NS Early Psychosis Program

Department of Psychiatry

Help outside Halifax

Educational resources

We’re happy to provide educational resources to support individuals and agencies outside of HRM, but if clinical treatment is required, we recommend calling the local health authority.

Nova Scotia health authorities

Referrals from health care professionals only

We only accept referrals from health care professionals for individuals living outside the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). We only provide clinical consultation for residents of the Maritime provinces who live outside HRM—we do not provide ongoing clinical services. To make a referral, call 902-473-2976.

To qualify for treatment through the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program (NSEPP), candidates must be between the age of 12-35 and experiencing early psychosis (within the first 5 years of the onset of psychosis). Individuals referred for a consultation with the NSEPP must be willing to travel to HRM for assessment.

What to expect

Our intake coordinator will contact the referrer within one week of receiving the referral. After they’ve obtained all relevant information, the intake coordinator will present it to the NSEPP multidisciplinary team at their weekly meeting, where they will decide on the level of urgency and if the person being referred meets the criteria for the NSEPP program.

If the referral meets the criteria, we’ll contact the referrer to provide the date of the assessment appointment and, after the assessment, we’ll provide the referrer with a written report. We aim to assess all individuals within four weeks.

If the individual doesn’t meet the criteria, our intake coordinator will contact the referrer to provide information regarding referral to other appropriate mental health services.