Entering the world of post-secondary offers the exciting promise of a new career and other highly-rewarding outcomes. While COVID-19 has led to a few challenges for post-secondary institutions and its students, there are services available in which students talk through their concerns.
As of April 16, the Government of British Columbia has announced a free counselling service for all registered post-secondary students: Here2Talk. This new platform provides 24/7 mental health support and counselling, community referral services and more through a designated phone line, website, and customized app.
For the first time in BC, every student has convenient and immediate access to mental health services, no matter their location or economic status.
“For too long, mental health care was an afterthought in BC, and many post-secondary students weren’t able to access the help they needed. Here2Talk is changing that,” says Judy Darcy, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
Available to all full and part-time students, international students and students studying abroad, and online and distance education students, Here2Talk’s counsellors and services can be accessed through live chat or telephone, with no appointment required.
Here2Talk’s free resources and professional counsellors are available to address issues with depression and loneliness, tensions between family members or instructors, frustrations or uncertainty related to studies, general stress and anxiety, and much more.
The resource portal offers a variety of topics from Adapting to Changeand Establishing Healthy Habitsto Maintaining Positive Relationshipsand Managing Feelings of Sadness, Stress, Anxiety, and More. All Here2Talk’s professional counsellors are vetted for mandatory qualifications: at minimum, counsellors must possess a Master’s degree, have “good standing” with a professional accredited association (according to their field of practice), and maintain active liability insurance.
Learn more about Here2Talk’s platform and how they can help you during your studies.