Intake conversations in mental health services: Where change begins

Intake conversations in mental health services: Where change begins

Presented by SickKids CCMH Learning Institute

Date: November 14, 2025
Time: 9 a.m. to noon ET
Facilitator: Scot Cooper, RP.

Description: Intake conversations can be a critical juncture for individuals seeking mental health services, often inducing significant stress as people are required to share their personal stories to access care. These conversations can profoundly shape the course of service and affect the individuals. Therefore, great responsibility lies with intake staff to assist people to experience safety and join as active participants in the intake and care process.

This training will uncover how to transform intake conversations from mere information gathering to a dialogic and generative experience that sparks hope for clients. Participants will learn how to inform intake conversations through brief therapies, emphasize meaning-making, eliciting and expanding upon individuals’ competencies, while facilitating discussions about problems in a different light.

Learning objectives:

• Gain an understanding of common concepts shaping intake processes and a shift in mindset conducive to change.
• Learn a process that prioritizes competency-focused experiences to drive change.
• Explore various questions that elicit differences, possibilities, and hope that can inform the next steps.
• Learn a different approach to discussing problems to make visible of existing help and support.

Registration fee: General - $150  |  Student - $135

For full program overview and registration details please visit: https://cvent.me/4amrBl

Facilitator Bio:
Scot J. Cooper, RP, is a registered psychotherapist, international trainer and consultant in brief narrative therapy. He is a manager for child and youth mental health services at a leading agency in Ontario, Canada.

With over 25 years of practice and teaching, Scot is one of the key voices shaping the quick-access mental health service landscape in Canada. He is the author of the new book, "Brief Narrative Practice in Single-Session Therapy" (2024). 

Continuing Education (CE) information: 3 CE hours