotion of family mental health services in wider system

7. Why is it important to have a Family Navigation Program?

8. Confused Isolat ed Confidentiality FRUSTRATED Consent PSCYHIATRIST Psychologist FORM 1 FORM 2 Antipsychotic Bipolar Schizophrenia Waiting Wondering Jargon CRISIS Police 911

9. Program Objective #1 To improve system navigation for families.  Fractured mental health system  Abundance of resources  The challenges of confidentiality Why a Family Navigation Program?

10. Program Objective #2 Reduce isolation and increase sense of ability to cope via family groups

11. Reduce wait times Families struggle while waiting for service. Our commitment is to respond within 24 hrs Program Objective #3

12. Reduce ER usage  Giving families access to needed supports averts the need to use the ED.  ED should be a last resort option. Program Objective #4

13. Increase families’ ability to support their loved one and themselves via self-care skills. Program Objective #5

14. Our Story The Canadian Mental Health Commission of Canada (2013) recommended family peer navigator positions for ED’s, admissions and supporting families (Recommendation 20)

15. Our Story  LHIN call for proposals, September 2013  Connecting with St. Joe’s, getting the word out  Influx of referrals  Survey results, September 2014  New funding, January 2015  Justean

16. Year 1 Success More or less ED visits prior to receiving support from the program?

17. Year 1: Client Comments “Working with, and learning from, the agency has led to a dramatic change for the better in my home with my family and for myself” “Elly's support, guidance and knowledge has been invaluable to us and we rely upon her to help us ‘navigate’ the system” “I am enormously grateful that I was introduced to Elly and was able to benefit from her knowledge, insight and compassion”

18. Discussion Questions