Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The services provided by the FEMAP team are entirely confidential. We encourage you to involve your parents in clinical treatment if you are dependent upon them for housing and/or food, but this only will happen if you agree to have them involved and give your written consent. Your parents do not need to know in order for you to be a part of FEMAP clinical care or research. (There are federal and/or provincial legal limits on confidentiality that FEMAP must honor, e.g., in cases of child or elder abuse or threatened lethal harm to any individual, etc.)

The most direct way to get an appointment is to call FEMAP between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm. We will ask you some questions on the phone to see if you are suited for the program and then set up an appointment for you if you are. If no one is available to answer the phone when you call, leave a message with your name, phone number and when the best time to call you back would be. We will get back to you that same day or the next business day. You can also leave us an email address on the voicemail. We also have an email address you can send a message to asking for an appointment. That address is: FEMAP@lhsc.on.ca

The best way to know is by contacting us directly and having a screening interview with one of our staff. Not everyone is eligible for FEMAP because our program is geared towards youth ages 16-25 with mood and/or anxiety concerns. There may be other clinical services that would be better suited for you. We can help direct you to other clinical services if that is the case. We will also be able to let you know if qualify for any of the research studies going on at FEMAP.

We have a variety of mental health care providers that are experts in specialized services geared specifically to the needs of youth with mood and anxiety concerns. Treatment options will be discussed at your first appointment and follow-up visits will be based on your individual treatment plan. We also have research studies ongoing that help us to better understand mental health issues and improve treatments.

It is important to show up for your appointments and there will be a fee for missed visits that you have agreed to attend. However, as with any medical service, clinical care at FEMAP is continued only with your consent.

All phone calls, clinical services and research activities are completely confidential other than when we are obligated by law to break that confidentiality.

We are part of the London Health Sciences Centre, however, for your convenience and confidentiality we are located in a house at 860 Richmond St. Our house is marked by a “FEMAP” sign that is very discrete to anyone not familiar with FEMAP. It is located on major bus routes north of the Richmond and Oxford street intersection.

There may not be anyone to answer the questions you have if you just drop by. We ask you to call us by phone to speak to someone at FEMAP or leave a message so we can get back to you. This is the quickest way to get information and/or see if you are eligible for the program or for research studies within the program.

Our services are not geared to crisis situations (that is, situations where you can’t wait for an appointment that might occur in a week or two). If you are in crisis, go to your family doctor or the nearest emergency department and you will be seen by a doctor immediately.

It does not cost anything if you are seen for services or participate in research at FEMAP. All clinical services are paid by OHIP and all research is paid by other organizations.

If you are not eligible for FEMAP, we will help direct you to other services that would be better suited for you.

Medications may or may not be part of your treatment plan at FEMAP. Treatment options will be discussed with you and you will work with your FEMAP doctor on what to do to address your concerns.

Once we get in touch with you by phone, your contact with FEMAP has begun and you will receive weekly questionnaires to complete until the time of your first appointment. While wait times vary, we work very hard to make sure no one waits very long. We know that it usually takes a lot for a young person to reach out and by that time they are ready for the next step of seeing a professional.