Episode 20: CRCL Kelowna
Hello, I'm Jessica Samuels. Welcome to A Way Forward presented by Beam Credit Union. I'd like to acknowledge that this podcast takes place on the ancestral traditional and unseated lands of the Okanagan Silic people. Our topic today is about a new program to CMHA Kelowna. It utilizes a mobile and community led approach for mental health services.
Jessica Samuels:And my guest is the manager of project development here at CMHA Kelowna, Jamie Lloyd Smith, and she's going to tell us who this program is for and how it works. Beam Credit Union is proud to sponsor today's episode. With deep roots in BC and a commitment to your financial journey, Beam believes wellness, mental and financial starts with support you can count on. Jamie, thanks for being here. Let's start with a really easy question.
Jessica Samuels:What is Circle?
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:Circle. It is a great question, though. CIRCLE, the acronym is CRCL. So what that stands for is Crisis Response Community Led. So we're calling it CIRCLE.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:But really it's in the name. So we're thinking about how we respond to crisis in community. And the way we want to do that is through a community led approach. What does community led approach mean? So for us as an organization at CMHA Kelowna, we know the impact of this service.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:You know, as an organization and a history of working with people who've experienced mental health challenges, who may experience mental illness, we know there's a gap for people who may be experiencing a mental health crisis, who don't know where to go. And when they do reach out for help, might be met with an enforcement led approach. It might come with a police officer, which isn't always the right service in that case. So for us, it's a model of doing this in community. And what that looks like for us is everything from the team makeup but how we work with partners.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:So something that's really awesome about this program is it's made up of people who have a mental health background. So that might be clinicians, that could be nurses, people with that academic and theoretical understanding of mental health, but it also brings peers. And peers are people with lived experience. They may have lived experience of mental health challenges. Maybe they've gone through crisis or they've navigated the system.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:They know what those challenges look like. And they sort of bring that perspective into community at sort of that grassroots level to really support people in whatever they might be feeling in that moment.
Jessica Samuels:That lived experience or living peer support experience is really a foundational element of many things, particularly mental health services. Why is that so important? How does that impact that support model for individuals who are experiencing mental health challenges?
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:I think as we do this work and we think about that voice of lived experience, when we don't include it, we're just going to get it wrong. We really are. For people who've navigated the system, for people who, at some point in their life had had that challenge, they need to reach out for help, they are the experts in terms of what is going to work for them. I'm proud as we've been developing this team and bringing staff on board with those diverse experiences, they've been telling us what we can do to sort of make sure we're including the right supports and what that looks like for people. I'll give you an example actually.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:Recently, we were looking at our phone system for Circle. And what does this need to look like? Who needs to be answering on the other end? And our team said right off the bat, I've called crisis lines and I've had a robot answer the phone, and I don't want that. I want a human on the other end.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:So including that lived experience, we just know that we're going to be talking to people who get it, whose experiences have shaped what their story looks like. And it's a reminder for all of us that anyone can experience a crisis. Let's talk a little bit about that because you touched on when you call. So we know they're not going to get a robot. Walk us through what will happen.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:Like, how does Circle work? Yeah. So really, way Circle works at its core, it is a mobile response team. So this is a service for anyone 13 years and up and really if you're the person in crisis, can call, but you can also call on behalf of a family member, a loved one, maybe you're a neighbor. You can either call or text this number and what you're going be met with is ultimately compassionate human on the other end who's going to ask you those questions, understand where you, what are you going through.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:And what we want to provide is that immediate in person response. So a team will be dispatched and they'll come meet you where you're at. So if that's your own home, maybe that's a work place, maybe you're at a community center, they're going to come to you and meet you on your terms. So a critical foundation of Circle is this is a consent based service. The person in crisis is in charge of what their journey looks like.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:If you call on behalf of someone and you show up and that person in crisis isn't ready to talk, no problem. We'll come when you are ready. But really, you get to define what that journey looks like.
Jessica Samuels:Okay. And that team that you mentioned does not involve law enforcement, and it involves the folks who have the kind of academic professional experience around mental health supports or what the needs are for the individuals in crisis and peers. So I think there might be this idea out there for folks who haven't had to call or maybe who folks have called and saw something different that it can be daunting. It can be scary to have these mental health folks come because you called and you're in crisis. Like, I just I can imagine there's this vision in this head that even that in itself would prevent people from calling.
