Get to Know the School Board Youth Outreach Team

The School Board Youth Outreach (SBYO) team is part of Lakeridge Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Program and works closely with local school boards to support youth across Durham Region. By meeting young people where they are, the team helps connect students to timely, youth-focused care and wraparound supports. 

Get to know the team and learn more about the work they do every day below! 

What is the School Board Youth Outreach team and what role do you play within Lakeridge Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Program?  

The SBYO team was created in 2020 to help more youth get support for substance use, gambling, gaming, and technology use in Durham Region. Our team consists of four counsellors: Kelvin, Kristen, Tanya, and Reilly.  

We provide the same type of counselling and support as Pinewood Centre’s Community Treatment (outpatient) program but with one important difference: we meet youth in the community and at school, allowing referrals to come directly to our team. 

We support youth ages 12 and up who attend one of Lakeridge Health’s partner school boards, including,  

What does the partnership with the school boards look like in practice, and how does a student or family connect to the program? 

This partnership helps make it easier and faster for students to access support. With school staff, students, and caregivers able to refer directly to the SBYO team, students can often connect with counselling sooner and through fewer steps. 

We follow each school board’s referral requirements and always are aligned with Pinewood Centre’s confidentiality, privacy, and safety policies. Students can be connected in a way that feels most comfortable for them – whether they reach out themselves to one of the four team members or through a trusted school staff member. Once students are in touch with a team member, meeting arrangements such as time and location will be further discussed.  

If you or your child is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911 and go to your nearest Emergency Department.  

What kinds of support does the team provide and what does youth-focused addiction and concurrent-disorder informed care look like day-to-day? 

Our team supports youth using Pinewood Centre’s model of care, including the Stages of Change approach. This means we meet youth where they’re at and focus on goals that they identify as important. 

Support can include education and conversations around substance use, gambling, gaming, and technology use, as well as mental health concerns that may be happening at the same time (concurrent disorders). We also support youth with harm reduction, relapse prevention, healthy coping strategies, advocacy, and referrals to other services when needed. 

Day-to-day work with youth is flexible, because needs can change quickly. We regularly revisit goals and adjust support to help youth build resilience and move forward in a way that feels realistic and supportive. 

How do you make services accessible for youth and what options are available for meeting with students (in school, in the community, virtually, or at Pinewood)?