Youth Emotional Pathways to Mental Health Services: I Came to Foundry to "Remember What it Feels Like to Cry".

Mental health difficulties typically develop during adolescence, yet service utilization rates among youth are low. We sought to understand perspectives among Canadian youth accessing mental health services at an integrated youth services centre called Foundry. Forty-one semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with youth aged 15-24 years. A grounded theory framework was developed. Youth described emotional experiences of distress as catalysts to seeking mental health services. They also discussed challenges in understanding their own emotions as barriers to accessing mental health services. Gender identity and norms influenced participants' experiences of accessing services. Anxious emotions were predominantly associated with youths' experiences with seeking mental health services. Conversely, once at Foundry, over half the youth experienced positive emotions about help-seeking, with more than half of these youth continuing to access services post interview. Providing Integrated Youth Services like Foundry can increase service engagement and support adaptive emotional development for youth of all genders.