Jessica Samuels:So it's not going to look like that. They're not what are they going to look like? What will they be wearing? I want details here. And I'm asking because specific, I have been asked this before about mental health services for folks who've contacted me and needed help and community.
Jessica Samuels:They're like, look, you know, I don't need
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:a doctor and an officer showing up at my door. So what does it look like? You know, it's a it's a great question. And we hear the same thing. Sometimes there's a trauma with uniforms or or what that response might look like.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:You're going to get two people with empathy who care, who are wearing clothes like any one of us might be wearing and who are going to sit down with compassion and understand what that experience is like for you in that moment. Ultimately, they're going to be there to help you. I think what is really beautiful about Circle is that it's really up to that individual what that story looks like. Maybe in that moment, you just need to have a listening ear and maybe you need someone to help you build that care plan. And both of those experiences are valid.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:And what's unique about this program, maybe comparatively to hotline services, for example, is that human face to face connection and building rapport with people in such a beautiful way.
Jessica Samuels:You it's community at the circle. It's it's it's community led meant for folks who are experiencing crisis experiencing a crisis. You just talked about scenarios where it's it's your it's led by the individual. They might just want a listening ear or maybe they need something a little bit more. Crisis is something that is defined differently by the person witnessing it or experiencing it.
Jessica Samuels:How do you know that you can or should be calling this service? And I use that language because, again, oftentimes people feel like they're not in crisis enough. I can manage this. No, if I get if I call somebody, I'm going to be taken into custody or taken to
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:the hospital. How do you know that it's the right time to call circle? Ultimately, it is never the wrong time to call circle. And, you know, I want to acknowledge the bravery and courage it takes for folks to make that call, to to have that moment to say, you know what, I actually do need help in this moment. I can say myself, I've experienced crisis.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:I know what it's like to make that call and have that feeling of what you're going to be received. I've had family members who've experienced crisis. What I would say and what we talk about a lot as an organization is don't wait to get the help you need. Right? Something we talk a lot about.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:We talk a lot about this on the podcast is the word prevention. And what does prevention mean? And I think for folks, as you're nurturing your mental health, part of what we talk about is learning to sort of understand those early warning signs. Right. And that's going to look different for each people.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:For some, it might, you know, I notice I'm not hanging out with my friends. I don't want to anymore or I'm not sleeping as well as I used to. I'm not eating healthy, nutritious meals. And they start to notice actually maybe I'm slipping into feeling unwell. I think at the same time, we sometimes have that tendency to want to qualify how good or bad our mental health is.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:Right. We hear this sometimes from lived experience folks. Well, I'm anxious, but I see what other people are going through. It's not as bad as that. So I'll wait until I'm as anxious as somebody else, and then I'll call.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:And what I want folks to know is you define a crisis in your life and and what that feels like for you is valid. And don't wait to get the help you need and know that we understand how important it is to make that call, how brave it is to make that call. And we will be waiting on the other end to listen to your story and to support you in getting the help you need.
Jessica Samuels:And this is a circle is in six other communities in BC right now,
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:believe That's correct.
Jessica Samuels:And so we're talking about a program that is about to start here at CMHA Kelowna, but you actually had opportunity to visit another community at Witnesses. So talk a little bit about the successes in that community and across the world because this model, it's called Circle Here,
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:but it's not necessarily new elsewhere. Yeah, the model of what Circle is, is really not a new concept. You know, some of these programs, when you look in The United States, for example, in Oregon, these concepts were developing in the late 80s, which for us who've been working in the mental health field for a long time have identified, you know, people are in crisis and what they often don't need is an enforcement perspective to enforce their way out of a crisis. What they really need is mental health paramedics and folks who are going to understand what that's like. We are really lucky to be the seventh community, as you mentioned.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:Hopefully lucky number seven. And I think for us, that means we can really learn from other communities who've done this well. In my research, I was really lucky to go travel to Victoria, who has a really robust team, meet with the people delivering the service, understand ways that they're partnering with other social service organizations, tips they've learned around how to make people feel safe and comfortable, and also how do we work with all the folks who make up what we sometimes call the public safety continuum? Our other first responders, RCMP, police. These are all folks that still have an important role to play, and we want Circle to be part of that larger response.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:Right.
