Finding the right supports for you
Resource information
This section provides an overview of the resource and resource information.
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Watch the video below for a quick summary of the Youth Wellness Quest resource.
Welcome to the Youth Wellness Quest.
Your go-to guide for mental health information.
If you’re having mental health or substance use challenges, getting help is often the first step toward getting and staying well. It can be hard asking for help. It can also be hard to know where to start. Sometimes all you know is that you need help.
The Youth Wellness Quest can help you start thinking about what kind of help may be right for you. Using this resource, you will learn information about the different types of services out there and different people who may be able to support you.
The resource includes a Checklist and a Guide.
The Checklist
Many of the different types of help can be found in the Checklist. You can use the Checklist to choose what kinds of services are important to you. Once you’re finished, you can share this Checklist with someone who supports you, such as a family member or a service provider like a doctor.
The Guide
The Guide has lots of information. If you don’t know what something is or want to learn more, you can find more information in the Wellness Quest Guide.
Let’s take a quick look at the different sections.
What services interest me?
In this section, you will learn about the different types of services available and what they offer. You can learn about medications, therapy and more.People who I can get support from
Here, you will learn about the different types of people who can support you and provide care. This section includes tips on how to reach out to others for help and how to find a family doctor.
How to get to the services you need
In this section, you can learn about things that can make it easier for you get the services you need, such as transportation support and health insurance. Some helpful tips it includes are how you might be able to book appointments and what to expect during the appointments.
My rights: Confidentiality, privacy and consent
When you first access a mental health service, you may not want others to know. You can learn about important things like “confidentiality”, “privacy” and “consent” to help you understand your rights and to help you feel safe and secure when accessing services.
Self-help
You can also learn about self-help techniques that you can use on your own to help with some of the struggles you may be facing, or whenever you feel overwhelmed.
The Youth Wellness Quest is meant to help you in figuring out what kinds of service are important to you and how to access them. Though it may take some time to figure out the best fit, there are possibilities, options and people available to help.
Now it’s time to start your Wellness Quest.
There are different options to how you can use this resource.
You can start by filling out the Checklist, then taking a look at the Guide to get more information on sections you are interested in. You can also begin by reading the Guide, and then filling out the Checklist.
Good luck on your Wellness Quest!
As young people who have accessed services and developed this resource, we hope it will help you in your own journey.
Welcome to the Youth Wellness Quest.
If you’re having mental health or substance use challenges, getting help is often the first step toward getting and staying well. It can be hard to know where to start. Sometimes all you know is that you need help.
You might want to get help if you're:
- worrying more than usual
- finding it hard to enjoy your life
- having thoughts and feelings that are hard to cope with and affect your day-to-day life
- using substances more than usual
- interested in finding more support
Who is this resource for?
The Youth Wellness Quest Guide and Checklist explores the kinds of mental health and substance use services that may be available in your community. You can use both to figure out what kind of help might be best for you.
The Wellness Quest resource is made up of a guide and a checklist.
Checklist
The checklist can help you identify the types of support that are most important to you. It lists services, partners in treatment, and accessibility concerns, so that you can work together with service providers to develop the best treatment plan for yourself.
After filling out the checklist you can then:
- search online for local services and contact them for more information.
- talk to a health care provider who can help connect you with these services in your community.
Checklist Guide
The guide provides an explanation of all the services and sections in the checklist. The guide has detailed information about different topics that may be important to you in your mental health journey. Access the full version of the guide below or you can also access a shorter version of the Youth Wellness Quest for a quick summary of all the important information
The Guide has five sections:
If you're having trouble reaching out, try to talk or text with a helpline—like Kids Help Phone (1 800 668 6868), or text CONNECT to 686868 to chat with a volunteer crisis responder.
If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, you are deserving of help. Please explore resources at www.camh.ca/gethelp. If you feel safe in the moment, follow up with your family physician or care team. If you require immediate, in-person emergency care, call 911, or go to your nearest emergency department.
This resource was developed by young people on CAMH’s Youth Engagement Initiative and the National Youth Action Council. It is supported by the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health and the Child, Youth and Emerging Adult Program.
The Youth Wellness Quest is also available in hard copy, which includes both the checklist and shorter version of the guide. Hard copies may be purchased at the CAMH Store here.