Peterborough Youth Services

What Peterborough Youth Services does

Peterborough Youth Services (PYS) is a non-profit mental health and youth justice organization founded in 1976 and headquartered at 459 Reid Street in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The agency serves children, youth (up to age 18), and young adults (up to age 25 in select programs) across the Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Northumberland counties through ten integrated program lines spanning crisis response, walk-in counselling, open-ended and time-limited clinical therapy, adolescent day treatment, case management, parent/caregiver support, enhanced youth outreach, youth justice rehabilitation, and an Adolescent Differential Response service delivered in partnership with the local children's aid society. Services are delivered at no cost to clients by registered psychotherapists supported by consulting psychologists and psychiatrists, using evidence-based modalities such as Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, and Talk Therapy.

The agency operates on a community-based referral and coordinated access model. Youth, families, caregivers, schools, probation services, children's aid societies, courts, doctors, and public health nurses can refer individuals into the system, where triage assessments match clients with appropriate services. A Coordinated Access agreement with Kinark Child and Family Services enables seamless cross-organizational referrals without redundant intake. The Adolescent Day Treatment Program is jointly delivered with Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, embedding clinical services within school facilities. PYS holds CCA accreditation from the Canadian Centre for Accreditation, a national credential for community-based health and social service organizations.

All PYS services are publicly funded and free at the point of delivery. Revenue is derived from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, United Way, foundation grants, and private donations (including support from Delta Power Equipment, Kinsmen Club of Peterborough, and Canada Helps as an online donation platform). The organization has 11-50 employees, maintains a Strategic Road Map covering 2023 to 2028, publishes an annual report, and runs continuous quality improvement and client feedback mechanisms across its service lines.

Name

Peterborough Youth Services

Legal name

Peterborough Youth Services

Website

https://pysonline.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Peterborough Youth Services is a non-profit mental health and youth justice organization serving children, youth (up to age 25 in some programs), and families across the Peterborough region of Ontario, Canada, through free clinical counselling, crisis response, day treatment, and rehabilitation services funded by provincial ministries, United Way, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mental Health Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ), Therapeutic & Behavioral Health School Programs (Day Treatment) (EDAJAEAE), Court/Community School Programs (Diversion, Probation-Linked, Community Day Schools) (EDAJAEAI), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Homeless, Foster Care & Highly Mobile Youth Education Services (EDAJAEAG)

Keywords

• Youth mental health services
• Youth justice programs
• Family counselling
• Crisis intervention
• Child psychotherapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Peterborough

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding - Ministry of Health and Long Term Care: Core operational funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to support mental health services delivery.
2. Government Funding - Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services: Funding supporting youth justice programs and child welfare-related services.
3. United Way: Charitable organization funding through United Way for community service delivery.
4. Foundation Grants and Private Donations: Additional funding from foundation grants and individual private donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Peterborough Youth Services is a nonprofit mental health and youth justice agency that delivers free, evidence-based clinical counselling, crisis response, case management, day treatment, and youth justice programs to children, youth, and families in the Peterborough region. Services are provided at no cost to clients through direct service delivery, walk-in access, phone intake, community-based settings, and joint school-based programs. The organization is funded by Ontario provincial ministries, United Way, foundation grants, and private donations.

