A commitment to maintaining pro bono counselling

In the last 18 months of the Coronavirus pandemic, Some Other Solutions supported more than 830 pro bono counselling sessions. There were also thousands of paid sessions through the same time period, as our community members struggled to deal with COVID-19, the 2020 floods, stress, anxiety, relationship challenges and more.

The importance of having a safe, inclusive counselling environment in our community has never been more evident as it is right now; however, funding to support some of these important initiatives isn’t as readily available. In fact, government grants that have supported the SOS pro bono counselling program have expired. 

The grants may be gone, but we are committed to working with the community to maintain the program. Every person in our community has a right to access mental health counselling, regardless of their age or income level — and that includes our young people. 

Community youth are struggling

In the last year, more than 225 children and youth have accessed support from Some Other Solutions for suicide prevention. That doesn’t include another hundred who reached out for programs and services related to self-harm or the dozens of others needing mental health support. 

As our young people head back into the classroom, many are struggling with stress and anxiety and as community leaders, we want to ensure they get access to the support they need, before it turns into a crisis situation. Counselling is one cog in an integrated mental health care system to help youth find their way forward. 

It’s for this reason, we continue to explore the importance of wrap-around mental health care. From the crisis line, to counselling, parenting programs, child and youth support, mentorship initiatives and more, we are committed to providing a space for support, care and treatment in whatever shape that takes for each and every person who walks through our doors. 

How can you help?

With the expiring government grants, we are looking for the community to partner with us to maintain mental health counselling in our community for those who may not have the income level to support it. 

You can help maintain the pro bono counselling program at Some Other Solutions through a direct donation, but there’s also an alternative option we hope community members will consider: help yourself AND others. 

For every full-fee counselling session, SOS can provide one pro bono counselling session. Your insurance-covered counselling session will not only give you the mental health support you need, but it immediately allows SOS to provide pro bono care to others. 

We are committed to being a mental health provider for everyone in our community and we don’t ever want someone to hesitate to get the care they or their loved ones need because of financial barriers.