A Calgary program is eliminating roadblocks for young people in need of mental health help.
Barrier-Free Counselling, launched in October 2020, covers session costs for eligible young people.
“It’s designed for young adults between 18 and 30 years old that, first of all, don’t have accessibility to any other counselling, that make $30,000 or under and that’s it,” Rick Lundy, president of Minds Over Matter Mental Health Society, told Global News on Sunday.
“We pay for their counselling with a licenced psychologist. We pay 100 per cent of the cost so it eliminates that barrier.”
The program’s focus is on young adults because the people in the demographic usually have to fend for themselves, Lundy said.
“Only 20 per cent of children and youth get the proper resources and help that they need, so then they go into the next phase of their lives, which is young adulthood. The barriers are more and accessibility is a problem as well,” he said.
“We wanted to eliminate the barriers for that demographic. Obviously, the cost of paying $200 for a licensed psychologist is hard for most people to do — never mind young adults just starting out in life.”
Add in a pandemic, and it magnifies stressors.
“I think COVID has definitely amplified mental illness and suicides within young adults,” Lundy said.
It’s simple to get the help you need online or in-person, Lundy said.
“Sessions depend on each client, of course, but it can be a one-time thing or it could be multiple… We want to ensure that the help is there. For some people, that help isn’t a one-session case — it’s multiple sessions. That’s dependent on the recommendations from the counsellor and the client,” he said.
“We have licenced psychologists that we use but if you’re already working with a counsellor, you can stay with that counsellor. We know there’s a relationship with some people and their counsellors, and we don’t want to disrupt that, so we respect that.”