Product overview

Peterborough Youth Services is a mental health and youth justice organization serving children, youth, and families since 1976. It offers a portfolio of accessible, collaborative, and responsive services delivered through multiple integrated programs: Crisis Response Service and Talk Now Walk-In Service provide immediate mental health support; Clinical Counselling – Open Ended and Time-Limited Counselling/Therapy offer individual and family therapeutic interventions; the Adolescent Day Treatment Program provides intensive daily programming jointly delivered with local school boards; Case Management/Service Navigation coordinates access for complex needs; Parent/Caregiver Support Service builds family capacity; Enhanced Youth Outreach supports youth up to age 25; Youth Justice Programs serve court-ordered youth across four counties; and the Adolescent Differential Response Service collaborates with children's aid society partners. All services are free of charge, funded through the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Children and Social Services, United Way, and private donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crisis Response Service Immediate, time-limited mental health crisis support delivered Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, including brief services (crisis intervention, de-escalation, coaching, problem-solving) and intensive services (family preservation, safety planning). After-hours crisis support is available via the 310-COPE line. Target audience: children and youth experiencing mental health crises and their families.
• Talk Now Walk-In Service A walk-in mental health service providing immediate support without requiring an appointment or referral. Target audience: children, youth, and families seeking same-day mental health support.
• Clinical Counselling – Open Ended Individual and family counselling services provided by registered psychotherapists with support from a consulting psychologist and psychiatrist. Sessions may include art, games, or music, and address issues including bullying, depression, anxiety, gender/identity, and family conflict. Target audience: children, youth, and families requiring ongoing mental health support.
• Time-Limited Counselling/Therapy Brief counselling services designed to provide timely access to mental health support while reducing barriers. Includes crisis intervention, coaching, problem-solving skill development, emotional regulation, coping strategies, and solution-focused intervention. Target audience: children, youth, and families needing short-term support.
• Adolescent Day Treatment Program Intensive daily program (Monday-Friday, 9am-2:15pm) for youth in grades 9-12 addressing moderate to severe anxiety/depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and family conflict. Jointly delivered with Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board. Target audience: adolescents in grades 9-12 with moderate to severe mental health concerns.
• Case Management/Service Navigation Coordinated access to services for children and youth with complex needs (level three or four), including identification of strengths/needs/risks, family engagement, quality case management, and seamless transitions between services. Target audience: children and youth with complex, multi-system needs.
• Parent/Caregiver Support Service Brief service (typically up to 6 sessions) providing capacity building training, mental health education, peer support, pathways to care navigation, and respite services for families of children/youth with mental health needs. May be offered in community settings or the family home. Target audience: parents and caregivers of children/youth with mental health needs.
• Enhanced Youth Outreach (EYOW) Provincial team program supporting youth up to age 25 who have difficulty connecting to services, providing intensive one-on-one community support, service navigation assistance, and clinical counselling to address systemic barriers to mental health access. Target audience: youth up to age 25 facing systemic barriers to service access.
• Youth Justice Programs Community-based services for court-ordered youth (found guilty under age 18) in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Northumberland counties. Includes Community Support, Intensive Supervision and Support, Youth Justice Directed Counselling, and the Family Program for rehabilitation and reintegration. Target audience: young offenders aged 12-18 with court-ordered dispositions and their families.
• Adolescent Differential Response (ADR) Service Community-based collaborative service available exclusively to Kawartha Haliburton Children's Aid Society (KHCAS) partners, focused on preventing investigations and out-of-home placements for children and youth due to mental health issues. Target audience: children and youth referred by KHCAS who are at risk of out-of-home placement due to mental health concerns.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kinark Child and Family ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated Access and Service agreement allowing clients to be referred between PYS and Kinark without completing redundant intake processes. Reduces barriers and ensures clients receive the right service as quickly as possible without having to retell their story.
• Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint delivery of PYS/KPR/PVNC Adolescent Day Treatment Program. School board provides educational component while PYS provides clinical mental health services for grades 9-12 students.
• Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board (PVNC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint delivery of PYS/KPR/PVNC Adolescent Day Treatment Program. Catholic school board provides educational component while PYS provides clinical mental health services for grades 9-12 students.
• Kawartha Haliburton Children's Aid Society (KHCAS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive referral partner for Adolescent Differential Response (ADR) Service. KHCAS staff make referrals using ADR Service Screener and Referral Form submitted to PYS Triage Worker. Service focuses on preventing out-of-home placements for children/youth with mental health issues.
• Probation ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral source for Youth Justice Programs. Referrals come through Probation Services for young people found guilty of an offence while under age 18 with court-ordered disposition to participate in rehabilitation programs.
• YES (Shelter for Youth and Families)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEYOW Program complements community outreach, prevention and intervention services undertaken by Youth Outreach Worker at YES shelter, providing intensive one-on-one support for youth up to age 25.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kinark Child and Family Services: Ontario child and youth mental health organization with a formal Coordinated Access and Service agreement with PYS. Directly comparable nonprofit delivering counselling, crisis, and youth justice services across multiple Ontario regions.
• Carizon Family and Community Services: Waterloo Region nonprofit providing counselling, youth services, and family support funded by Ontario ministries and United Way. Directly comparable multi-service youth mental health and family support model.
• East Metro Youth Services (EMYS): Toronto-based youth mental health and justice services agency serving children, youth, and families. Comparable service portfolio across counselling, case management, and court-ordered youth programs.
• Skylark Children, Youth and Families: Toronto-based children's mental health centre offering counselling, crisis response, and family support. Similar Ontario ministry-funded, multi-service nonprofit model.
• Pathstone Mental Health: Ontario children's mental health centre offering counselling, crisis support, and education-linked services. Closely comparable service mix and ministry-funded nonprofit model to PYS.
• Lumenus Community Services: Greater Toronto Area nonprofit providing mental health, youth justice, and residential services for children and youth. Closely comparable youth justice and mental health service mix.
• Contact Hamilton for Children's and Developmental Services: Hamilton-area children's mental health and developmental services agency coordinating access and delivering clinical services. Comparable mandate around coordinated access and youth mental health.

Others

• Children's Mental Health Ontario: Provincial association representing Ontario's child and youth mental health service providers, including PYS. Sectoral peer and ecosystem participant rather than a direct service competitor.
• Kawartha Haliburton Children's Aid Society: Child welfare agency that is the exclusive referral partner for PYS's Adolescent Differential Response service. Adjacent ecosystem participant — not a direct competitor but a structurally important partner.

Broad incumbents

• Wood's Homes: Established Alberta-based children's mental health agency operating across a broader service continuum (residential, community, school-based). Comparable population and clinical model but larger and regional outside Ontario.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pys_online
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peterborough-youth-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Peterborough Youth Services