PIPEDA compliant, hosted in Canadian regions

Measurement-Based Care for Northwest Territories Care Teams

For community counsellors, psychologists, social workers and clinics from Yellowknife to Inuvik, Hay River and the fly-in communities. Send the PHQ-9, GAD-7 and other validated scales by email or QR code, read the score the moment a client finishes, and watch change build over a course of care. Canadian customer data is held in Google Cloud Canada regions.

Schedule a WalkthroughBrowse assessments
PIPEDA compliant
Canada-region hosting
SOC 2 Type II
Read in English or French
100+
validated assessments
Canada
country where Canadian data is stored
EN · FR
English and French pages
$35 CAD
per month

How mental health care is organized in the Northwest Territories

Public health and social services in the NWT come from three bodies: the territorial authority, set up on 1 August 2016, which covers five regions and runs the Yellowknife hospital, plus separate bodies for Hay River and the Tłı̨chǫ region. The Community Counselling Program is open to every resident at no charge, with counsellors living in 20 communities and reaching the rest by phone and fly-in visits.

In 2022 the Auditor General of Canada reviewed addictions prevention and recovery services and recommended that the department and the authorities, working with Indigenous governments and communities, set short-, medium- and long-term outcomes with indicators to measure them, then use those indicators to monitor results. Short validated scales, scored the same way every time, give a counsellor one way to see change in a single client's care.

All of CanadaAll regions

What HiBoop Does for NWT Care Teams

  • The Health Information Act, counselling that often happens by phone or on a fly-in schedule, and an audit that asked for outcome indicators all shape how results are gathered in the NWT. HiBoop does the scoring and graphing; clinical decisions remain yours.

  • An Information Management Agreement First

    HiBoop publishes its standard terms as an information manager and backs them with the security documentation on our trust page, so a custodian has the material to draft the agreement the Act expects, including the manager's commitment to follow the Act and the custodian's own policies.

  • Safeguards for Information Held Outside the NWT

    Section 85 asks custodians to protect information that is stored or used outside the territory. HiBoop's servers for Canadian customers sit in Google Cloud Canada regions, outside the NWT, and access to records is limited by role.

  • Indicators You Can Track Per Client

    The Auditor General asked for outcome indicators. The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 are scored on submission and charted session by session, so a counsellor sees each client's trend, and that trend informs clinical judgement rather than replacing it.

  • Between Fly-in Visits

    In communities served by phone and fly-in counselling, a client can answer a check-in on their own phone from an email link or QR code between visits, without installing anything.

  • Scales for Recovery Work

    Addictions and recovery teams can send the ASSIST-3, CAGE-AID and BARC-10 next to mood and anxiety scales, and see recovery capital alongside symptom change.

  • English and French

    The Health Information Act is published in English and French, and so is this page. Francophone staff can read about HiBoop in French; ask us which scales have French versions before sending them to clients.

Mental health in Northwest Territories

Research data

Research from Northwest Territories

  • PHQ-9 with adolescents

    In a survey of 399 adolescents aged 13 to 18 in 17 NWT communities that measured depression with the PHQ-9, 47% scored minimal or no symptoms, 25% mild and 28% moderate to severe; food insecurity and, among those dating, dating violence were each linked to about double the odds of more severe scores.

    Logie et al., Global Mental Health, 2021 PMID 34249369

  • Addictions recovery services

    In surveys completed by 439 people about recovery services in the Northwest Territories, barriers and supports differed by ethnicity, gender and sex, and written answers pointed to cultural incongruity and the importance of social support in recovery.

    Denning et al., International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2025 PMID 40492355

  • Mapping mental health services

    A scoping review mapped 68 mental health services in the NWT, drawn from 23 sources, against the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum's essential services to show what exists and where the gaps are.

    Elman et al., International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2019 PMID 31219779

  • Land and youth wellbeing

    At a 2016 on-the-land health leadership camp, 15 Yellowknives Dene First Nation youth, working with the Nation's Wellness Division, identified connection to the land as a central determinant of their community's health.

    Lines et al., BMC Public Health, 2019 PMID 30744592

Where Measurement Fits in the NWT

  • HiBoop has no affiliation with these bodies or programs. They are the setting your clients, referral partners and regulators work in.

  • Community Counselling Program

    Territorial program

    The program supports individuals and families with mental wellness, addictions recovery and family violence, and is available to every NWT resident at no charge. Counsellors live in 20 communities; elsewhere they offer phone support and in-person counselling on a fly-in basis.

    All residents20 communitiesFly-in counselling

  • The 2022 Audit of Addictions Services

    Auditor General

    Tabled on 31 May 2022, the audit found services such as counselling varied over time and by location, and recommended outcome indicators set with Indigenous governments and communities. As of September 2020, 6 of 7 health and social services regions had no wait for a first appointment with a counsellor.

