Sask. families are getting 'quicker access' to mental health care

Instead of waiting weeks, children, youth, and their caregivers in Prince Albert can now access free counselling in a matter of days.

It’s called rapid access counselling. One counsellor describes it as a walk-in clinic, but for mental health.

"Say they are suicidal or dealing with something urgent, and we are able to provide them with immediate care, instead of putting them on a waitlist for a month and a half,” Kent Slemming, a rapid access counsellor told media.

He said the goal is to connect the client with resources in the community.

While the Catholic Family Service of Prince Albert (CFSPA) already had rapid access counselling for adults, it launched the new program for families on Wednesday.

“By providing quick access through a simplified pathway to care, we can prevent or reduce escalation in mental health needs within families," Louise Zurowski, executive director with CFSPA said.

It’s part of the provincial government’s $3.2 million annual funding commitment to Family Services Saskatchewan, in an effort to expand and maintain rapid access counselling programs across the province.

"Under our new action plan for mental health and addictions, rapid access counselling for children and youth will expand to all 24 locations of Family Service Saskatchewan, where these services are currently available for adults," said Alana Ross, MLA for Prince Albert Northcote.

The youth mental health unit at the Victoria hospital temporarily closed in August when the health authority failed to recruit a new youth psychiatrist. Ross said this will help fill some mental health needs in the meantime.

"It does help fill that. We are actively recruiting psychiatrists to alleviate the closure of the beds," she said.

The CFSPA said there is a strong need for children and youth counselling in the community.

Lori LeCorre, the new family rapid access counsellor, says she’s ready to get to work.

“This position will definitely make an impact with quicker access, sometimes you have to get to the youth at that moment,” LeCorre said.