NORTH BATTLEFORD -Youth across the province of Saskatchewan are soon to have access to more mental health supports. The Government of Saskatchewan announced on Sept. 11 that an additional $1.7 million provided to Family Services Saskatchewan will see the expansion of free access to rapid counselling services for youth in the province, including with Catholic Family Services in North Battleford.
The announcement was made while the organization kicked off the start of Catholic Family Services week in the Battlefords, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic. The morning was marked with a walk, a flag raising at North Battleford City Hall, and speeches from dignitaries celebrating the expansion.
"We are so excited to see our flag flying to remind people that Catholic Family Services is here to help everyone and anyone that needs support. We are launching an expanded rapid access counselling service for youth and children that is free and is specialized to help children and youth with any issues they might be having," Kim Morrison, the organization's executive director told the News-Optimist.
Morrison noted that now, youth experiencing struggles, including anxiety, depression, difficult life changes, or events at school, will be able to talk about their struggles for free with counsellors online, or in-person. Catholic Family Services has programming that includes general counselling, in-school counselling with the Light of Christ Catholic School division, provides support for children exposed to violence or trauma, and family counselling.
"In the last year we helped about 5,000 people. That is in the Battlefords and the northwest, but that is the equivalent of 20 per cent of the Battlefords. But not everyone's from here, we serve our smaller communities, farming communities, our First Nation communities, in the northwest. And also because of our rapid access counselling network, we've been serving other people throughout the province as well," she said
In-person or virtual services can be booked online at: www.counsellingconnectsask.ca, with Morrison noting the solution-focused approach to counselling hopes to solve the root of the session, building skills that will help youth move forward.
In total this year, the province is providing Family Services Saskatchewan with $3.2 million in annual funding: $1.5 million to provide ongoing services to adults and families in more than 20 communities, and $1.7 million in new funding for expanding rapid access counselling services to children and youth.
The ministry noted that since May, counselling services for children and youth have launched in Regina, Saskatoon, Weyburn, Estevan, Carlyle and Oxbow, with additional communities to be announced in the coming weeks.
"I think it's symbolic that we started today with a walk because typically when I'm having a bad day I go for a walk. But we all know that sometimes in our own lives, or the lives of our family and friends, sometimes we need more than just a walk. or go outside. Sometimes you actually need to chat with somebody," Jeremy Cockrill, (MLA for The Battlefords) said.
Cockrill was also attending the event on behalf Tim McLeod (Mental Health and Addictions Minister)
"I think it's really important. I mean, we've got a lot of great organizations in the community that work with children and youth. I think about BGC Battlefords, I think of about Battleford's Early Years Family Resource Centre that was opened up last year ... every community has challenges, ours is no different," Cockrill said.
"When we have great organizations that have resources like this, and again, as we've been talking about this morning with CFS staff and others, sometimes crises come and you need help very quickly, and so for a child to be able to do that, I think that's a really great opportunity in our community," Cockrill added.
