{"id":62251,"date":"2021-07-26T15:04:49","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T21:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=62251"},"modified":"2021-07-26T15:04:49","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T21:04:49","slug":"accessing-mental-health-care-services-difficult-for-many","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2021\/07\/26\/accessing-mental-health-care-services-difficult-for-many\/","title":{"rendered":"Accessing mental health care services difficult for many"},"content":{"rendered":"

A<\/span>nyone who has ever felt that sinking feeling of sadness or depression setting in will have gone to Google, typed in \u201ccounselling near me\u201d and either struggled to find something or found that the fee for getting help was out of their price range.<\/p>\n

A 50-minute therapy session can cost anywhere from $150 to $250.<\/p>\n

With the average household income of Canadians being $62,900, It\u2019s hard for most to justify that price tag. For those who fall below the average household income\u2014such as vulnerable populations who rely on government funding to survive\u2014$150 an hour for counselling is simply not possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more you need help, the less likely you are to actually be able to afford help because the same systems that are inviting problems into your life are inviting financial problems into your life,\u201d said Tiffany Sostar, a narrative therapist in Calgary.<\/p>\n

Narrative therapy is a method of therapy that separates a person from their problem. It encourages people to rely on their own skills to minimize problems that exist in their lives.<\/p>\n

Sostar is not a registered social worker or psychologist. This means her services are not covered by insurance, which can be a way of offsetting the cost of therapy for many people.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Masks are cool:<\/strong>\u00a0Narrative therapist Tiffany Sostar\u00a0chose to keep her mask on for this picture in an attempt to normalize the wearing of masks in pictures. (Photo by Michaela Pitman\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is a positive aspect to this situation: it means Sostar can offer services on a sliding scale.<\/p>\n

Sliding-scale is when therapists like Sostar accept payment of what their clients can afford. A person provides proof of income or lack of income and states what they can and can\u2019t afford in terms of therapy.<\/p>\n

Certain places like the Calgary Counselling Centre do this as well. If you show the Calgary Counselling Centre that you cannot afford the regular cost of counselling, they can adjust the rate. However, even $50 can be a large sum of money to someone who is struggling financially.<\/p>\n

For Sostar, this is a critical issue in mental health care access. The people who need it the most, and who can\u2019t afford it, don\u2019t have the resources to find cheaper or free options. Sourcing affordable mental health care requires cellphones and data to research and make phone calls\u2014not to mention the energy and motivation to do all that legwork.<\/p>\n

Alison Jones, a 19-year-old Bow Valley College student, who has been struggled with depression set on by the pandemic, has experienced this first-hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s quite difficult finding therapy as a student, you know, it’s quite expensive, and therapy itself is a very expensive thing and when you’re not making a lot of money or the money you are making is either going to rent and food,\u201d said Jones.<\/p>\n

Jones said that BVC\u2019s Student Resources services only helped so much. It was thanks to her family doctor that she was able to be referred to the Calgary Counseling Centre for free therapy.<\/p>\n

There was no way Jones could have afforded therapy without this referral. As is, she had to wait a month before she could see a psychologist at the Calgary Counselling Centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing that makes me feel kind of bad is the fact that I was able to see a nurse practitioner recommended for my doctor, as well as be referred to the Calgary Counseling Center for free because not everybody has that opportunity, and I don’t know, I kind of have like a little bit of guilt for that,\u201d said Jones.<\/p>\n

Jones believes that she was only able to be recommended for the free therapy because she has been with her family doctor for years and she has had multiple breaks in her mental health that her doctor knew about.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, not everyone has a strong relationship with their family doctor. People who may not have a family doctor, like newcomers to Canada or individuals who have issues accessing health care would not have the same opportunity that Jones did to be referred to free counselling.<\/p>\n

This where the system needs change, says Jones. It needs to truly look after the vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Frequently, people who belong to minority groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as people who identify as black, indigenous or persons of colour (BIOPICS), may not always feel comfortable in therapy.<\/p>\n

T, who identifies as a butch Filipinx and who has been living in Canada for the last 14 years, is part of the queer community.<\/p>\n

T says that the biggest issue she has had with dealing with her mental health issues is finding a therapist who is not racist and not homophobic and who can understand her culturally.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Priorities when it comes to counselling:<\/strong> \u201cT\u201d who struggles with mental health says the hardest thing for her when finding a therapist is finding one who isn’t homophobic or racist. (Photo by Michaela Pitman\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAs a person of colour, I\u2019m really struggling to find someone who is a professional who also has that anti-racist mindset\u2014otherwise you’re gonna feel like you’re being dismissed,\u201d said T.<\/p>\n

This is something she has experienced, being dismissed because of her race and gender identity.<\/p>\n

The Mental Health Co-pilots (MHC) programme is trying to combat these attitudes.<\/p>\n

Founded in the spring of 2019, MCH is the brainchild of clinical psychologist J. Brinker. A professor at the University of Alberta, Brinker recognized accessibility gaps in the system and envisioned an organization that would address them. When conflicts of interest with the university didn\u2019t let her pursue it, Brinker gave the idea to three of her students, Amanda Monti, Megan Reggie and Breton LaDuke.<\/p>\n

The trio went on to found MHC.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Mental Health Co-pilots, our main vision is to increase mental health care access to the public, because we recognize there’s a lot of barriers for folks seeking help,\u201d said McKenna Gawalko, vice-chair of MHC.<\/p>\n

On top of issues of availability, accessibility, and affordability, just navigating that system on your own can be overwhelming, especially if you’re living with a mental illness.<\/p>\n

MHC has a volunteer base of 60 individuals who help people find mental health professionals.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Making a difference:<\/strong> Vice President Mckenna Gawalko of Edmonton-based organization, Mental Health Copilots helps individuals find the right form and fit of therapy that works just for them. (Photo by Michaela Pitman\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhen we receive a client intake, we pair them with one of our client co-pilot volunteers. And during that first meeting, the co-pilot will find the time to learn about that individual’s history, needs and preferences and getting connected with a mental health service provider. Using that information, the co-pilot creates a tailored list of referral options for the client to discuss them, and then empowers them to choose what feels right for them,\u201d said Gawalko.<\/p>\n

Anyone over 18 can go to the MCH website<\/a>\u00a0to request their services. They’re free, and simple to access.<\/p>\n

Organizations like MHC are trying to make it easier for people like Jones and T who have struggled with finding mental health care that fits the budget or their personal identity without being judged. But that\u2019s not enough. Even with programmes like this in place, there are still too many people facing barriers in accessing mental health care and systemic change is still badly needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone who has ever felt that sinking feeling of sadness or depression setting in will have gone to Google, typed in \u201ccounselling near me\u201d and either struggled to find something or found that the fee [ READ MORE ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":688,"featured_media":62256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ef_editorial_meta_text_assignment-slug":"S4 Mental Health Care Access ","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1109],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-62251","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-life","8":"category-mental-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/688"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62257,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62251\/revisions\/62257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}