The Mental Health and Addictions Program (MHA) is one of three clinical programs at IWK Health. We treat children and youth up until their 19th birthday within a patient and family-centred context.
Families are essential partners in the treatment of the childhood onset of mental health and addictions issues, and we strive to include families in treatment and to partner with families to support health and wellness for their children. The MHA Program provides services in schools, community clinics, day and inpatient settings.
How to get help
Family doctor
A good place to start is with your family doctor. Talk to them about how you’re feeling. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may treat you, or they may refer you to a local community mental health team or a private practitioner.
IWK Central Referral
Central Referral can help you get an appointment for mental health and addictions services. At the IWK we offer mental health and addictions service for children and youth under the age of 19. Please call toll free 1-855-922-1122
Emergency mental health and addictions help
A psychiatric emergency is when a person is in immediate danger to him/herself due to compromised thinking and/or judgement. Call 911 or go to IWK Health Emergency. A psychiatric emergency may require hospital-based treatment.
Crisis Support
A mental health crisis does not necessarily require hospital-based care and can be supported in the community by a team of mental health care providers. Examples include thoughts of suicide, distorted or psychotic thinking, intense anxiety, depression or the inability to cope. If you are experiencing a mental health or addictions crisis call 902-429-8167 or 1-888-429-8167 (toll-free) for the Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team.
31 Clinics, Programs or Services
Emergency Department
The IWK Emergency Department (ED) provides attentive and thorough emergency care to children and youth until their 16th birthday and to those with mental health...
Offered at 1 Location
Mental Health & Addictions Central Referral
Make the Call to Central Referral If you need help with a mental health and addictions problem, Central Referral is there to help. At the...
The Garron Centre for Child & Adolescent Mental Health (acute inpatient services)
Who we help The Garron Centre for Child & Adolescent Mental Health (acute inpatient care) supports children and youth up to 19 years of age...
Family Therapy
Families are a key resource to youth as they grow and develop. During stressful times and when youth experience difficulties in life, families are an...
Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (EIBI)
The Nova Scotia Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (EIBI) program can help families of preschool aged children having a confirmed or provisional diagnosis of autistic spectrum...
Offered at 1 Location
Adolescent Intensive Services (AIS)
Adolescent Intensive Services (AIS) is a day and inpatient program for youth ages 13 to their 19th birthday with mental health and/or substance use disorders...
Offered at 1 Location
Children's Intensive Services (CIS)
About the Service Children's Intensive Services (CIS) provides mental health services to children aged 5 to 12 years. Families are referred by their community mental...
Offered at 1 Location
Community Mental Health and Addictions Clinics
Three Community Mental Health and Addictions (CMHA) clinics, located in Halifax, Sackville and Dartmouth, help kids and teens up to 19 years of age, and...
Offered at 3 Locations
Mental Health & Addictions Health Promotion Team
The Mental Health and Addictions Promotion Team (HPT) recognizes that to achieve a healthy future there needs to be safe and healthy communities where children...
Psychiatry Consultation Services
Physicians can request Collaborative Care phone consultation or one-time assessment from an IWK child psychiatrist. To request a consultation, please call Central Referral and speak...
Psychiatry Consultation Liaison (C/L) Service
The IWK Consultation Liaison service provides psychiatric consultations for children and youth being treated as inpatients on the medical and surgical units at IWK Health...
Emergency Mental Health and Addictions (EMHAS)
The Emergency Mental Health and Addictions Service (EMHAS) is located within the Emergency Department (ED) of the IWK Health Centre. The team of Registered Nurses...
Offered at 1 Location
Specific Care Clinics
The IWK Youth Psychosis Team The IWK Youth Psychosis Team is a multidisciplinary specialty service providing clinical service, research, education and advocacy in early identification...
Youth Forensic Services
Who we can help The IWK Youth Forensic team provides assessment and treatment services to youth who are involved with the criminal justice system. The...
Secure Care Unit
The IWK Secure Care Unit (SCU), located in Waterville NS, is a three-bed inpatient unit that provides mental health assessments and care to youth who...
Offered at 1 Location
Healthcare Services to Nova Scotia Youth Centre
The IWK partners with the Department of Justice to provide essential healthcare services to young persons in custody at the Nova Scotia Youth Centre (NSYC)...
Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team (MHMCT)
The Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team (MHMCT), also known as the Provincial Crisis Line, is a provincial crisis service that serves all of Nova Scotia...
Child Life Services
Health care experiences can be stressful for children and youth. These experiences may cause fear, confusion, and changes in behaviour. Children and youth need to...
Offered at 1 Location
Developmental Pediatrics Clinic
Every year the Developmental Pediatrics Clinic helps about 1200 children and youth with a wide variety of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit...
Offered at 1 Location
Family Legal Health Program
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This program or clinic is not administered by the IWK. Program information may be incorrect and/or out of date.
Confirm details with the program or clinic provider.
Confirm details with the program or clinic provider.
The IWK Family Legal Health Program (FLHP) connects IWK Health patients and their families to our community partners who may be able to provide legal...
Feeding Clinic
The IWK Feeding Clinic helps by providing evidence-based assistance to children and youth exhibiting significant feeding difficulties or concerns. We provide intervention and consultation for...
Offered at 1 Location
Bereavement Support Services
Families who have experienced the death of a child or pregnancy loss at IWK are offered IWK bereavement follow-up services. IWK bereavement care professionals are...
Offered at 1 Location
Pediatric School Services
Pediatric School Services is a multidisciplinary team, including a Teacher and an Educational Support Worker, who help make sure that youth being treated at the...
Social Work
Social Workers help by improving the physical and mental health of patients and families by working on the issues that patients and families identify as...
Suspected Trauma and Abuse Response Team
The Suspected Trauma and Abuse Response Team (START) helps by providing compassionate and rapid assessment, management, and treatment to Maritime children and youth up to...
Offered at 1 Location
Reproductive Mental Health Service (RMHS)
We require referrals from family physicians, obstetricians, midwives, nurse practitioners or attending physicians. We do not accept self-referrals. We are not an emergency service. If...
Offered at 1 Location
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Dalhousie University is located at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The psychiatry division has...
Mothers' Mental Health Toolkit: A Resource for the Community
What is the Mothers' Mental Health Toolkit? The Mothers’ Mental Health Toolkit was born out of a novel partnership between the IWK Reproductive Mental Health...
Urgent Care Clinic (UCC)
The Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) is an ambulatory service within the Mental Health and Addictions program. They provide short-term care and treatment to patients up...
Family Intensive Outreach Service (FIOS)
What kind of treatment will my family get? FIOS work is guided by the Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy (ESFT) model to support children/youth and families...
Gender Affirming Care
IWK Health is a proud leader in gender-affirming care. We ensure youth in Nova Scotia access support and treatment based on evidence. Gender-affirming services at...