Jessica Samuels:And that was part of my next question is where Circle fits into that spectrum of mental health care and supports within our communities. So how does it fit into that dynamic? What we've often seen is there's a gap in sort of what might be available on a
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:hotline through a phone number where you can chat with someone. And what we've heard again from voices who've been through this. And then that next line is is 911. And so for folks in the middle who need that immediate sort of care who are struggling, they don't want to call 911. They don't want that approach.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:And so they're sort of left to wait until things get worse, to wait until it is an emergency, and then to make that call. So circle is really the step before that. This could be feelings of anxiety, of loss, what that crisis might look like, but ultimately it's for folks who have that need before they have to call 911. So really, it's actually an intervention and an emergency prevention tool.
Jessica Samuels:Right. And then from there, might be diverted or navigated to another service in that moment if they need it, or perhaps some more long term part of their care plan?
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:Absolutely. A really important part of Circle is looking at how we connect people to the right support. What I want people to know is when you call Circle, that's the start of your journey. If you need additional supports, our team has over one hundred hours of training and their own experiences to help you navigate what those supports might look like and find the best resources for you. And in the case where maybe it is an emergency and actually there is that safety to the person, we're also going to refer to 911 to ensure that that person is safe and work sort of in lockstep with others providing important service.
Jessica Samuels:-Okay. And for folks who might be familiar with some of the current services in our community, whether through their own experiences or just being informed, how does this differ from stuff that is existing? So specifically, we have the PACT folks or the PACT team. Is a tweak of that? Will that still exist?
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:Maybe you can talk about the difference between Circle and PACT. Yeah, so the PACT team in community, that's the model of pairing an RCMP officer with a nurse. And this was a significant step forward in terms of the mental health continuum of care. What really distinguishes this, though, is there's still that police force present. So while the nurse is there and to provide that sort of support for people who may need that, Circle is, again, that step before the PACT team.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:So it's that immediate intervention. And sometimes it's intervening just so we don't have to call police to de escalate in that moment. So really, it's again that step before PACT and then a 09:11 call. So PACT will still be in place. It's just a different use.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:Absolutely right. And circle is is distinct and different in that sense. Right. The team makeup is different than what you'd see on a PAC team. Also the response model is different.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:And it's different because there's different needs and we need that array of services.
Jessica Samuels:What I appreciate about this and knowing that this is coming down the pipe is that it gives it's another avenue for folks who are struggling, but love the loved ones when our loved ones are struggling and you're sitting there and you see that they're struggling and you're trying to understand how to help them. You don't know how to help them. And you are like, Oh, do I call? Do I not call? What's going to happen when I call?
Jessica Samuels:And I say, people are not okay right now. A lot of people are struggling and a lot of families are struggling. And I see this for myself personally when I heard about it as really filling that gap and that warm welcome and that warm response that will kind of smooth the way depending on what the next steps are.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:I think what you just shared is going to resonate with so many people. There's a fear of what they're going to experience if they call a certain number. Sometimes there's not just a fear. There's just that burden of, am I going to be on a wait list? Am I going to have to call eight different numbers to try to figure out what their resource is for me?
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:What makes me excited about this program is that idea when people are struggling, it's not calling to wait on a wait list. It's not calling to sort of maybe get a call back in a week. You're going to get help right away. We're going to meet you in that moment and build that care plan together, especially for families who sometimes struggle and just knowing what that stuff is, what that needs to look like, and so desperately want to help their loved one and just don't know where to go to provide that resource where they know that their loved one is going to be treated with dignity and compassion, but also in a voluntary manner is amazing. It's something we haven't seen before.
Jessica Samuels:This is a new program for CMHA Kelowna. It's tested and tried in other communities around the world, around the province, mentioned, under different names. But now what we want to know is when will it be accessible here in Kelowna? Because it's still getting off the ground. So when will people be able to access Circle?
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:Yeah, we're excited to be launching in early twenty twenty six. And so we'll be sharing out through CMHC Kelowna what that response looks like, what that number is, when you can call and really just trying to eliminate those barriers for people to understand how to access the program. And we've been hearing from so many folks when can we start calling? Because the need is there. And that's something that we look forward to.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith:All right, Jamie, thank
Jessica Samuels:you so much. Thank you. All right. Circle through CMHA Kelowna will be coming in early twenty twenty six. You can find out all the information.
Jessica Samuels:We have some background information about Circle that you can find that on the A Way Forward podcast page at cmhacolona.org. If you have questions about Circle or any other episode, you can always email me at awayforwardcmhacolona dot org. Until then, please do take good care. This episode is supported by Beam Credit Union With deep roots in BC and a commitment to your financial journey, Beam proudly backs mental health conversations that help build stronger, healthier communities.
