If you are in an emergency, in crisis or need someone to talk to, there is help.

View Crisis Resouces
Skip to content
  • Contact Us
  • No One Left Behind
  • Join our team
  • Referral Form
  • Virtual Urgent Care
  • Accessibility
CAMH logo
  • Patients and Families
    • Main Page
    • Access CAMH & Referral Form
      • Access CAMH

        Centralized information, intake and scheduling. Access CAMH makes it easy to find support – simply call 416-535-8501, option 2.

      • Referral Form

        For mental health services, a referral form needs to be completed by a healthcare provider. For addictions services, patient can self-refer.

    • Programs & Services
      • Addictions/Substance Use
      • Alzheimer’s & Dementia
      • Anxiety & Depression
      • Concurrent Disorders
      • Developmental Disabilities
      • Mood & Personality Disorders
      • Problem Gambling
      • Schizophrenia & Psychosis
      • Trauma & Stress Disorders
      • Virtual Mental Health and Outreach
      • Other
    • Information for Patients
      • Patient Wellness and Patient Engagement at CAMH
      • What to expect
      • Your Rights
      • Patient and Family Feedback
      • Visiting CAMH

        Planning on visiting CAMH? Find contact information, directions and accessibility for each of our three main sites.

    • Information for Families
      • Family Resource Centre
      • Patient and Family Feedback
      • Visiting CAMH

        Planning on visiting CAMH? Find contact information, directions and accessibility for each of our three main sites.

    • Patient and Family Engagement
      • Patient and Family Partners Program
      • Information and resources
      • Get Involved in Research
      • Volunteer at CAMH
    • Visiting CAMH
      • Visiting CAMH

        Planning on visiting CAMH? Find contact information, directions and accessibility for each of our three main sites.

        Read More
    • MyCAMH
  • Health Info
    • Main Page
    • Mental Illness & Addiction Index
      • Conditions & Disorders
      • Medication Therapies
      • Substance Use
      • Types of Treatment
      • Information in Other Languages
    • Mental Health 101
      • Mental Health 101

        Use this series of free online tutorials as the starting point to learn about and understand a wide range of mental health topics.

        Read More
    • Guides & Publications
      • Guides & Publications

        Accessible, reliable, professionally produced resources on an array of mental health topics for patients, families, students and professionals.

        Read More
    • Crisis Resources
      • Crisis Resources

        If you are in an emergency, in crisis or need someone to talk to, there is a list of resources available for areas in and around Toronto.

        Read More
    • CAMH Store
      • CAMH Store

        The CAMH Store offers a wide array of mental illness and addiction resources for patients, families, students and professionals. Search or browse our catalogue of brochures and booklets, textbooks, manuals and assessment tools.

        Read More
    • CAMH Library
      • CAMH Library

        Open to professionals and the general public, our comprehensive resources and services support and enhance CAMH's research and clinical programs, and they facilitate learning, dynamic knowledge exchange and health promotion initiatives.

        Read More
    • Workplace Mental Health Playbook
    • Mental Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic
      • Coping with stress & anxiety
      • Quarantine & isolation
      • Stigma and prejudice
      • Loss, grief and healing
      • Covid-19 Resources for Health Care Workers
  • Research
    • Main Page
    • Research Areas at CAMH
      • Brain Science

        CAMH is revolutionizing our understanding of the brain and the causes, biomarkers and treatments of mental illness.

      • Personalized Care

        By understanding diverse groups, we prevent, diagnose and care for each one with greater precision and personalization.

      • Prevention and Policy

        Using evidence, we drive system and social change to optimize care and reduce the burden of mental illness, including addictions, across populations.

    • The Discovery Fund
      • The Discovery Fund

        Fuelling the next generation of groundbreaking research and innovation dedicated to finding the causes of and cures for mental illness.

