How to find support when life gets tough
As the semester winds down and final assignments and exams amp up, stress can become unmanageable. For students experiencing anxiety or depression, or who are unsure about their mental health, simply talking to somebody could make the difference in day-to-day life.
Good2Talk is a mental health and addictions helpline through that provides confidential counselling and referrals, designed specifically for postsecondary students in Ontario. When students call, they choose to either talk to a counsellor or an information and referral specialist. Good2Talk staffs fully trained, professional counsellors around the clock.
“Right from the start, with planning the outline, it was always intended to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and would always be professionally staffed—not a volunteer helpline,” said Megan Van Massenhoven, Good2Talk’s outreach coordinator, in an interview with The Ontarion.
There are four organizations working in partnership to provide Good2Talk: Ontario211, ConnexOntario, Kids Help Phone, and the Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health. The organization is funded by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, formerly known as the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities.
“Part of that [provincial] mental health and addictions strategy was increasing the support available to 15- to 25-year-olds, which is a really high-risk age group for mental health issues,” said Van Massenhoven. “And then specifically within that, increasing support to students on campus.”
Out of the province’s initiative to provide support to that specific demographic came the Mental Health Innovation Fund. Initially launched in 2012, the fund has supported over 30 mental health services specifically for postsecondary students. Most of them are campus- or city-specific. Currently, Good2Talk is the only one that’s designed to serve students at all colleges and universities in Ontario.
“They created a dedicated funding pool for projects on campuses that were specific to mental health,” said Van Massenhoven. “Good2Talk is the only service funded by the Mental Health and Innovation Fund that’s not specific to only one school.”
Good2Talk focuses more on the single-session phone calls that can help diffuse a given situation and connect the caller with mental health, addictions, and general counselling services on their college or university campus.
“I think the biggest thing for the information and referral specialists when they’re making a referral to a student is the location—what are the services that they can access, whether on campus or in the community. […] It may be very different for a student at U of T versus a student at Algoma University,” said Van Massenhoven. “Also, cost and availability. We tend to only include free or very low-cost services. The other thing that’s really important when they’re making referrals is personal readiness. How willing is the student to actually access that service?”
Some students may feel comfortable attending counselling sessions on campus, whereas others might prefer to go elsewhere in the community. Counsellors take those parameters into consideration in order to provide the best options possible.
“A lot of the things I hear anecdotally from students face-to-face on campus is that it’s a smaller step,” said Van Massenhoven. “They don’t have to say anything about who they are, they can just pick up the phone and talk about the issue without having to go through the paperwork or the scheduling, or physically getting there. It makes it a bit more manageable for people, especially if they’ve never reached out for help before.”
If someone opts for counselling and decides that it was helpful, an information and referral specialist can provide local connections in order to continue, potentially in person or on a regular basis.
According to Van Massenhoven, call frequencies seem to reach their apex in November and March, as semesters near their end.
“For the most-part, our top three issues for both counselling and referrals are anxiety and depression, undiagnosed mental health concerns, and relationship issues,” said Van Massenhoven. “And that’s been consistent the last three years.”
According to a press release, Good2Talk’s recent evaluation found that 94 per cent of callers would call again, and 89 per cent “felt less distressed” after they called.
In cases where high stress is a factor, counsellors recommend short-term solutions to identify and navigate the situation, and sense how willing the student is to access local resources, which can range from counselling, to friends and family, to activities that can be beneficial to mental health.
“It’s a strength-based model […] focusing on a student’s strengths rather than their weaknesses. Instead of what’s not working, it’s what is working or what could work better,” Van Massenhoven explained.
Good2Talk is currently campaigning to encourage students to seek help for anything ranging from end-of-semester stress to ongoing mental health or addiction questions.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman.