N.S. to open youth mental health centres

Community groups will assist the N.S. government to open walk-in mental health centres for young people across the province by 2027. Youth aged 12 to 25 will be able to drop in for mental health and addictions counselling and other services without having to book an appointment. The model, known as integrated youth services, was developed in Australia and is used in several other provinces. The province will spend $8.4 million to get the sites up and running. An additional $10 million was committed by donors. Each centre will have a mental health and addictions clinician, a full-time and a part-time youth peer support worker, a community outreach worker, a family support worker, an administrative assistant, a part-time occupational therapist or recreational therapist and a part-time research assistant from the IWK.