A new partnership improves access to mental health for Alberta farmers
The Alberta Farm Mental Health Network (Agknow) has partnered with Alberta Counselling – a new division of Calgary counselling Centre – to provide mental health services to Albertans, especially farmers.
Agknow says in a press release that they recognize the unique challenges faced by the agriculture industry and the need for counsellors with specialized training to support farmers.
“We realized early on that access to services that understand the stresses and unique challenges of farming is a barrier to the agriculture community participating in the supports and programs that are available to all Albertans,” said Linda Hunt, Program Director of AgKnow.
Farmers, their lifestyles, and mental health needs are unique in many ways, the release noted.
Lack of resources, geographic distances, therapists who may not have experience with the agricultural industry, and a reluctance among farmers to seek mental health support are all part of the reasoning behind this partnership, according to the release.
AgKnow added that an alliance between the organization and Counselling Alberta expands the network of therapists available to farmers.
This is achieved by identifying counsellors within the Counselling Alberta framework who are already well-versed in farm-related issues, connecting them with farmers directly, and monitoring usage both by farmers and by topic to continue to assess their specific needs.
Counselling Alberta also has the capacity to handle more intricate cases, and clients have the freedom to choose their therapist.
“Our partnership with Counselling Alberta not only eliminates the wait times and location barriers but also will be a good first step to reduce the stigmas around reaching out for help for those in the farming community,” added Hunt.
An ongoing objective of the partnership is to enhance the roster of farminformed therapists within Counselling Alberta.
To date, Agknow has conducted two sessions, offered an overview of agriculture and discussed findings from both national and preliminary provincial stress and coping studies.
They have also gathered information from counsellors about their specific interest in agriculture.
“It’s our goal to be in a position to offer information to counsellors and therapists on an ongoing basis, keeping them up to date with our latest findings, and providing a solid foundation for as many health care and mental health professionals practising in rural areas as possible,” explained Hunt.