In Canada, mental health challenges have become increasingly common, yet many individuals continue to face difficulties in accessing appropriate care. These challenges are often more pronounced for immigrants and people from marginalized communities, where barriers such as language, income, and cultural stigma may prevent individuals from seeking or receiving help. To improve access to mental health support, the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy (OSP) program was established to offer free, evidence-based psychological services across the province. In the Brampton, Halton, and Mississauga (BHM) regions, the OSP program is led by CarePoint Health, a network lead organization.

The Advancing Research for Culturally Aligned Interventions (ARCAI) Lab has partnered with CarePoint Health to evaluate how effectively the OSP-BHM program meets the needs of local communities. This study has been designed to better understand patterns of service use and engagement, particularly among communities that are known to face greater barriers to mental health care. Perspectives from both clients and clinicians are currently being gathered to explore what individual factors (e.g., race, gender, and income) impact access to care and what factors contribute to continued engagement in services.

A multiple methods approach will be used in this study. Existing quantitative data from the OSP-BHM program will be analyzed, while semi-structured interviews are being conducted with clients and clinicians to collect new insights.

Current status:

• Completed
  • Conceptualization
  • Ethics Application for Toronto Metropolitan University
• In-Progress
  • Data Collection
  • Quantitative Data Analysis
• Forthcoming
  • Qualitative Data Analysis
  • Knowledge Mobilization