Who is the MTU?

The Mobile Therapeutic Unit (MTU) is a holistic allied health service for Indigenous youth aged 0 to 18 in both rural and urban areas. The MTU is committed to working with families and communities to ensure Indigenous children receive culturally appropriate care that reflects the values and knowledge of Yukon First Nations.

YFNED believes families and communities are the true experts on the well-being of our children, and work to ensure every child’s emotional, physical, spiritual and cultural needs are met in a safe and cultural way.

Our growing team includes:

A Wellness & Engagement Team
Occupational Therapy
Speech Language Pathology
Counselling
Behavioural Consulting
Psychomotor Therapy
Education Psychology
Hearing and Vision Screening

Wellness Program

Allied Health SERVICES

Referrals and Contact

The MTU has an open referral policy so that all families and communities can access our services.

Email mtu@yfned.ca for more information.

For service access, please fill out the following Intake and Consent Forms:

YFNED Intake Form

Child/Youth Name:

First Name

Last Name

Date of Birth:

School:

Affiliated First Nation:

Your name and relationship to Child/Youth:

Parent/Guardian Name:

First Name

Last Name

Parent/Guardian contact details:

Phone and/or email address

Additional Comments/Questions:

Have the parents/guardians signed a YFNED Consent Form?

Yes

No (Please obtain parental/guardian signature on Consent Form)

Consent Forms

Values and Approach

To ensure cultural continuity for Indigenous children:

We encourage the development of programs that support our children’s learning in ways that are culturally and developmentally appropriate. To allow them to learn through thinking, being, doing.

To prevent the mislabeling of cultural difference as individual or group pathology:

Provide therapies in communities to decrease need to travel to Whitehorse or outside of Yukon.
Recognize systemic and colonization barriers to access to therapies and health services.
Respect First Nations self-determination and self-government.
Build relationships with parents and caregivers reluctant to get involved with and accept services.
Work collaboratively with community members to address school absenteeism.
Create new processes for assessment based on understanding community-specific goals and priorities.

To promote collaborative approaches to professional practice in Indigenous communities:

Encourage community-based, capacity-building learning opportunities compared to individual-focused clinical approaches.
Cultural values and belief systems are reflected in student learning opportunities. The learning priorities and decisions of our families will guide planning.
Speak with First Nations parents and Elders about their understandings of and goals for our children’s learning.
Attending community gatherings to take the time to learn about the specific community, their values and hopes for our children.

To strengthen family and community capacity for supporting Indigenous children:

Build collaborative relationships with families, elders, community leaders and educators, and First Nation Advocates.
Provide mentorship and training to family and community members to support our children’s learning and development.
Create learning opportunities on the land and strengthen community connections
Consult with Community advisors who may be willing to provide knowledge of cultural protocol, cultural values and cultural development goals of our children.
Establish long term engagement with a child or family, and a consistent presence in the community, as well as patience, flexibility, understanding and a desire to learn through listening.

To work in partnerships:

The MTU team will be working closely with each Yukon First Nation to ensure the services reflect the distinct culture of each Nation. We will be visiting each community and will work with YFN staff, Elders and families to understand children’s needs.

Meet the Mobile Therapeutic UNIT