Adult Outpatient

CAPS provides assessment, consultation, and recommendations by a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner back to your family physician or other primary care practitioner. Services include diagnostic clarification, medication review, and referral to outpatient and/or other community programming. Clients must be between the ages of 18 and 65. If requesting the Ontario Telemedicine Network, please specify on Page 2 in Additional Information.  Referrals must be made by a family physician or nurse practitioner who will follow up with recommendations provided by the CAPS consulting psychiatrist or nurse practitioner.  This service is available at St. Catharines, Greater Niagara General and the Welland sites.

Please note, we do not complete forms for ODSP, OW, WSIB, Legal Proceedings, Child/Family Custody cases.

In July 2022, Niagara Region Public Health teamed up with Niagara Health to enhance mental health care. Annual funding will allow an additional 1,800 clients to access the CAPS program each year.

In partnership with Gateway Residential and Community Support Services, Niagara Health provides community treatment orders (CTO) for individuals with serious and persistent mental health issues with a history of repeated hospitalizations. The criteria for consideration of a CTO must be one of the following:

1. 30+ days inpatient mental health admission within the past 3 years;
2. Two lengthy inpatient mental health admissions within the past 3 years; and/or
3. previous CTO in the past. 

The goal of a CTO is to provide supports and services to optimize a person’s health and wellness and to increase their success within the community.  Prior to referring a client for a CTO, you must secure a physician (i.e. psychiatrist, family physician) who will assume responsibility for the clients’ CTO.

Download the Community Treatment Order Info Sheet.

The Day Hospital primarily supports people living with mood, anxiety and thought disorders.  It is an alternative to an inpatient admission offering individuals the opportunity to work through their struggles with both peers and clinical support.  This program aims to enhance wellness through education and skill building.  It is primarily conducted in group format and requires individuals who are willing to participate in a therapeutic group environment with multi-day intensive attendance. Clients must have complex mental health needs with serious impairments in their day-to-day functioning.  This program is offered at the St. Catharines Site, Greater Niagara General Site and the Welland Site.

ECT is a medical treatment used for a variety of mental health-related issues and involves electrical stimulation of the brain while the individual is under anaesthesia. ECT treatment is for both inpatients and outpatients and is only provided at the St. Catharines Site. Please note, ECT referrals must complete additional information on Page 4 of the referral form.

The STAR Program provides a group-based therapy using principles from DBT- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, CBT- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and ACT – Acceptance Commitment Therapy models to treat emotional dysregulation and trauma-related symptoms. The program is about how your trauma symptoms presents/interferes in your life currently. It aims to promote and foster a greater state of well-being both physically and mentally. A group format requires individuals to be willing to tolerate and participate in a therapeutic group environment and requires an individual’s commitment to attend multiple times per week. This service is available at the St. Catharines Site only. In order to access this service, clients must have a significant trauma history and/or severe emotional dysregulation. 

The Medication Clinic provides outpatient monitoring and follow-up for individuals receiving treatment with Clozaril and Long-Acting Injectable (LAI) antipsychotic medication. Once a client has maintained wellness for a period of time, they will be transferred to their current family physician.  Please click here to watch a video on Recovery and LAI Medications. This service is available at the St. Catharines, Greater Niagara General and the Welland sites.  Please note, Medication Clinic referrals must complete additional information on page 3 of the referral form.  Please contact the site-specific clinic (St. Catharines Site, Greater Niagara General Site and the Welland Site) before submitting the referral.

The adult group therapy program provides services and supports that use a group format to meet individuals’ needs and goals. Groups are available within the following care pathways (Depression; Anxiety; Emotional Dysregulation/Borderline Personality; Bipolar Disorder; Psychosis/Schizophrenia; Pain Control and Wellness). Individuals must be over 18 years of age and willing to tolerate and participate in a therapeutic group environment.  When referring to Adult Groups, please identify the specific pathway that best suits the needs of the individual.  Groups are offered at the St. Catharines, Greater Niagara General and the Welland sites.

TMS is a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve depressive symptoms when other treatments have proven to be ineffective.

This service is only available to clients who are seen in the Emergency Department.  A referral can be made by the Emergency Department physician for consultation with treatment recommendations that will be forwarded to your family physician or other primary care practitioner. The Urgent Access Stream is available at St. Catharines Site or through videoconferencing to Greater Niagara General and Welland sites.

As of October 1, 2021, the Wellness Recovery ICC Program offers services to the Niagara Region through an internal process ONLY.  This program continues to support adult individuals living with complex/serious mental health needs who require assistance along their recovery journey.  The team works collaboratively with community partners and inpatient mental health teams to ensure clients have optimal care and a treatment plan.

The Seniors Mental Health Service is a consultative service available for both inpatients and outpatients at the St. Catharines Site. Services include assessment, diagnosis, treatment recommendations and follow-up for older adults who may be experiencing a major mental illness or age related cognitive issues.