A series of town halls focusing on mental health in rural communities is being held in Northern BC this week.
This is part of the Rural Minds Matter: Leading Together for Resilience campaign being delivered by the Stigma-Free Mental Health Society. (SFMHS)
According to the Society, 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a challenge to their mental health this year, with that number rising further for those living in rural Canada. They also say nearly half of them will avoid seeking support due to entrenched stigma in small or remote towns.
“This campaign is truly about bringing mental health education, offerings of support, like peer support training, getting a feel for what people need in rural and remote communities when it comes to mental health,” said SFMHS President and Co-Founder Andrea Paquette.
Paquette said they hope to touch on a number of topics, including awareness, understanding, and acceptance.
“What we’ve been told is there is quite a stigma in rural communities,” she said.
“We’ve been told that individuals don’t even want to be seen going into a clinic, as well, I find a lot of people in rural communities have a lot of grit, and a lot of them seem to have this approach that they’re strong and they can deal with things, which is a good thing, but not when it comes to mental health challenges. It’s really important that all of us know that it’s ok to struggle.”
One of the town halls will be held in Prince George on Wednesday, at the Connections Clubhouse. Registration for the event can be done here.
In addition to the Prince George event, a town hall will be held in Terrace tomorrow (Tuesday) and Fort St. John on Thursday.
More information about the Rural Minds Matter campaign can be found here.
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