The provincial government has chosen Morneau Shepell to develop a free mental health counselling and referral service for post-secondary students.
Once the service is introduced, for the first time in B.C, every student – whether rural, urban, domestic, international, public, private, full-time or part-time – will have access to 24/7 services to supplement services on campus and in the community.
Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training Melanie Mark says having a service where students can reach out is essential.
“Post-secondary students have told me there is a gap in mental health support services. The stress students feel at university or college can be significant, and can lead to serious isolation and potentially deadly outcomes. I am proud our government is responding to this call to action by creating a place for students to reach out for help 24/7.”
The Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training says it’s going to engage with students and post-secondary institutions on the design of the service before launch in the spring of this year.
The three-year contract between Morneau Shepell and the province has a budget of $1.5 million per year.
To learn more about the initiative, visit the Government of British Columbia website.
