The BC government has launched Here2Talk, a new 24/7 mental health counselling service for students.
Students can access confidential, free, single-session services through the app, by phone or through online chat on the Here2Talk website. The service has been in the works for a few months, but was fast-tracked and released early due to COVID-19.
“With the advent of COVID-19 and the increased stress it puts on students, we doubled down to get students the supports they so desperately need,” said Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training Melanie Mark in a press release.
“I’m very excited to say that Here2Talk is now available for all 555,000 post-secondary students registered across BC.”
B.C.'s post-sec students have a lot on their minds managing school, work, relationships & much more. Today Minister @DarcyJudy & I launched #Here2Talk - a place for students to turn for 24/7 #MentalHealth counselling services by app, phone & chat https://t.co/fCHUXsCynw pic.twitter.com/VjWxRzsffu
— Melanie Mark (@melaniejmark) April 16, 2020
In addition to Here2Talk, students can also access EmpowerMe, a Canada-wide mental health hotline, available to all UBC students.
In the 2019 Academic Experience Survey, mental health was reported as the most common self-identified disability at UBC.
Of the students who have accessed off-campus health and well-being organizations while at UBC, one quarter of them “do not think there are sufficient resources available.”
AMS VP External Cristina Ilnitchi said this program "is coming when it's needed."
"One of the questions we're going to have as the program unrolls ... is how do all the mental health supports that are being provided for students support each other and fill in the gaps of what's not available," Ilnitchi said.
"Not all post-secondary institutions in BC have access to a service like EmpowerMe so it's really important to recognize that there's a need to cover all students in the province with mental health supports."
Tanysha Klassen, chairperson of the BC Federation of Students, wrote in the press release that students manage many stressors in their day-to-day life, even without a pandemic.
“Even though there are support services on some campuses and in the community, they’re not always easy to access and some students feel uncomfortable asking for help,” Klassen wrote. “Here2Talk’s chat, phone and online services will make it much easier for students to reach out for help when they need it.
“This stress has only multiplied with the pandemic, making the launch of this service more important than ever.”
This article has been updated to include comments from AMS VP External Cristina Ilnitchi.
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