Post-secondary students across the province will now have access to a free counseling service.
Here2Talk is a confidential service that is available 24/7 by an app, phone or online chat.
According to Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training Melanie Mark, the service has been in the works for the past several months and was originally scheduled to be released later this spring.
The program will be available for domestic and international students in rural, urban and indigenous communities, according to Mark.
The service will also be available to full or part-time students in either public, private or trade institutions.
Mark said the stigma around mental health must be broken.
“Students, I want you to know that you are not alone, I want you to dig deep and have faith that you can and will cross the finish line to reach your educational goals because the fact is we will need you,” she said.
BC will be providing $1.5 million per year for three years for the service.
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Judy Darcy said this service could not have come at a better time.
“We are truly living with unprecedented challenges here in British Columbia, as a province, families, and individuals and while we know that physical distancing measures are temporary and they’re in everyone’s best interest it’s also important to recognize the immediate and long-term impact the pandemic can have on people’s mental health,” she said.
Here2Talk is available on the app store and google play.
Services will also be able in English and French.