Mental illness can be complex, particularly when it presents during the teen years.

About eight years ago, Donna Green was immersed in a chaotic quest to find treatment for her then-16-year-old daughter Stella, who was exhibiting paralyzing anxiety and depression.

“We couldn’t find in-depth assessment in Toronto. It was just not to be found,” said Green, who discovered that support was either hospital emergency-based or offered in bits and pieces of resources in short-term facilities.

“Frustrated with the lack of treatment for young adults accessible in Ontario, we took Stella to the United States for three years of treatment,” Green said.

It was Stella’s journey to wellness that inspired Green to create Stella’s Place.

Located in downtown Toronto, the drop-in, community-based, integrated mental health assessment and treatment centre serves young adults ages 16 to 29.   

It ultimately took Green three years to research, develop and raise funds for the facility, which opened this past summer and officially launched Sept. 27.

Stella’s Place delivers core clinical mental health services in a peer-driven recovery-focused way, offering a wide menu of holistic services, peer supports, a wellness studio and clinical, employment, and recovery programs.

The goal is to help young adults learn skills and make meaningful connections.

As you enter the building, there is a café where young people can mingle, surf the Internet or chat with a support counsellor. “It’s all about a young person driving their own health,” Green said.

“Mental health experts are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that mental health problems most often present themselves in the mid- to late teens.  Comprehensive multimodal treatment and follow-up is the most effective strategy to improve the life trajectory of individuals with mental health problems such as mood and anxiety disorders. Stella’s Place provides a welcoming and healing environment for young adults struggling with mood and anxiety disorders to receive the care and support they so need and deserve,” said Dr. Ari Zaretsky, psychiatrist-in-chief at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an adviser at Stella’s Place.

“Stella is a courageous young woman, and these are brave individuals who are fighting for something better for a life that they deserve to live,” said Green.

Today, at 24, Stella is healthy and flourishing. She loves music and sports, and teaches preschool at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (MNJCC).

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, mental health problems and illnesses affect more people in Canada than some major physical disorders. There are some 100,000 Toronto residents between the ages of 16 and 30 with mental health issues. Only one-in-six people have access to mental health services, something that’s particularly challenging for young people without financial resources.

When Stella’s Place is running at full capacity, it will help more than 500 young adults every year. The online platform will have even greater reach, with more than 1,000 young adults connecting online.

Stella’s Place has partnered with about a dozen community partners, such as the MNJCC, which runs a fitness program, and George Brown College, which trains peer-support counsellors who have “walked the walk.”

“All of our peer supporters… help co-create various programs that are evidenced-based and delivered in partnership with professionals,” said Green.

Harriet Wichin, assistant executive director of the MNJCC, described the On Track fitness program that it co-designed with young adults from Stella’s Place.

“On Track is a program we call physical literacy, but can be described as group exercise classes. We have the expertise in fitness, and they [Stella’s Place] have the expertise in mental health. These young adults are never alone in a class.  In addition to the fitness instructor, there is a peer-support worker before, during, after, and also in-between. It’s that winning combination of great fitness classes and support system that says we care, and we want to make sure we are setting you up for success.”

Stella’s Place is funded through private donations and government grants, and it won’t turn away any young person who needs help. Its future plans are to expand nationally and launch an app so young adults can interact with a peer-support worker online.