    Outcome indicatorsIndigenous partnersTabled 2022

  • Mental Wellness and Addictions Recovery Fund

    Community funding

    This territorial fund, which replaced the On The Land Healing Fund and two addictions recovery funds, puts $3,055,000 a year into culturally relevant, community-based programs led by Indigenous governments, community governing authorities and partnered organizations.

    On-the-land programsIndigenous governmentsAnnual intake

  • Federal-Territorial Agreements

    Funding, 2024

    The February 2024 Working Together agreement brings more than $24 million for a three-year action plan, including a Territorial Addictions Medicine Team and culturally appropriate mental wellness and suicide prevention programming, with three positions focused on Indigenous communities. The NWT reports on its targets publicly each year.

    Working TogetherAddictions medicineAnnual reporting

Care Teams Across the NWT

  • HiBoop needs only a web browser, so a Yellowknife clinic and a counsellor who flies in to the communities send the same check-ins.

  • Yellowknife

    Home to Stanton Territorial Hospital, which the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority operates.

  • Tłı̨chǫ region

    The Tłı̨chǫ Community Services Agency serves Behchokǫ̀, Gamètì, Whatì and Wekweètì.

  • Hay River

    The Hay River Health and Social Services Authority provides services in the town, separately from the territorial authority.

  • Beaufort Delta, Sahtu, Dehcho and Fort Smith

    These four regions and Yellowknife are served by the territorial health and social services authority.

  • Communities with a resident counsellor

    Community Counselling Program counsellors live in 20 NWT communities.

  • Fly-in communities

    Where no counsellor lives locally, the program offers phone support and in-person counselling on a fly-in basis.

Data sovereignty

Why Northwest Territories clinics choose HiBoop

  • Measurement an HIA Custodian Can Review

    • Canadian customer records held in Google Cloud Canada regions, with encryption on the wire and on disk
    • PIPEDA compliance with SOC 2 Type II certification
    • Each view and export of client information is logged so you can audit it
    • Monthly billing from a single published price list
    • Clients use the browser on their own phone, with no download

  • CAD pricing & support

    Transparent pricing in CAD with flexible payment options for clinics of every size.

    Care
    One clinician, month to month
    $35
    CAD/month
    Team
    Starting price, unlimited clinicians
    $280
    CAD/month
    Network
    Multi-site organizations
    Custom
    Enterprise pricing

100+ validated scales for Northwest Territories clinics

  • Validated scales grouped by what they measure, each with its scoring and source. Public programmes often call this routine outcome monitoring (ROM), or patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs): the same practice of giving a validated scale at regular points and reading the scores over time.

  • Depression, Anxiety and Suicide Risk

    • PHQ-9 (Depression)
    • GAD-7 (Anxiety)
    • SIDAS (Suicidal Ideation)

  • Addictions and Recovery Capital

    • ASSIST-3 (Substance Involvement)
    • CAGE-AID (Alcohol and Drug Screen)
    • BARC-10 (Recovery Capital)

  • Trauma

    • PC-PTSD-5 (PTSD Screen)
    • PCL-5 (PTSD)

  • Adolescents

    • PHQ-A (Adolescent Depression)
    • CRAFFT 2.1 (Adolescent Substance Use)
Browse all assessments

The Health Information Act and Your Clients

  • The NWT Health Information Act applies to health information custodians: the Department of Health and Social Services, medical practitioners, pharmacists, the health authorities and others named in the regulations. People working for a custodian act as its agents and must follow the Act too. The duties are the custodian's; HiBoop's role is to help you meet them.

  • What the Act asks of a custodian

    • Collect, use or disclose no more personal health information than is reasonably necessary for the purpose (s. 28)
    • Keep administrative, technical and physical safeguards, including for information stored or used outside the NWT, and limit use to authorized people (s. 85)
    • Give notice to the individual as soon as reasonably possible when information about them is used or disclosed other than as permitted, lost or stolen, or altered or destroyed without authorization (s. 87)
    • Sign an information management agreement before using an information manager's services (s. 13)
    • For a client under 19, rely on them to exercise their own rights when they understand the nature and consequences of doing so; otherwise a parent or guardian acts (s. 25)

  • What HiBoop provides

    • Our BAA policy, which sets out HiBoop's standard terms as an information manager, plus security documentation you can attach to your agreement
    • Data for Canadian customers kept in Google Cloud Canada regions and protected by encryption
    • Access by role, with every view and export recorded to support any notice you must give
    • You decide which scales to send, so you gather what the client's care needs and nothing extra
    • Score history exported as CSV or PDF when a client asks for their information

  • Preparing an information management agreement?

