CREDIT: JEN DOEDE
An after-hours crisis clinic will be available at Fanshawe during the exam season of the winter semester

The London Community Foundation is funding after-hours clinics at post-secondary institutions in the city to assist students seeking help with their mental health.

Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Middlesex is partnering with Fanshawe College, Western University, and King’s University.

This partnership allows their counsellors to be available on campus to students during exam season.

Lori Hassall, director for the crisis and short-term intervention program at CMHA-Middlesex, explained that the CHMA ran two after-hours clinics at Western last year as pilot projects in order to judge their usefulness. At the upcoming clinics, professionals with training in mental health and addiction from CHMA-Middlesex will be available to support students who are having a crisis. Whether a student is feeling symptoms of depression, coping from a recent relationship break-up or feeling overwhelmed with moving or school work, the professionals at CHMA-Middlesex will be able to help students who feel that they are in a state of crisis.

“We are very delighted about the partnership and expanding [the project] to Fanshawe and King’s University. As far as we are aware, there is not a similar partnership/ model anywhere in Ontario. We are looking forward to sharing our success as we all work together with other campuses,”

Hassall said. Hassall said the idea for the pilot project came from members of the Western student council after they took a tour of the CMHA-Middlesex crisis centre on Huron Street.

According to Hassall, both pilot projects, which lasted around four weeks each, had great success. During the first pilot project, Hassall said 58 students used the service, which was a much higher turnout than the organization was anticipating. The second pilot project had similar numbers.

According to Suzanne Book, the senior manager of Counselling and Accessibility Services at Fanshawe College, the Fanshawe clinic has not solidified an official starting date or hours of operation; however, they are aiming to open the clinic sometime during the winter semester.

“I think community partnerships are really important because our students are also members of the community. Having this community approach and partnering with Western and this agency is a great direction for us,” Book said. “This is a great way to help students learn more about what services are in the community and also receive that care and attention they need at that particular time.”

The London Community Foundation has given a $236,000 grant in order to fund these clinics for up to three years. Martha Powell, CEO of the London Community Foundation, explained that the organization has seen a lot of recent grants going towards services for mental health and addiction. As a result, the London Community Foundation wrote their Vital Signs Report using mental health and addiction lens. The study showed that students are struggling to navigate the complex system of social services that are available and find the right services in their community. The organization felt that bringing some of the mental health services that are available in the community onto campus would allow students to have a greater understanding of the opportunities that are available to them in the community once they finish school. Additionally, they can utilize these services to cope with the stress that college and university can generate.

Powell said that the organization commends CMHA-Middlesex and post-secondary institutions for working together in order to make this project a reality. The London Community Foundation was happy to facilitate the partnership between CMHA-Middlesex and the post-secondary institutions in the city.

Book also said that counselling and accessibility services have same-day triage appointments for students who are feeling distressed or worried as a result of the Ontario college faculty strike.