        Read More
    • Institutes & Centres
      • Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre
      • Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry
      • Brain Health Imaging Centre
      • Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute
      • Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder
      • Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression
      • Institute for Mental Health Policy Research
      • Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics
      • Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition
      • Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics
      • Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention
      • The Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child Youth & Family Mental Health
    • Clinical Divisions
      • Addictions Division
      • Adult Neurodevelopmental and Geriatric Psychiatry Division
      • Child and Youth Psychiatry Division
      • Forensic Psychiatry Division
      • General and Health Systems Psychiatry Division
      • Psychology Division
      • Schizophrenia Division
    • Research Discoveries
      • Research Discoveries

        At the leading edge of breakthrough mental health and addiction research for over 50 years.

      • BrainBuzz Newsletter

        The latest news, groundbreaking discoveries and special features about CAMH research, studies, and the people behind the work.

      • Research Strategic Plan

        Learn what drives our research agenda and priorities in the CAMH Research Plan for 2018-2023

    • Research Connect
      • Research Connect FAQs
      • Research Ethics
    • Koerner Centre for Research Training
      • Koerner Centre for Research Training

        Each year CAMH provides opportunities to the next generation of scientists: today’s undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Train in a unique learning environment and help contribute to the breakthrough mental health research and treatments of tomorrow

        Read More
    • Science & Research Staff Directory
      • Our Scientific Staff
      • Research Chairs at CAMH
    • Industry Partnerships & Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO)
    • Digital Innovation Hub
  • Education
    • Main Page
    • Continuing Education Programs and Courses
      • Find the Course That's Right for You

        Browse our entire selection of certificate programs, webinars and workshops.

      • Workplace Education and Consulting Services

        View our full list of workplace mental health workshops and consulting services

    • Collaborative Learning College
    • Simulation Centre
    • TIDES
    • Student Centre
    • Clinical & Research Opportunities for Professionals in Training
      • Clinical Psychology Training Programs
      • Community-Based Research Fellowship
      • Graduate & Post-Doctoral Fellowships in Public Health Policy
      • Clinical & Research Opportunities for Professionals in Training

        Study in a world-class setting to become a leader in the field of mental health.

    • Research in Education
      • Academic & Education Research Excellence
      • Health Equity and Inclusion Framework for Education and Training
    • Evaluation
    • Workplace Mental Health Workshops and Consulting
    • CAMH Education Contacts
  • Professionals
    • Main Page
    • Treating Conditions & Disorders
      • NAVIGATE - Treating Psychosis in Youth
      • CARIBOU - Treating depression in youth
      • Virtual Mental Health
      • Alcohol Use
      • Anxiety Disorders
      • Dementia
      • Depression
      • Suicide Risk
      • Fundamentals of Addiction
      • Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
      • Mania
      • OCD
      • Opioid use and opioid use disorder
      • Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders
      • Personality Disorders
      • Psychosis
      • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
      • Smoking Cessation
    • Professionals Projects
      • Climate Change and Mental Health
      • Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities
      • Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project
      • Opioid Use in Primary Care Conference 2024
    • Networks
      • Psychiatry Partnerships with Northern Communities
    • Covid-19 Resources for Health Care Workers
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
  • Get Involved
    • Main Page
    • Ways to Donate
      • Give Monthly
      • Give In Memory or In Honour
      • Start a Fundraiser
      • Gifts of Celebration
      • Leave a Gift in Your Will
      • Employee Giving
      • Donate Goods & Services
      • Gifts of Securities
      • Canvassers & Callers
      • Make a one-time donation

        With your support, CAMH researchers are revolutionizing the ways we diagnose, treat, and prevent mental illness. Donate today.

    • Join the Cause
      • Corporate Partnerships
      • Business Leaders for Mental Health
      • CAMH Engage
      • womenmind
      • Visionary Society
      • Michael Wilson Society
      • Volunteer at CAMH
    • Making a Real Impact
      • Making a Real Impact

        Real stories of courage, hope and discovery. Made possible through your continued support of CAMH.

