Among the more troubling consequences of COVID-19 has been a decline in the wellbeing of young people.
SickKids recently studied the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of school-age children in Canada and found that a significant proportion of otherwise healthy kids had experienced depression, anxiety, irritability and attention deficit due to the stresses of social isolation and disruptions to daily routines. In a report released last month, UNICEF advocated for urgent investment by world governments in child and adolescent mental health care.
It’s a trend that weighs on the minds of Faculty of Health supporters Steven and Rodeen Stein. Steven is a clinical psychologist and former psychology professor at York, and Rodeen holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from York. Together they run Multi-Health Systems, a leading publisher of scientifically validated assessments for educational, clinical, corporate, public safety, government, military, pharmaceutical and research clients. The Steins care deeply about making psychological services more accessible.
In 2015, the Steins made a generous gift to the Faculty of Health to establish the MHS Multi-Health System Assessment Fund to benefit children and youth from families with limited financial means. Offered by the York University Psychology Clinic (YUPC) to vulnerable families in Toronto and York Region, the five-year fund removed a significant barrier to essential help for youth experiencing mental health challenges or learning disabilities.
“There is a disparity in the availability of comprehensive assessments to those with a lower socioeconomic status,” says Steven, an expert on assessing emotional intelligence. “The fund makes it possible to provide these critical services to the public on a broader scale.”
This year, in response to COVID-19’s impact on youth mental health, the Steins made another noteworthy gift to support the fund for another five years. Their gift was in part spurred by the disturbing developments Steven has noticed in his own work: dramatic increases in anxiety, depression and even suicidal ideation among youth.
As a result, the YUPC will continue to be able to offer psychological assessments either pro bono or at a greatly reduced fee to disadvantaged local children for a variety of conditions, including depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and learning differences. At the same time, the funding provides opportunities for graduate students at YUPC to engage in experiential learning, which will prepare them to help address today’s growing children’s health care crisis.
“It has always been important to Steven and I to make psychological testing and counselling more available to those who need it,” Rodeen says.
