Youth Mental Health Services Grow in Welland

Pathstone opens in-person Walk-In clinic at the Seaway Mall.

Welland, ON [October 13, 2023]

This Monday, Pathstone will celebrate the opening of their new in-person Mental
Health Walk-In Clinic, located at the Seaway Mall in the Welland. This will also mark the unveiling of Pathstone’s second TD Sponsored Wellness Wall which wraps around the new clinic and store location.

This is yet another permanent location where Pathstone’s mental health services can be easily accessed by the nearby community at no cost. Pathstone first delved into the retail space close to a year ago with store/clinic opening at the Pen Centre. The formula has been so successful that we are replicating it with the help of the team at the Seaway Mall.

Having clinics that are easily accessible and in high traffic locations is where Pathstone needs to be. The new Welland location shifts from the John Howard Society building on East Main, to the Seaway Mall and will be open every Monday from 11:30am- 6:00pm to start, located at the Cineplex entrance.

We are thrilled to welcome Pathstone to the Seaway Mall. This partnership will ensure that Welland’s youth will have free access to vital wellness resources, while breaking the stigma surrounding mental health. With their services in the mall, our community will become more compassionate, understanding, and resilient—making someone’s life a little bit
easier, one visit at a time. Mike Belcastro, President – Seaway Mall

We wanted to continue our forward momentum, in step with our mission to bring mental health support to every corner of our community. The Seaway Mall is as much a community hub as it is a shopping destination and we are excited to partner on this expansion effort. We are exciting to do a number of projects with them, not just the walk-in clinic. Kim Rossi, Director of Fundraising & Communications.

Working alongside Pathstone will be their community partners from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara. There are great synergies with our agencies and we have a shared focus of offering preventative services that help children and youth realize their incredible potential. We look forward to utilizing the Seaway mall location to increase our volunteer recruitment and family enrollment efforts in Welland. Erin Graybiel, Executive Director - Big Brothers Big Sisters of
Niagara

In addition to the weekly walk in clinic, Pathstone’s store location will also sell #ProjectPlaid swag throughout the month of November, recognizing our need to connect as a community, talk more about mental health, and support the work Pathstone is doing with children, youth and families across Niagara.

The walk-in clinic model is a solid one, and we have been able to collect and are share some of the phenomenal results. Through surveys, completed by clients who used our walk-in clinics anywhere in Niagara, we discovered the following:

✓ The average walk-in clinic client is 11.5 years old.
✓ 49% want to learn coping skills.
✓ 21% are struggling with Anxiety
✓ 12% are seeking ongoing counselling
✓ 9% are avoiding school
✓ 9% have behavioural issues

Post walk-in clinic session follow up– 98% of clients say they felt heard. 100% said they would come again. 100% said they would refer a friend if needed.

General Comments:
✓ Very Welcoming
✓ Gave us lots of handouts and resources, everything we needed!
✓ Person we talked to was very helpful and gave us a lot of strategies and helped defuse what could have been a very tough day.
✓ I wish we would have accessed this service earlier.
✓ Would love more regular access to this service.

Other Pathstone in-person Walk-In clinic locations stretch from Fort Erie through to Grimsby and everywhere in between. Thanks to a generous partnership with the Seaway Mall and donation from the John Deere Canada Foundation this effort is completely funded by generous donations.

For more info on ALL of Pathstone’s Walk-in clinic locations and hours of operation, visit:
https://www.pathstonementalhealth.ca/walk-in-clinic/

Pathstone’s Promise.
At Pathstone Mental Health, all children in Niagara from birth until their 18 birthday have access to our mental health services at no cost. Through the Ministry of Health and additional support from donors, all kids in Niagara have equal access to mental health care at any of our locations across the region. We are committed to ensuring that Niagara’s children, youth and their families know they have the right to have good mental health.

Crisis & Support is available 24/7 by calling 1-800-263-4944

For more information and interviews, please contact:
Kim Rossi – krossi@pathstone.ca or 905-688-6850 x167
Pathstone Foundation / Pathstone Mental Health

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