Programme de santé mentale pour adultes

Yes, referrals are required for both the non-urgent and urgent Adult Mental Health Program streams.

• The non-urgent stream requires a referral from a medical doctor or nurse practitioner. If you do not have a family physician, we accept referrals from walk-in clinics.

• Referrals from the urgent stream are ONLY accepted internally from the KGH Emergency Department, HDH Urgent Care Centre, Inpatient Mental Health & Addiction Program, and the Consult/Liaison Psychiatry Team.

Once a non-urgent referral is received, the referring practitioner will receive correspondence either accepting the referral and advising of the current wait time or recommending alternate services that may better fit your needs.

Once we have accepted your referral, you will be placed on a waitlist for a telephone call from an intake nurse, which could take up to a year, dependant on the current referral volume.  At the time of intake call, you will either be given an appointment, or be placed on our waitlist for the next available appointment.

Once an urgent referral is received, you will be contacted by an intake nurse. We aim to contact patients referred from the Emergency Department or Inpatient Mental Health Unit within 72 hours, however this may take longer depending on when the referral was received, and whether we need to obtain collateral information.

At the time of intake call, you will either be given an appointment, be placed on our waitlist for the next available appointment or be advised that your case will be discussed during interdisciplinary rounds with an outcome to follow.

You can expect various outcomes, based on your referral and the intake information gathered:

• You may be booked with psychiatry
• You may be placed on a waitlist for a future appointment
• You may be enrolled in group psychotherapy
• We may recommend services that better meet your needs
• Your referral may be closed owing to adequate services already in place for you

The Adult Mental Health Program is unable to provide the following services:

• Disability follow-up appointments as part of employment Insurance

• Canada Pension Plan

• Workplace Safety & insurance Board

• Ontario Disability Support Program requirements

• Independent Medical Evaluations for Court & Child Welfare Assessments

• Forensics or Capacity Assessments.

The non-urgent stream does not offer counseling services, crisis services, or urgent appointments.

Length of treatment is patient-specific. Some patients have just one consult visit and some may have short-term follow-up. It is not within the program’s mandate or capacity to follow patients for a significant length of time. Our model always anticipates patient care will be resumed by a primary care provider.

The urgent stream is a brief intervention service.

The AMHP sees patients in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington area. If you reside outside of that area and have questions about what mental health agency is in your area, please contact our clinical intake coordinator at 613-544-3400 ext. 3700 or search the Connex Ontario website.

If your psychiatrist starts you on a medication, they may prescribe it themselves or they may recommend your referring practitioner initiate the medication. Once you have been discharged from the AMHP, it will be the responsibility of your referring practitioner to continue prescribing the medication. Should you not have a family physician, we recommend attending a walk-in clinic to access refills.

We are unable to book patients for a psychiatric assessment solely for the purpose of providing medication refills.

As part of KHSC, and in collaboration with Queen’s University, St. Lawrence College and other educational institutions we often have students and learners from across many disciplines participate in our various clinics.

• Psychiatry residents (licensed medical doctor that is undergoing their psychiatry training)

• Clinical fellows (a licensed psychiatrist who is training in a specialized psychiatric field)

In the Adult Mental Health program we have both international and Canadian doctors training in sub-specialty streams.

• Clerk/Medical student present for your assessment. All psychiatric care will be provided under the supervision of AMHP Staff Psychiatrist, who you may or may not see in-person.

• Allied Health care providers - Many of our allied health care providers also provide field placements or internships for several disciplines including nursing, occupational therapy, and social work which may involve learners working in the services being provided to you by our provided.

We have very high referral volume and a lengthy waitlist; therefore, it is important that you attend your appointments. However, if you must cancel, please notify us at least 24 hours prior, so that we can fill the vacant spot. If you cancel in advance, we will gladly rebook you, however, please be advised that you may have to wait several months.

A no-show for a new patient assessment will result in an automatic file closure, and a re-referral will be required to be seen again.

A group session allows people to learn new skills and hear from others who may have similar experiences dealing with mental health concerns. Participants may share their thoughts and feelings with others if they are comfortable.

Your appointment may occur in person or virtually.  This will be discussed during your telephone intake when your email address is collected by the intake nurse.  You will be provided an appointment notice letter with this information.

For a virtual appointment, the secretary will email you a link to attend. This link may not be sent until the day before your scheduled appointment and will provide clear instructions on how to proceed. Please note that you must use the internet browser Chrome for the virtual visit to be effective. 

Other resources can be found on the Community Resources page.