So, why? E8 - Fostering flexibility to create a supportive system in NWT #mentalhealth #podcast

Like many other provinces and territories, the Northwest Territories had one pathway for people seeking support for their mental health. Recognizing that people have diverse needs and their journeys are not always linear, the territory explored a new way of doing things to help more people get the support they need when needed. Drawn to its intuitive approach, in 2020, NWT made the decision to start implementing Stepped Care 2.0. The transformation began, and the system started to shift. There are now multiple ways of accessing different types of care with minimal barriers, allowing for quick access.

The newly released report Partnering Together for Person- and Family-Centric Care in partnership with the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Mental Health Commission of Canada and Stepped Care Solutions, highlights the impact of these changes. The outcomes match the excitement of those who have been a part of it, including a 79% reduction in wait times for mental wellness counselling.

Today we are joined by Carly Straker, Manager of Systems Quality and Integration in Mental Wellness and Addictions Recovery with the Government of the NWT. Carly was born and raised on the traditional territory of the Yellowknives Dene in Yellowknife,

NWT. She is a mama to a little one who is total sunlight. Carly has a master’s degree in clinical social work and has spent two decades working, advocating, learning, and leading in various front-line, operational, and system-level capacities within mental wellness and substance use health, trauma, crisis and emergency response, and more - with children, youth, adults and families in both urban and rural settings across Canada. With a passion for whole health, she also coaches weightlifting, children’s sports and spends as much time as she can in nature with her daughter, friends, and family, recognizing the invaluable impacts of these connections. While working in her current role with the Government of the NWT, Carly has led system change through the championing of recovery-oriented, person- and family-centric care and the recent implementation of the Stepped Care 2.0 model, which includes various eMental health initiatives, key training and orientation programs, an Advisory Group of individuals from across the territory with lived and living expertise, communications, continuous monitoring, and more.

About Stepped Care Solutions

Stepped Care Solutions exists to help the health care community reframe, rethink, and redesign the delivery of mental health care services to those in need.

Bolstered by principles and driven by evidence, SCS collaborates with government, business, health care, and more, to promote and implement an equitable and visionary approach to mental health care, and ensure every individual receives care that is uniquely suited to their needs.

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