        Read More
  • Driving Change
    • Main Page
    • About CAMH
      • Leadership Team Directory
      • Performance & Accountability
      • The Role of CAMH Foundation
      • For Reporters
      • Events Calendar
      • For Our Neighbours
      • Contact CAMH
      • Careers at CAMH

        By working at CAMH, you can help people affected by mental illness and support their recovery. Join the team. Everyone who works at CAMH becomes an advocate for mental health.

    • The Crisis is Real
      • The Crisis is Real

        We are in the grips of a crisis that ruins health, threatens lives and hurts economies. Knowing the facts is the first step in creating hope.

      • Mental Health Statistics

        The latest facts and statistics on mental illness and addiction, who's affected and their impact on Canadians.

    • Addressing Stigma
      • Addressing Stigma

        Challenging the stigma associated with mental illness takes understanding, education and a closer look at our own attitudes toward health.

        Read More
    • The Mental Health Facility of the Future
      • The Mental Health Facility of the Future

        Turning what was once a walled institution into a symbol of hope for the future of mental health care.

      • Vision & Guiding Principles

        How do you replace an institution with an urban village? Lots of planning, imagination and a long-term commitment to serving patients, staff and the community.

      • History of Queen Street Site

        Our history—evolving from an asylum into a modern health facility with patients at the centre of care—is the history of mental health care in Canada.

    • Influencing Public Policy
      • Influencing Public Policy

        CAMH advocates for policies that are responsive to the needs of people with mental illness and addictions.

        Read More
    • Health Equity
      • Health Equity

        CAMH believes in the principle of equity. We respect the diversity of the individuals and communities we serve.

        Read More
    • Shkaabe Makwa
    • CAMH News & Stories
    • Strategic Plan
    • Contact Us
    • No One Left Behind
    • Join our team
    • Referral Form
    • Virtual Urgent Care
    • Accessibility
IRMHP Newsletter: June 2024
Promising practice: Building inter-agency integrated supports and services for newcomer mental health

CAMH Logo
  • 2024-06 Newsletter Evidence Snapshot
Back to top
  • Home
  • Professionals
  • Professionals Projects
  • Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project
  • Newsletter
  • 2024-06 Newsletter Evidence Snapshot
CAMH logo
  • IRMHP Home
  • About
  • Courses
  • Toolkit
  • Webinars
  • Newsletter
Back to top

Stronger Together: Building Inter-agency Integrated Supports and Services for Newcomer Mental Health

By Ronni Abraham, Manager, Settlement & Mental Health for The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) in Calgary, AB.

Contact
Email: RonniAbraham@immigrant-education.ca
Phone: 587-392-3414
Website: TIES | English Language Classes, Jobs & Support for Newcomers to Calgary (immigrant-education.ca)


Quick Facts

Population of interest:
Newcomers. We use this term inclusively to refer to immigrants, refugees and protected persons, asylum seekers, temporary foreign workers, international students, and the relatives of people in these groups. We also include racialized members of ethno-cultural groups who frequently experience challenges similar to those observed in people more recently arrived.

Location:
Calgary, Alberta

The need:
The lack of culturally relevant and primary language accessible mental health supports in mainstream services and the scarcity of culturally-based supports by immigrant-serving organizations produce significant health inequities for newcomers. Many factors complicate newcomers’ process of seeking mental health and crisis support services. Cultural beliefs, language needs, shame and stigma, gender, age, immigration status, prior experience with systems, and many other factors influence the likelihood that a newcomer will seek mental health services and that their needs will be met when they do.

About the intervention
Stronger Together Thinking refers to the coordinated and collective efforts needed to create lasting change at individual, family, community, and systems levels. The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) used this thinking to bring together key agency partners to work together to improve availability and access to much needed mental health supports and services for the newcomers in our community. Stronger Together Thinking leverages organizational strengths, areas of expertise, and existing programming to create a multi-faceted and multi-level plan that makes impacts much greater than any one agency or organization can achieve alone.

