Bridging the Gap between Mental Health Support and Students
RECOVERY SPEAKING is an organization created by Bob McCabe, which aims to help individuals living with depression, who have experienced sexual abuse, or who are living with mental illness. It seeks to provide people with a space to talk to mental health professionals and to receive treatment and support. It is currently in the process of becoming officially recognized as a charity by the City of Guelph and is working to create affiliations with the University of Guelph.
Recovery Speaking works with The Wellness Collaborative — an organization in Guelph that provides counselling, yoga, psychology and other services geared towards improving overall health — who provide a team of counsellors who offer support and professional help on behalf of Recovery Speaking.
Many mental health support options are not covered by OHIP, and for people who do not have health insurance, treatment can be an expense that some simply cannot afford. Recovery Speaking looks to provide students on campus with at least ten sessions with professionals who are paid by the organization itself and who work to initiate the healing process. These sessions are primarily intended towards individuals who have experienced some form of trauma and who are actively seeking recovery support.
McCabe wanted to use his personal experience with trauma to bridge the gap between young adults and traumatic experiences they might experience throughout their life.
In a brief interview, he told me that he hopes to create a relationship with Recovery Speaking and the students on campus, explaining that even something so simple as one person talking to another can be a huge step forward in recovery. His primary goal is to offer those in need tools that will improve their health and help them to avoid turning to habits or behaviours that might negatively impact their recovery.