Informal and formal mental health: preliminary qualitative findings

Abstract

BackgroundNorthern-based research on mental health support, no matter the specific profession, helps to inform instruction of new practitioners and practitioners already working in rural or isolated conditions. Understanding the complexities of northern mental health support not only benefits clients and practitioners living in the North, but also helps prepare psychologists and counsellors preparing to work in other countries with large rural and isolated populations. The qualitative phase is part of a multi-year research study on informal and formal mental health support in northern Canada involving the use of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods.ObjectiveThe main objective of the qualitative phase interviews was to document in-depth the situation of formal and informal helpers in providing mental health support in isolated northern communities in northern British Columbia, northern Alberta, Yukon and Northwest Territories (NWT). The intent of in-depth interviews was to collect descriptive information on the unique working conditions of northern helping practitioners for the development of a survey and subsequent community action plans for helping practitioner support.DesignTwenty participants in northern BC, Yukon and NWT participated in narrative interviews. Consensual qualitative research (CQR) was used in the analysis completed by 7 researchers. The principal researcher and research associate then worked through all 7 analyses, defining common categories and themes, and using selections from each researcher in order to ensure that everyone's analysis was represented in the final consensual summary.ResultsThe preliminary results include 7 main categories consisting of various themes. Defining elements of northern practice included the need for generalist knowledge and cultural sensitivity. The task of working with and negotiating membership in community was identified as essential for northern mental health support. The need for revised codes of ethics relevant to the reality of northern work was a major category, as was insight on how to best sustain northern practice.ConclusionMany of the practitioners who participated in this study have found ways to overcome the biggest challenges of northern practice, yet the limitations of small populations and lack of resources in small communities to adequately address mental health support were identified as existing. Empowering communities by building community capacity to educate, supervise and support formal and informal mental health workers may be the best approach to overcoming the lack of external resources.

Support to Rural, Remote, and Northern Counsellors: The Unique Features Inherent to Video-Conferencing Technology

“…Geographic isolation is compounded by complex sociocultural conditions related to poverty (Malone, 2012), lack of resources, perpetual staff turnover (O'Neill et al, 2016), and difficulty accessing primary, secondary, and tertiary health and mental health services given the extreme weather and large geographic distances that often span these sparsely populated and vast land masses (O'Neill et al, 2013). It should be noted that over half of the 1.4 million Indigenous peoples in Canada live in rural, remote, and Northern communities; overall, Indigenous communities in Canada show marked decrease in life expectancy which can differ by as much as 16 years when compared to non-Indigenous communities (Ministerial Advisory Council on Rural Health, 2002).…”

Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C-OVID-19: adaptations for fly-in and fly-out mental health providers during COVID-19

“…Access to mental health services is particularly important for Indigenous peoples who, due to colonialism, the legacy of residential school trauma, and racism – amongst other challenges [ 12 ], experience high rates of substance abuse, risk-taking behaviour, and suicide [ 13 ]. Indigenous peoples living in northern Canada face many barriers when accessing mental health services such as geographical isolation [ 14 ] and lack of health and telecommunications infrastructure [ 15 ].…”

Understanding the Experiences of Fly-In/Fly-Out Mental Health Service Providers in the Inuit Nunangat Region

“…Research and information on the practice and experience of delivering mental health services in northern Canada is limited (O'Neill et al, 2013a). Mental health service provision is challenging due to geographical isolation and the remoteness of northern Indigenous communities (O'Neill et al, 2013a).…”

“…Research and information on the practice and experience of delivering mental health services in northern Canada is limited (O'Neill et al, 2013a). Mental health service provision is challenging due to geographical isolation and the remoteness of northern Indigenous communities (O'Neill et al, 2013a). Numerous factors impact the recruitment of service providers including small community populations, transportation difficulty, as well as physical, personal and professional isolation issues (O'Neill et al, 2013a).…”

“…Mental health service provision is challenging due to geographical isolation and the remoteness of northern Indigenous communities (O'Neill et al, 2013a). Numerous factors impact the recruitment of service providers including small community populations, transportation difficulty, as well as physical, personal and professional isolation issues (O'Neill et al, 2013a). Studies have shown consistent problems of access to mental health services in rural and remote areas in comparison to urban regions (Lutfiyya et al, 2012) due to geographical isolation and availability of services (Barbopoulos & Clark, 2013;O'Neill et al, 2013a).…”