Front Door Offers Rural Access to Children's Mental Health Services

As of January 2017, thanks to a new opportunity funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Front Door is making children’s mental health services more accessible to rural communities in North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. Front Door works with children and youth to build, strengthen and sustain mental wellness.

A Camino and Lutherwood partnership, Front Door has taken great pride in continuing to seek opportunities to improve access to mental health services for children and youth. In 2015, Front Door doubled its walk-in capacity (four days per week, instead of two), improving service coordination and streamlining access in both Kitchener and Cambridge. In 2016, the team added Saturday walk-in to the complement, delivering easier access for the busy, working family.

And now in 2017, the single session counselling services will be offered in the heart of our rural communities by simply calling Front Door at 519-749-2932 to arrange an appointment on the scheduled day. Our experienced counsellors can help identify issues and equip families with tools and strategies to address concerns such as behaviour, emotional state, self-harm, unsafe activities, conflicts at home, troubles at school, struggles with peers or a mental health diagnosis. Counsellors can also provide access to more intensive mental health services if needed.

Rural appointments are available as follows:

Front Door walk-in sessions for children and youth under 18 years of age continue to be available in three urban locations in Kitchener and Cambridge as follows:

CAMBRIDGE:
• Tuesdays, 12 – 6:30 p.m. – at 35 Dickson St., Cambridge (Lutherwood)
• Thursdays, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. – at 1145 Concession Rd., Cambridge (Langs)
KITCHENER:
• Wednesdays, 12 – 6:30 p.m. – at 1770 King Street E., Kitchener (Front Door)
• Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. – at 1770 King Street E., Kitchener (Front Door)

“Providing accessible service is key to breaking down barriers and ensuring that we deliver timely, relevant and impactful services that make a difference,” said Camino CEO Tracy Elop. “Offering optional times in multiple locations helps families to get the assistance they need where and when they need it.”

“Waterloo Region’s township residents want access to children’s mental health services, but find city-based walk-in counselling difficult to access,” said Lutherwood CEO Dr. John Colangeli. “So it just makes sense that together with our partners at Camino, we bring our counsellors into rural communities so children, youth and families get better service.”

Front Door is a joint initiative of Lutherwood and Camino Family and Community Services, accredited non-profit mental health organizations that serve children, youth and their families in Waterloo Region. By combining our resources and experienced staff, we are able to provide a broader range of programs and services to assist children, youth and families living in communities across Waterloo Region.