Mental Health and Substance Use Outpatient Services

We provide psychiatric and multidisciplinary consultation and treatment across our clinics for those who require care, but are not staying overnight in the hospital. We provide care for children and youth up to their 19th birthday.

We provide the following services:

• Assessment and diagnosis
• Individual and group treatment
• Treatment recommendations and consultations
• Education and support for families
• Team-to-team consultations

Our team provides support for a wide variety of conditions. These include mental health concerns and substance use issues.

Conditions we support:

• Mood and anxiety disorders
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and OCD-related disorders
• Neuropsychiatric disorders
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related impulse-control disorders
• Medical and mental health co-occurring concerns including mental health-related metabolic conditions
• Early childhood mental health concerns

Referral information

Children and youth need a referral from a health-care provider such as a psychiatrist, pediatrician, family doctor or nurse practitioner to access these services.

Before your first appointment

We schedule appointments on week days. 

Complete forms 

When we accept a child or youth to our program, we send a welcome letter with our program contact information.

Once we confirm an appointment date, we send a link to our online forms to families and caregivers. Please complete all forms with as much information as possible. It is helpful for older children and youth to complete their section of the forms.

If requested, please email, fax, mail or bring all relevant medical and mental health reports to your first appointment. We may ask for school reports, individual education plans, past psychology assessments, or other relevant medical documents.  

Additional support 

We want your appointment to be as comfortable as possible for you and your child or youth. If you have concerns, please let us know ahead of time. We will work with you and your family to make sure your appointment goes as smoothly as possible.  

Changes to your child’s condition 

If your child or youth's condition worsens in the time leading up to your appointment, please contact the care provider who referred you to our program. If there is a major change, ask them to call us directly.

Cancellations 

If you need to cancel your appointment, please contact us right away - if possible, at least 48 hours in advance. This allows us to give your appointment time to another patient. 

During assessment 

For the first appointment, we usually see children and youth with their parent or caregiver. We also speak to older children and youth separately from their caregivers. Note, we do not speak to younger children without their family or caregivers being present. We may speak to family or caregivers separately during the first appointment or during a follow-up meeting.

The first appointment takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. It can take several appointments to complete a child or youth's assessment. 

After assessment 

Once your child or youth's assessment is complete, we share the results with you and your child or youth.

We usually provide a diagnosis and discuss our treatment recommendations. For most patients, we provide recommendations to support your child or youth's care from your community.

If your child or youth could benefit from one of our treatment groups, we will discuss this with you once the assessment is complete.

We complete a report for your child or youth's hospital chart. We send a copy of the report to the care provider who made the referral to our program. With parental/caregiver consent, we can send copies of the report to other members of your child or youth's care team.

If you would like a copy of this report for your own records, please let us know.

Contact us

Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic
Healthy Minds Centre
BC Children’s Hospital
4555 Heather Street
Vancouver, BC
V5Z 0A7 

Phone: 604-875-2010 (for families/caregivers and providers)
Fax: 604-875-2099 (for provider referrals) 

Families and caregivers  

If your child is having a mental health or substance use crisis, please call 9-1-1 or visit your nearest emergency department for care. Further information is available on our Emergency Department web page.  

General mental health and substance use information and resources are also available on the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre website. 

Health-care providers 

Providers looking for support to provide care to a child or youth with a mental health or substance use concern can call Compass Mental Health toll free at 1-855-702-7272 or visit the Compass Mental Health program website for further information. This is a free provincial service led by clinicians at BC Children’s Hospital.