Walk-in clinics improve access to mental health services
In August of this year, the Saskatchewan government announced that walk-in mental health counselling services are expanding to numerous communities across the province, delivered for free by Family Service Saskatchewan (Fssask) member agencies.
Walk-in counselling services were piloted by Fssask in communities including Melfort, Regina, Saskatoon and Yorkton before the program unrolled more widely. The Saskatchewan government has made a $1.2 million investment in this mental health initiative. In collaboration with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), single session therapy services are now expanding to a total of 23 communities.
Trish St. Onge is the executive director of CFS Saskatoon. Founded more than 75 years ago, CFS Saskatoon delivers community support by providing timely programs and services to individuals, couples and families. St. Onge is also president of Fssask, which is a member-driven organization that includes family service agencies across the province. Fssask collectively serves more than 30,000 Saskatchewan residents each year.
In terms of who is using the walk-in mental health counselling services, St. Onge describes individuals “with a variety of presenting problems.” She says the majority of clients seen so far are experiencing depression, anxiety or high levels of stress. Clients are typically seen on a first-come, first-served basis.
Walk-in counselling services are provided by psychologists and social workers who cannot prescribe medication. St. Onge explains that the service is important because “there are a lot of distressed people and this makes mental health care access very available. This is a wellknown model of intervention and the program’s uptake in Saskatchewan has been very positive in the first quarter.”
Counselling services are free, immediate and solution-based. Walk-in clients do not need to have a health card (or any government-issued identification) in order to be seen. Presenting identification is viewed as a potential barrier to service for some individuals. Most importantly, clients don’t have to wait weeks for a first appointment and can receive help immediately in a community close to where they live. Some examples of walkin clinic locations include libraries, churches, food banks and community health centres.
Project lead Kirk Englot is the chief operating officer of Family Service Regina. With a master’s degree in social work, Englot began with the organization as a counsellor in 2006. Around since the 1930s, Family Service Regina supports individuals and families who are currently in distress or at-risk. Administration and support of the province-wide mental health walkin clinic program is based out of Family Service Regina.
Englot describes Fssask’s partnership with the SHA as “positive and collaborative.” According to Englot, the program served over 500 people during its first quarter. “We hit the ground running. We’ve observed that clients are predominantly coming with a significant level of distress. This further reinforces that this type of accessible and immediate counselling services is necessary,” says Englot.
Although three months is not long enough to fully establish a trend, St. Onge and Englot have both observed a higher number of men accessing the walk-in clinics than traditional mental health services. They also observed a diverse span of life stages among clients. Englot points out that the individuals the walk-in clinics are serving tend to be lower income (or unemployed) and without a workplace benefits system to rely on. For this reason, the program is “filling in a gap.”
What happens when a client presents mental health needs beyond the services of a walk-in clinic? “In that case, we explore entry points into the provincial health care system or reinforce existing access that the individual might already have, such as a psychiatrist,” explains Englot.
Mental health walk-in clinic locations can be found through 211 Saskatchewan. Available by telephone, text or web chat, 211 Saskatchewan is a confidential, 24/7 service that connects individuals to social and government services in the province.
The following communities offer walk-in mental health services: Battleford, Estevan, Humboldt, Indian Head, Kamsack, Kelvington, Melfort, Nipawin, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon, Southey, Swift Current, Tisdale, Weyburn, Wynyard and Yorkton.
For more information, contact one of these organizations:
211 Saskatchewan: sk.211.ca
CFS Saskatoon: cfssaskatoon.sk.ca
There are a lot of distressed people and this makes mental health care access very available. This is a wellknown model of intervention and the program’s uptake in Saskatchewan has been very positive in the first quarter.
- TRISH ST. ONGE, executive director, CFS Saskatoon
Counselling services are free, immediate and solution-based. Walk-in clients do not need to have a health card (or any government-issued identification) in order to be seen.