IMAGINE

“Imagine walking into a room…it’s bright and cheerful.

There is someone there to greet you.

The chairs are comfortable.

There are plants and flowers all around,and posters on the walls say

DREAM,IMAGINE,and HOPE.

You are offered something to drink.

You don’t sense that they are afraid of you.

Within a short period of time,you are talking about your needs.

Do you need to be admitted to a hospital,you wonder?

Is that [the only] option?

Can a support worker stay with you tonight at your home?

What about someone who can bring you to a friend’s house?

Do you know what you need?

You may be afraid that someone is going to see you in this place.

You have a job and you don’t want anyone to know that you have “problems.”

You get help quickly and you are offered a private room discreetly.

By the time you leave,you have a plan. It may be simple but you have one.

You feel more in control.

You know you can come back here at anytime,day or night.

A counsellor can see you within the next 72 hours.

Resources in the community are explained to you.

You feel respected,understood,and

that you are not the problem,

but that you have one,

and that your problems can be solved and that there are people to help you solve it.

This is the mental health system we dream of.

Places people can go.

To feel safe.

To feel comfortable.

To talk.

What kind of mental health system do you want?

Now is a time to dream and to imagine.”