Help in Hand initiative brings mental health support to students in northwestern Ontario

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY — Lakehead University researchers launched the Help in Hand initiative in partnership with community mental health agencies and School Mental Health Ontario to support youth mental health in northwestern Ontario on July 29 in Thunder Bay.

The initiative, which is being funded through a $2 million investment from Health Canada’s Youth Mental Health Fund, includes access for participating students to the JoyPop research-backed app, which helps youth strengthen their emotion regulation skills and improve overall well-being.

“With JoyPop — we’ve been building up the evidence for eight, nine years, so we can feel confident that this is something that has been helping youth in our region, [we] can continue to help youth and make that available along with resources to implement it and evaluate, [and] it is helpful moving forward,” says Aislin Mushquash, a Clinical Psychologist at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care and Lakehead University’s Research Chair in Youth Mental Health. “In the fall, we’re going to make the JoyPop app available throughout schools in northwestern Ontario, and then through our partnership with School Mental Health Ontario, we’re looking at the digital and mental health literacy piece and eventually, over the fall, we’re going to start doing some of the training into schools for the educators.”

Mushquash says the communities are curious and interested about how the initiative will help students within their schools.

“In partnership with Dilico [Anishinabek Family Care], we’ve been really intentional of figuring out what are the needs in the district, what are the needs in our First Nations locally, and making sure that if there are different needs in different schools that we can figure out how to meet those needs in a good way,” says Mushquash.

Mushquash, who has worked as a clinical psychologist for 13 years, says she has seen how young people often face unique barriers to accessing support.

“Help in Hand is about providing practical, evidence-based tools while strengthening links to the broader mental health system,” says Mushquash. “Our hope is that this initiative will lead to a better understanding of the impact of digital spaces and technologies on youth mental health.”

John Dixon, Director of Substance Health and Special Projects at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, says the initiative allows students to have ready access to mental health supports.

“Dilico [Anishinabek Family Care] brings a different lens, which allows us to adapt this research to better meet the needs of Indigenous people based on what we learn,” says Dixon. “By increasing digital mental health literacy, providing evidence-informed tools, and strengthening pathways to care, the project will help youth and families find support sooner and more easily. Dilico [Anishinabek Family Care] is proud to partner in this work and to help ensure that Indigenous youth and their caregivers have access to resources and services that support wellness, resilience, and positive mental health outcomes.”

Mushquash and her research team are working closely with a network of community partners, including Dilico Family Anishinabek Care, Children’s Centre Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay Counselling Centre, School Mental Health Ontario, and McGill University’s Ludic Mind Studio, to improve the effectiveness, timeliness, and cultural appropriateness of integrated mental health care for youth and their support systems.

“Community organizations, like Lakehead University, are key to strengthening youth mental health because they understand the needs and realities of young people in their communities, especially those facing the greatest barriers to care,” says Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health with the federal government. “Through Health Canada’s Youth Mental Health Fund, our government is helping young people access mental health care where they feel safe and supported. Supporting young Canadians today means building a Canada strong for generations to come.”

Thunder Bay—Superior North Member of Parliament Patty Hajdu says young people are better able to thrive at school, at home, and in their communities when they have access to the right supports at the right time.

“The Help in Hand initiative reflects the innovation and collaboration that northwestern Ontario is known for, bringing together educators, researchers, and community organizations to improve access to mental health supports for youth,” Hajdu says. “I’m proud to see partners across our region leading this important work.”