An increase in provincial government funding for mental health walk‐in counselling has allowed the Society for the Involvement of Good Neighbours (SIGN) to expandthat service to Kamsack.
SIGN has been providing the free counselling service five days per week in Yorkton since the program was expanded in June and has now expanded the service to once aweek in Kamsack.
Starting Oct. 17, SIGN will be providing the free service everyThursday at the Crowstand Centre in Kamsack, Room 225, starting at 10 a.m. on a first‐come first‐served basis. The last session will start at 2 p.m., and will conclude by 3 p.m. The service is available to all individuals, couples and families to help address their concerns.
Walk‐In counselling is a free, immediate and accessible form ofbrief counselling. People can drop in for free services without an appointment, similar to the medical walk‐in clinics. The services are provided by qualified counsellors, who also help people to connect to the community and health services they may need.
The province announced in its budget in March that it has allocated $1.2 million for 11 agencies to provide walk‐in counselling in 18 new communities across the province, of which Kamsack is one.
"The provincial funding allowed us to expand theservice in Yorkton, and also add Kamsack to the locations where it is offered," SIGN executive director Andrew Sedley said. "We have found, since we started the service, that there is a huge need for this type ofwalk‐in, unscheduled counselling."
SIGN was one of five participants in a two‐year pilot project conducted by Family Service Saskatchewan to study walk‐in counselling. Evaluation of the project shows that when people have access to immediate services, they can begin to feel better in just one session.
