THUNDER BAY - As people deal with uncertainty in the face of a worldwide pandemic, mental health agencies are seeing an increase in the demand for services.
Thunder Bay Counseling and Children’s Centre Thunder Bay are making it easier to access mental health services with new talk-in and video counseling supports.
“People may have traditionally known where to get supports, but they are not as clear now what they can do,” said Nancy Chamberlain, executive director at Thunder Bay Counseling.
“They are not sure who’s open or who they can be talking to. So this clinic provides people an opportunity to talk to a professional counselor.”
The free Talk-In Clinic and video counseling service is made possible with the support of the United Way of Thunder Bay and Chamberlain said it augments its weekly walk-in counseling service that was introduced in 2007.
“What we’ve done as a response to COVID-19 is we’ve now made this a daily clinic and we’ve also made it so you can talk in by video or by phone,” she said.
In-person counseling is still available on a case-by-case basis. Those who still require in-person sessions will go through a COVID-19 screening process and be set up with a face-to-face appointment through Children’s Centre Thunder Bay.
Those who contact the talk-in or video counseling will be asked for basic information and what services are required. Chamberlain said there are no wait lists and individuals may be put on hold briefly or called back within 15 minutes.
With so much uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic hardships faced from lockdowns and layoffs, Chamberlain said they have seen the demand for services increasing.
“People are experiencing many challenges as we face COVID-19, such as financial concerns, parenting, caregiving and relationship issues, domestic violence and substance use,” she said. “There is day-to-day sadness, confusion, depression, anxiety and emotional exhaustion arising as a result. All of these emotions are very normal and it’s okay.”
Staff with Thunder Bay Counseling and Children’s Centre Thunder Bay have been redeployed to offer the talk-in and video counseling services.
Chamberlain said they will be looking at whether the service is viable following the pandemic to offer more counseling options to the public.
“What’s it going to look like post pandemic no one really knows,” she said. “But I think we would make a big mistake if we didn’t learn from some of the things we are doing while it’s on. So we’ve already started to say lets see what the uptake is on this and see if its useful for people and redesign after this is all over.”
The talk-in clinic is open to anyone and free of charge. It can be reached by calling 807-700-0090 and is available Monday through Friday.
