WHAT WE OFFER
The Family and Youth Clinic is an outpatient program at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) offering treatment for children/adolescents (0 – under 18 years) and their families where significant mental health difficulties are a primary concern. Our primary focus is providing service when a youth’s day-to-day functioning is significantly impaired due to moderate or severe mental health illnesses including anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, trauma, eating disorders, self-harming behaviours, attention-deficit disorders and suicidality. Other presentations including mild mental health struggles, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disabilities are directed to other relevant local community services.
The Family and Youth Clinic offers family and individual treatment, group therapy, psychiatric consultation, urgent care, a day treatment classroom, and eating disorder treatment. We are supportive of the integrity and individuality of the family and aim to facilitate the ability of its members to function effectively.
We primarily serve families from Peterborough County but also provide services for families from Haliburton, City of Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland Counties, whose children require specialized services that are not available in their communities.
WHO WE ARE
The interprofessional healthcare team at the Family and Youth Clinic includes:
SERVICES
This clinic provides the following services:
The Family and Youth Clinic also offers an Urgent Care Clinic for children and youth up to the age of 18 years old who have urgent mental health needs such as a sudden decrease in mood or functioning or suicidal behaviour. Patients are assessed by the interprofessional health team and provide risk assessments, crisis management, diagnostic review and clarification, psychotropic medication review, initiation of medications and short-term management and monitoring. We work with the patient and family during stabilization while connecting them with appropriate hospital/community services as needed.
HOW TO REFER TO THE FAMILY & YOUTH CLINIC
Referrals are accepted from medical professionals such as physicians, pediatricians, and nurse practitioners. Please note that the referral form must be completed in its entirety in order to be accepted.
If you are a medical professional wishing to make a referral, please complete this referral form and fax to 705-876-5040.
If you are a parent, guardian, or adolescent looking for services, please request a referral through your primary health practitioner.
FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS
Who will I see?
At the Family and Youth Clinic, who you see at your appointment will depend on the service you are accessing. Our multidisciplinary healthcare team includes social workers, psychologists, nurses, child and youth workers, dietitians, and psychiatrists. All of our family and individual therapists are trained at either the masters or doctoral level in social work or psychology. Psychiatric consultation and psychological assessment are conducted on an as needed basis.
How long do I have to wait to see somebody?
Wait times at our clinic vary for each program. Please contact the Family and Youth Clinic if you have any specific questions.
Who attends the counselling sessions?
All family members are often invited to attend the initial session unless circumstances make this inadvisable. Who attends subsequent sessions is determined by you and the therapist.
How long are the sessions?
Sessions are usually no longer than one hour for therapy, though may be longer for the initial assessment appointment.
Do you work with kids whose parents have recently separated?
Family breakdown and separation are a time of significant transition and change for all family members involved. Negative impacts can be anticipated, but hopefully not for long. We will work with those in a situation where the family breakdown appears to be having a significant negative impact on a child’s mental health.
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