The Child and Youth Mental Health Urgent Consult Clinic sees children and youth who are presenting with suicidal / homicidal ideation, have made threats of violence, have dyscontrol due to drugs or psychosis, or other urgent mental health concerns that require an immediate risk assessment. As this clinic is for urgent risk assessment we strive to schedule patients within 48-hours of receipt of referral, except on weekends and holidays.
Location
We are located at 166 Brock Street, on Brock 5 of Kingston Health Sciences Centre's (KHSC) Hotel Dieu Hospital site.
Contact Information
Phone: 613-544-3400 extension 22518
Fax: 613-544-4643
Attendance expectations
We aim to schedule initial intake assessments 24-48 hours from the date of referral. If you cannot attend your scheduled appointment with the Child and Youth Mental Health Urgent Consult Clinic, please let us know as soon as possible. This allows us to offer the time to someone else requiring urgent care. We do not double book appointments. Your appointment time is reserved exclusively for you.
New / Initial Appointments
- If you need to cancel your first appointment, call 613-544-3400 x 22518.
- Your appointment may not be rescheduled within the 24–48-hour timeframe due to limited availability. Rationale for missed appointment will be discussed and considered when rebooking. A second cancellation will result in your file being closed and will require a new referral.
- Missed appointments without notice will result in your file being closed and will require a new referral.
Follow-Up Appointments
- If you need to cancel a follow-up or therapy session, call 613-544-3400 x 22518 at least 72 hours in advance.
- A second cancellation will result in your file being closed.
- If you miss an appointment, it’s your responsibility to call to request a new one.
- Two consecutive missed appointments will result in your file being closed.
Important Notes:
- No medications will be prescribed or renewed after discharge from the program.
- Please bring a medication list, including over the counter, supplements, vitamins and prescribed medication to your appointment.
- At your initial assessment, please provide copies of any psychoeducational testing, if available.
- Parents/caregivers are expected to accompany the patient to their initial assessment.
- Please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment to ensure you are seen on time.
We appreciate your understanding and collaboration. Your commitment helps us support as many individuals as possible in their mental health journey.
Services
The Urgent Consult Clinic provides rapid access to risk assessments by trained and compassionate staff. This assessment includes a full history, which may be taken by a resident social worker or nurse who consults with the psychiatrist; the psychiatrist provides the diagnosis and a treatment plan which may include medication and/or brief crisis-oriented interventions (4-6 sessions). Brief crisis interventions are provided by the clinic nurse or social worker and for children less than 12 years of age by the behavioral therapist. After assessment, patients and their families are provided with referrals to other community resources as needed, provided brief intervention or in some cases referred for admission to our inpatient psychiatric unit located at KHSC's Kingston General Hospital site.
The clinic has dedicated tele-psychiatry through the Ontario Tele-Health Network (OTN) for patients and families who live more than an hour away from the clinic.
The Urgent Consult Clinic is staffed by a social worker, registered nurse, behavioural therapist, psychometrist (psychological associate) and a child & youth psychiatrist. This clinic is part of KHSC and the Division or Child and Youth Psychiatry at Queen’s University, and as a learning institution we train general psychiatry residents, child and youth psychiatry residents/fellows and pediatric residents. Field placements are also provided for psychology, social work, nursing and behavioural therapy students.
Referrals
Our emergency department and urgent care centre have priority, however, we also review and serve, if time is available, referrals from family physicians, school boards and children’s mental health agencies.
Learn how to make a referral to the Urgent Consult Clinic here.
