Core Components of the Strategy:
An Evolving Blueprint
To develop the Evolving Blueprint for the Future of Community Mental Health, we asked people to imagine the future they desired and what the future system would need to look like to meet their needs. Our innovative blueprint re-imagines Edmonton's mental health system by centering it on the practical knowledge of people with lived experience and empowering the community as the primary source of support. The blueprint outlines evolving actions for improving community mental health. Its full publication includes ongoing and developing works, previously identified barriers, and needs brought together from prior community initiatives; representing a new home for over a decade of community work.
This person-centered approach promotes a more inclusive, responsive, and effective system that addresses the diverse needs of our community while also ensuring the seamless integration of services and coordinated policy and funding.
Download the Blueprint
Primary Influencers & Experience Loops Within the Blueprint
The blueprint considers 4 types of influencers and 3 experience loops. These reflect the different groups of people who interact with the system and the contexts that will shape their interactions.
The Individual: At the center, the blueprint recognizes how an individual experiences their mental health, and what they want their experiences to be like. The individual is at the center of the system, and the system responds to the individual.
The Community: Surrounding the individual, the community includes family, friends, workplaces, schools, and other natural supports that contribute to a person’s well-being. A person’s community helps them to thrive.
The people in an individual’s community respond with kindness, empathy, and love, helping to connect people with supports when needed. These interactions are characterized by respect, reciprocity, trust, and consent.
Services: An individual might need to access services that are outside of community and the health care system. These include mental health services—like counselling—not provided in clinical settings, as well as services to address factors that contribute to mental health, like housing.
Service providers collaborate to identify needs, understand connections, and find solutions. They work closely with the community, ensuring that community-based and healthcare services are equally valued. Transitions between these services are well planned and seamless.
Policy and Funding: The outermost layer involves governments and funders working to create policies and allocate resources that support the mental health system’s overall effectiveness and sustainability.
Loop 1: Prevention and Long-Term Support
This loop represents good mental health and the recovery journey, when individuals are not in crisis. In this phase, people have the support they need from their community and the necessary services to meet their basic needs. Those with chronic mental illness have a consistent care plan and feel supported in their recovery. They also have the resilience and independence to manage their daily lives and seek help when needed.
“My family is able to talk to me about how I’m feeling.”
“I am able to ask for help without fear or shame.”
“There are opportunities in my community for wellness and connection.”
Loop 2: Challenge or Help-Seeking
This journey involves experiencing symptoms of a mental illness or declining mental health and taking action to address short-term concerns and prevent symptoms from worsening. Communities are well-informed about recognizing mental health challenges and are equipped with the tools, knowledge, and empathy to offer effective and respectful support or connect individuals to appropriate resources. Service providers and crisis intervention are available, accessible, and safe. Often, service providers are not mental health specialists but facilitate warm and seamless handoffs to the appropriate supports. As people find the services they need, they move into the treatment loop.
“I feel respected and understood.”
“Every door is the right door.”
“I am able to find the spaces to express myself and process through my thoughts.”
Loop 3: Treatment
This loop represents an individual accessing mental health services. In this phase, they are actively receiving support for mental health concerns, mental illness, or addiction. Treatment providers are invited to collaborate with individuals’ communities and natural support systems whenever possible, preparing for the transition back to the recovery journey (loop 1) throughout the treatment process. This includes ensuring individuals and their supporters have the necessary information to guide their own course of treatment in culturally appropriate ways.
“I am able to share my data with natural supports and involve them in my journey.”
“I am able to make choices about how I receive care.”
“I am able to find care that feels culturally relevant.”
Community Investment Framework
We have developed a Community Investment Framework (CIF) to effectively resource the implementation of our Strategy for Community Mental Health.
It will guide investment decisions and resource allocation to ensure maximum impact, sustainability, and inclusive reach over the next three years (2025-2028).
Key Features:
Shared Priorities: We will collaborate with community leaders and interested parties to establish clear priorities for investment. This will result in a roadmap detailing specific areas of work, desired outcomes, and measurable goals, all aligned with the broader strategy.
Investable Pipeline: The CIF will identify and prioritize a portfolio of investable projects that directly support essential roles and key opportunities outlined in the Strategy. Compelling business cases will be developed for each project, highlighting their potential impact and return on investment to attract funders.
Enabling Environment: To facilitate effective investment, the CIF will map out the current funding landscape, including potential municipal, provincial, federal, corporate, and community-based funding sources. Additionally, we will identify key policy and partnership opportunities to drive systemic change in the mental health ecosystem.
Accountability and Impact: An evaluation framework will be developed and implemented to monitor progress, measure the success of investments,
and ensure accountability. This data-driven approach will inform continuous improvement and adaptive approaches throughout the implementation of the strategy.
This strategic and collaborative approach to investment will not only maximize the impact of available resources but also promote an ecosystem for effective and equitable investments in our communities.
Peer-Led Evaluation Framework
We are refining a comprehensive Peer-Led Evaluation Framework to support the implementation of our Strategy for Community Mental Health. This framework is being co-developed with a diverse Peer-Led Evaluation Committee that includes individuals with lived experience. It utilizes an equitable and trauma-informed approach, participatory methodology, and Indigenous ways of knowing. Building on the foundational work of evaluators and a group of people with lived experience who began developing this framework in 2023, we are finalizing a plan for evaluation methodologies, tools, data collection and analysis methods, data interpretation, and outcome evaluation.
Key Features:
Innovative Approach: The Peer-Led Evaluation Framework is innovative because it centers on equitable, trauma-informed practices and participatory methods. By prioritizing the voices of those with lived experience, the framework ensures that the strategy remains grounded in real-world needs and perspectives.
Relevance and Responsiveness: This framework allows for timely feedback and adaptation, making the strategy more responsive to the community’s evolving needs. It emphasizes culturally relevant approaches, which are crucial for serving Edmonton’s diverse population.
Building Trust and Ownership: Involving peers in the evaluation process builds trust and ownership among community members. It validates their experiences and perspectives, fostering a sense of collaboration and shared responsibility for mental health outcomes.
Promoting Sustainability: The framework supports the development of sustainable health care by promoting continuous learning in response to the mental health needs of the community. Flexible guidelines ensure the strategy evolves to meet future challenges and continues to remain relevant in the long-run.
CALL FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION
Join us in reimagining community mental health. Every voice and contribution counts.
Share your stories, contribute to our blog, be part of a council. Help us understand different culture perspectives.
