HARRISTON – A walk-in mental health clinic in Harriston will be coming to an end because the program has run-out of funding.
A media release from the Family Counselling and Support Services for Guelph-Wellington (FCSSGW) said the same day service will finish on March 31.
This is because the program was fully funded through the Emergency Community Support Fund from the local United Way which will end the same day.
“Our agency is grateful for the grant the United Way made available to support the Harriston community and surrounding Town of Minto,” said executive director Joanne Young Evans, in the release.
“I believe we helped chip away at the stigma of mental health to build a more resilient community that is better able to manage ongoing issues and will be more likely to seek help in the future.”
The service, which began Summer 2020, featured same day service from a registered therapist who provided brief therapy one day a week with follow-up sessions as required.
The media release said the majority of residents using the clinic reported thoughts of suicide relating to depression, anxiety and relationship issues.
“The service was overdue in reaching rural communities as the statistics demonstrate,” Young Evans said in the release.
“Whether it’s a farmer dealing with financial stress and isolation, families coping with violence or abuse, youth managing changes to their school schedules and learning styles or people just feeling lost and hopeless during the pandemic, this clinic helped them through tough times.”
Starting in April, Minto residents will be able to access free same-day mental health clinics on Monday in Mount Forest and Thursday in Fergus.
A same-day clinic also runs in Guelph on Wednesday with sliding scale based fees and FCSSGW operates a confidential distress line available to all county residents 24/7.
FCSSGW provides a range of individual and group services to children, youth, individuals, couples, families, and seniors and is LGBTQ+ friendly with safe, accessible storefront locations in Guelph, Fergus, and Mount Forest.
To find out more about the agency’s programs and services visit their website.
