Core Program
Core is CASA’s general mental health program, and provides short-term, goal-directed therapy. Core is for kids and teens ages three to 17 who are experiencing a wide range of mental health concerns, including emotional, behaviour or relationship challenges.
Every family has unique needs. Many reach their goals within Core, while some might decide to move up from Core to a more specialized program.
Note: Core is currently only available in the Edmonton region.
What happens in Core?
First, families meet with a mental health therapist to share their child’s unique strengths and challenges. From there, they collaborate with their Core therapist to come up with a therapy goal and a treatment plan to achieve it.
A treatment plan might include individual therapy, group therapy, medication management or a combination of approaches. Every family is different, but most achieve their goal within six to eight therapy sessions. Sometimes it may take more, or fewer.
Core therapists will include the child’s family, teachers and other adults who are significant in the child’s life in treatment. These caregivers are the most important part of the treatment plan. They know the child best and can practice skills learned in therapy with the child every day.
Sometimes, families might decide with their care team that they need a more intensive program. This could mean CASA Mental Health Classrooms, a day program or CASA House.
Core also offers tailored care streams for diagnoses like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These streams are proven to lead to better outcomes for families facing these illnesses.
Who is Core for?
Core is designed to help kids and teens ages three to 17 with a wide range of mental health concerns. Their symptoms could include emotional difficulties like depression or anxiety, or challenges with behaviour or relationships.
Core is currently only available in the Edmonton region.
Ivy's Story - Anxiety
Fourteen-year-old Ivy had been bullied since Grade 7. She stopped caring about basketball, which she once loved, and started fearing social situations. In Grade 9, she started smoking cannabis to cope with her stress and low self-esteem. When it all felt like too much, she told her grandma how she was feeling.
Her grandma found CASA Mental Health’s Core program online, and got a referral by calling the number on CASA’s website. Ivy’s Core therapist helped her understand her social anxiety and gave her tools to address the bullying. They learned and practiced new skills together during each session.
With help from her grandma and most supportive friend in between sessions, Ivy strengthened her skills in relationships, problem-solving and dealing with conflict. Over time, Ivy built confidence and achieved her goal of joining a new basketball team outside of her school.
Ivy graduated from Core after eight sessions. While she was sad to say goodbye to her therapist, she was excited to start high school with confidence, where she found a safe space among new friends.
Tyson's Story - Emotional Regulation
Six-year-old Tyson and his family were referred to Core after a hard year. His parents brought him to the doctor after noticing a lot more emotional outbursts and big feelings lately.
Tyson’s doctor referred him to Core. Within the month, he and his parents started attending “Feelings Explorers,” an emotional regulation skills group. In group, Tyson met kids his age facing the same things. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so alone or ashamed. His parents had a similar realization.
Together with their group leader and new support network, Tyson’s family learned how to notice when big feelings were coming, and how to manage them by sticking to routine and creating calm spaces. They practiced their skills to reduce and prevent outbursts, and even had fun in the process.
Tyson and his parents also spoke with a CASA psychiatrist about medications to help manage big emotions. They decided against it, but felt more prepared to consider it in the future.
By the time the group program ended, Tyson had a new outlook on his feelings. He and his parents felt much more able to handle outbursts, and looked forward to making even more progress using the skills they learned in group.
Addison's Story - ADHD
Ten-year-old Addison couldn’t sit still at her desk. Her teachers told her she was being distracting, even though she tried not to be. Making friends was hard, because social cues made no sense.
Addison started to feel like school wasn’t meant for her. Concerned, her school counsellor called Addison’s family about looking into an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis and proper support to help her get back on track.
Her family took her to the doctor, where Addison was referred to the Core program. There, Addison’s therapist confirmed her diagnosis and got her into the ADHD treatment stream. In the stream, Addison and her family joined the ADHD skills group, where they met other families like them and learned how to manage Addison’s environment to help her succeed. Addison’s favourite part was learning what an ADHD brain looks like and how it works.
Addison and her family also talked to a CASA psychiatrist, who recommended trying a low dose of medication. It took a few tries to find the right one, but once they did, Addison’s focus almost immediately improved and social interactions started feeling easier.
When Addison and her family graduated from the stream, they were nervous. It was hard to say goodbye to her team, and they knew ADHD doesn’t just “go away.” The care team celebrated them with plenty of encouragement, and reminded them they could always come back if they needed more help. They also connected her family to a drop-in support group in their community, so they had an ongoing support network whenever they needed it.
How do I access Core?
For children ages five to 17, families and health professionals can refer through Recovery Alberta by calling 780-342-4415. This phone line is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.
For children ages three and four, families and health professionals can self-refer via the form below.