    The trust page lists where data is hosted, how it is encrypted, who can reach it and how to request our SOC 2 Type II report. Write to us to work through your agreement or a privacy impact assessment together.

    Read the trust page

Grants & funding for Northwest Territories mental health clinics

Funding Guide

  • Public and private funding programs that support measurement-based care implementation.

  • Canada Health Infoway

    Connected Care Innovation Grant

    Tech eligible

    Canada Health Infoway’s Connected Care Innovation Grant provides up to $40K per award to health organizations adopting digital tools — including outcome measurement platforms, electronic records, and patient engagement solutions. With 18 awards per cycle, it’s one of the most accessible Infoway programs for smaller mental health practices.

    Up to $40KLearn more

  • Health Canada

    Working Together to Improve Health Care — Digital Health Stream

    Tech eligible

    Canada committed $25B over 10 years in bilateral agreements with provinces with digital health as a core priority. Each province has discretion over how funds flow; some channel them directly to practices through digital health transformation programs.

    Varies by provinceLearn more

  • Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)

    Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund

    Tech eligible

    Supports proactive mental health promotion strategies, including digital and technology-enabled interventions. Organizations delivering community-based mental health programs can include measurement technology in their proposals.

    $50K–$1MLearn more

  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research

    CIHR — Health Research Operating Grants

    Tech eligible

    CIHR funds health research including implementation science, digital health, and measurement-based care studies. Practices partnering with universities for MBC research or e-mental health implementation can access significant funding.

    $100K–$1M+Learn more

  • Indigenous Services Canada (ISC)

    First Nations & Inuit Health Branch - Mental Wellness

    Tech eligible

    Indigenous Services Canada’s FNIHB funds community-based mental wellness programs for First Nations and Inuit communities, including technology for culturally adapted outcome measurement, digital mental health tools, and telemental health infrastructure. Organizations serving Indigenous communities should contact their ISC regional office for community-specific funding streams.

    Community-based allocationsLearn more

  • Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE)

    Women’s Program - Gender-Based Mental Health

    Tech eligible

    Women and Gender Equality Canada’s Women’s Program funds projects addressing systemic barriers in women’s mental health, including technology-enabled access for underserved women. Digital mental health tools and outcome measurement platforms that improve access for women facing barriers are explicitly eligible uses.

    $200K–$1MLearn more
View all grants & funding

Resources for Northwest Territories practitioners

NWT Privacy, Services and Funding Resources

Latest in mental health in Canada

Crisis and urgent help lines

More crisis lines

Measurement-based care

…starts with what we measure, and how long.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Does HiBoop meet the Health Information Act for my program?

    The Act places its duties on custodians and their agents. HiBoop's part is to support them: standard information manager terms, documented safeguards, role-based access and a record of who viewed or exported what.

  • Can a teenager give their own consent in the NWT?

    Under section 25, a person aged 19 or older exercises their own rights under the Act. A younger client can do so when they understand the nature and the consequences of what they are deciding; if the custodian reasonably doubts that, a parent or person with lawful authority acts for them.

  • What does the Act require after a privacy breach?

    Under section 87, the person whose information was misused, lost, stolen or altered must hear about it as soon as reasonably possible. HiBoop's view and export log helps you pin down which records were touched and when.

  • Can NIHB pay a counsellor for First Nations and Inuit clients?

    Yes, when the service is not covered elsewhere. The Non-Insured Health Benefits program funds up to 22 hours of counselling a calendar year for registered First Nations and recognized Inuit, with extra hours possible case by case, delivered by a provider in good standing with a legislated regulator who can practise independently in the NWT.

Official sources for Northwest Territories

  • Health authorities

    1. 1.Hay River Health and Social Services Authority · regional health authority

    Billing and payment routes

    1. 1.NWT Health Care Plan · public program
    2. 2.Veterans Affairs Canada: mental health services · public program
    3. 3.IRCC: Interim Federal Health Program · public program

    Fee codes and amounts are set by each payer and change; check the linked schedule before you bill. HiBoop does not submit claims.

    Regulators and licensing

    1. 1.NWT Professional Licensing · regulated health professions
    2. 2.Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC) · physicians
    3. 3.Association of Canadian Psychology Regulatory Organizations (ACPRO) · psychologists
    4. 4.Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators · social workers

    Data and statistics

    1. 1.NWT Bureau of Statistics
    2. 2.Statistics Canada: Mental Health and Access to Care Survey, 2022
    3. 3.Public Health Agency of Canada: Health Infobase
    4. 4.CIHI: Mental health and substance use
    5. 5.CIHI: National Physician Database

    Listed for reference so you can find the official source. HiBoop is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, any of these organizations.