The Third Place Model of Mental Health for Emerging Adults
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Authors
Urbančič, Natasha
Issue Date
2026-03
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
emerging adulthood , third places , community-based care , social connection , mental health
Alternative Title
Abstract
This capstone project addresses the escalating mental health crisis among emerging adults (EAs) in Canada, a demographic uniquely vulnerable to loneliness (Buecker et al., 2021), trauma (Grasso et al., 2012), anxiety, and depression (Kessler et al., 2007; Mental Health Research Canada [MHRC], 2024; Paul, 2024). Despite the high need for mental health support, 58.3% of EAs remain underserved (MHRC, 2024) due to systemic barriers, including cost (Statistics Canada [StatCan], 2023), stigma (Jack.org, 2024), and the transition out of youth care (Doucet, 2020). This research proposes the Third Place Model of Mental Health, a novel framework grounded in Ray Oldenburg's sociological concept of "third places," which are informal community environments outside of home and work (1989). By integrating a literature review of community care models with the neurobiology of social connection and relational clinical theories, this study shifts the primary therapeutic mechanism from individual clinical intervention to the social environment itself. The project identifies seven core tenets for implementation: community-focused, accessible, casual, de-stigmatized, youth-driven, safe, and sustainable. Furthermore, it establishes the policies, practices and guardrails required in order to design and run the model within a Canadian context, including how the framework can leverage current initiatives like the Youth Mental Health Fund (Government of Canada, 2024) to provide a proactive, cost-effective, and scalable paradigm shift in the mental health care of EAs. Ultimately, this project offers a practical roadmap for policymakers, clinicians, and organizations to foster long-term resilience among the 1.25 million Canadian EAs currently in need of support (MHRC, 2024).
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Citation
Publisher
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess