ODRO
Carman now has a new option for wellness — walk-in counselling.
Julie Hesketh, a member of the Carman Wellness Connections Board, is excited for the addition to the community.
“We’ve partnered with Southern Health-Santé Sud to provide some walk-in counselling in the Carman area,” she says. “Currently, we don’t have anything on a regular basis, so they’ve given us four dates . . . . If you’re struggling with a mental health issue or have a problem you want to talk to someone about, . . . it’s a great opportunity to go, and you don’t need an appointment.”
There are currently two upcoming walk-in slots: July 30th and August 13th. Hesketh says that anyone over the age of 16 is welcome to drop by between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at no charge.
“The counselors are mental health workers from Southern Heath-Santé Sud,” she says. “They’re qualified mental health workers connected to the system.”
Hesketh says that the current waitlists in the public sector are long, so the drop-in sessions provide residents with an opportunity to connect with mental health services in the meantime.
“Other communities have walk-in counseling, but we don’t have it in Carman,” she says. “Carman Wellness Connections tries to address gaps and services such as these, so we connected with Southern Health-Santé Sud and they were gracious enough to provide us these services.”
Hesketh says that Southern Health-Santé Sud has offered this service to Carman before, and she hopes that it will continue to be available as the need persists.
Those who have questions about drop-in counselling are invited to call the Carman Public Health Office at 204-745-2426. There is also information on Carman Wellness Connection’s website here. The service is held at the Community Health Services building in Carman at 120 4th Ave Sw, also known as Boyne Lodge.
“Counseling is a great opportunity to discuss some of the problems that we might have or concerns we have with somebody with an objective view,” she says. “[Counselors] don’t solve our problems, but they give us some ideas of how to cope with them and some different resources, which is also very valuable. It’s something in our culture that we haven’t been comfortable with, but I think we’re becoming more comfortable with asking for help with our emotional wellness.”
Carman Wellness Connections also promotes wellness in the community through other means, including a recently established support group.
“We have a working group called ‘Supporting Emotional Wellness,’ and we have started a support group,” she says. “[It’s for] talking to other people with mental health illnesses or mental health concerns or just everyday issues or problems.”
The group meets on the last Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Memorial Hall in Carman. Interested parties can call the number above for more information — or just drop by.
“It’s a friendly group,” Hesketh says. “We have some speakers come in and we just share and try to help each other and connect people with resources.”
For Hesketh, attending a support group can be a powerful thing.
“[I]t’s important for us to share, and when we share, we gain strength in our own wellness and we share experiences so that we can learn from each other,” she says. “We believe this grassroots support group is important because it’s all community members. We don’t have an outside person coming in and telling us what we should do or how we should do it.
Hesketh stresses that the social ties the support group forges are invaluable.
“This is a local community who are working with each other, connecting with each other, [and] helping each other,” she says. “[It’s] a great way for improving wellness.”
Hesketh says that community members who require assistance — whether it’s in the form of childcare during the group or transportation — are encouraged to reach out to Carman Wellness Connections to make arrangements.
“We’re just gaining ground. It’s very new,” she says. “We’re very grateful for the space that’s provided to us by the town of Carman. I think it’s going to be a great service to the community.”
To learn about all the services that Carman Wellness Connections provides, click here.
~With files from Ty Hildebrand~
