COVID-19 has compounded mental health issues amongst our family, friends and coworkers, whether facing everyday life or changes in their work.
GIVE THE GIFT OF COUNSELLING
Rob’s life has never been easy. As a young teen he began to experience the symptoms of bipolar disorder and to cope with the effects, he turned to drugs. In his early 20s, Rob’s mental health issues and addictions started taking over. He first lost his employment and then his apartment. Rob’s life changed when a mental health outreach worker got in touch with him at a homeless shelter. The worker helped him find harm reduction strategies and counselling to work through his addiction, tactics to manage his bipolar disorder, and ultimately linked him with a men’s recovery house where Rob currently lives. Without the intervention of an outreach worker, Rob’s life story could have turned out very differently.
Mental health and addictions challenges can be hard to talk about and even harder to face when you or someone you love is affected. COVID-19 has compounded existing conditions for some and triggered new challenges for others especially considering family disruption, domestic violence, loss of income and isolation are on the rise.
Working alongside social service organizations, medical professionals, and law enforcement, outreach workers and peer support workers are in our community to assist individuals with mental health and/or addiction challenges in navigating an often overwhelming system, de-escalating potentially volatile situations, and connecting them with counselling services to regain hope.
Help save lives by providing outreach and counselling to those facing mental health challenges and addictions.
