Here2Talk: Free App Provides Mental Health Advice to Post-Secondary Students in British Columbia

Studying for exams, finding accommodation and employment during the pandemic, and adjusting to new social and academic contexts are just some of the challenges students are currently facing. And it can have a big impact on their mental health.

This is what the Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Anne Kang, declares, indicating Here2Talk, the province’s free online and virtual counseling service, accessible by phone, the downloadable application Here2Talk or by the through online discussion sessions.

It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all part-time and full-time students enrolled in a college, university, institute or professional program in British Columbia, whether they are in Canada or the United States. foreign, with material provided in other languages ​​such as Mandarin and Punjabi.

Similar to Kang on Vancouver Island, North Island College Students’ Union advocacy organizer Rebecca Lennox finds that local students face “a lot of pretty big issues.”

“Almost everyone we talk to has a hard time finding accommodation, for example. We’re also seeing students graduate with higher and higher debt and then the cost of living continues to rise, ”Lennox said. My Campbell River now.

Depending on the province, post-secondary students aged 15 to 24 are more likely to report mental health problems than any other age group. In fact, last year, students accessed Here2Talk over 14,100 times, with 76% indicating that it provided them with the support they needed.

“Students shouldn’t have to deal with mental health issues alone. Here2Talk is reducing the stigma surrounding mental health so that more students can have courageous conversations and get the help they need, ”added Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Here2Talk is a component of A Pathway to Hope, the government’s 10-year vision to improve the mental health and addiction care system for people no matter where they live in British Columbia.

New Resources Help DECREASE Anxiety in Grades 8-12:

High school teachers now have new classroom resources to help students manage anxiety with Daily Anxiety Strategies for Educators (EASE) 8-12, the province announced today (Oct. 7).

EASE was first launched in 2019 to provide K-7 educators with adaptable online material. Since then, EASE at Home has been launched, and now it is expanding to students in Grades 8-12.

The material focuses on breathing, mindfulness and coping skills, the province explains, along with strategies for fighting procrastination, testing anxiety and more.

School-based resources are free and available to educators, school counselors and support staff in school districts, independent schools, and First Nations schools. Find more details here.