Two Stronger Together initiatives demonstrate the value of this approach:

Building Equitable Newcomer Crisis Help (BENCH)
The BENCH partnership brought together three immigrant-serving organizations who were key players in addressing mental health needs of newcomers along with Calgary Distress Centre. BENCH introduced culturally responsive crisis services that were not previously available in Calgary. BENCH provides immediate assistance for newcomers in crisis by connecting them with workers who help them to stabilize, identify solutions, and connect with resources that mitigate future crisis events. Importantly, BENCH also works to increase capacity of mainstream crisis providers for more culturally informed approaches and improves newcomers’ connections to specialized services tailored for them.

Two women sitting on bench, with BENCH name written across

Linking All Cultures Equitably (LACE) LACE is a transformational service enhancement and mobilization project involving four of Calgary’s immigrant-serving organizations. LACE partners work individually, in joint projects, and collectively to addresses significant gaps in mental health services for newcomers. Core strategies include service enhancements, creating new services, streamlining referral and system navigation, developing safer spaces and more diverse ways of receiving services, and mobilizing natural supports. Addressing racism and discrimination as a core issue affecting access and service uptake, is a core consideration of all LACE projects.

LACE goals diagram

What's promising?
Stronger Together Thinking requires us to offer our organizational strengths and expertise to catalyze a shared vision of the future. When applied to shortcomings in mental health supports and services for newcomers, we have seen tremendous momentum. We identify nine specific impacts from our community’s commitment to come together for good.

Impacts of Stronger-Together thinking diagram

Key takeaway:
Deep commitment to meaningful collaboration and well-aligned coordination of efforts to address large community needs results in comprehensive strategies that maximizes available resources and that make real differences for newcomers in our communities.

About the organization
The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) is a not-for-profit charitable organization that has been actively serving newcomers and low-income Calgarians since 1988. TIES' primary goal is to provide immigrants and economically disadvantaged individuals with a solid foothold in Canada and afford them the opportunities for belonging within their new community. TIES Healthy Minds offers a suite of mental health supports and services that improve the holistic well-being of newcomers and other vulnerable Albertans using low-barrier, culturally responsive, and multi-language approaches. Our core goal is to increase newcomers’ access to and engagement with activities and services that improve their mental health and well-being.

Community of Practice

Available for course participants, the Community of Practice (CoP) is a virtual community where service providers who support immigrant and refugee mental health can stay up-to-date on new events and resources. 

Continue your learning and networking by participating in the CoP discussion board . 

Newsletter

 Sign up for the IRMHP newsletter .

 

In Webinars
  • Upcoming webinars
  • Specific populations and issues
  • Support and treatment considerations
  • Successful or promising practices 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the webinars are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project, CAMH, our funders or partners. Information provided in the webinars is for professional development and educational purposes only.

 

Follow us
  • Patient and Family Care
  • Health Info
  • Science and Research
  • Education
  • Professionals
  • Get Involved
  • Driving Change
  • About CAMH
  • Job Openings
  • Purchase Publications
  • Referral Form
  • For Reporters
  • Donor Services
  • Events

CAMH Switchboard

From the GTA: 416 535-8501


Toll-free: 1 800 463-2338

To Access CAMH Clinical Services

416 535-8501, press 2

We have multiple locations. Find directions.

Map of CAMH's Queen Street Site
  • Staff Tools

Copyright 2025 CAMH

  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Site Map

Keep in touch with CAMH

Keep your finger on our pulse – latest CAMH news, discoveries and ways to get involved delivered to your inbox.

Please select a newsletter

Please complete the following:

    Required Fields

    Please select a newsletter option

    Please input a first name

    Please input a last name

    Please input an email address

    By clicking Sign Up below, I consent to receive electronic communications (as selected above) from CAMH and CAMH Foundation. To unsubscribe at any time click the link in our mailing or email: unsubscribe@camh.ca

    Please agree to the Terms of Use

     

    Thanks for Subscribing.

    We look forward to keeping you informed, inspired and involved in all things CAMH.

    Help us change mental health care forever.

    Every donation moves us closer to a future where no one is left behind.

    $
    Other Ways to Give