Did you know, in any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians will personally experience a mental health problem or illness? By age 40, approximately half the population will have or have had a mental illness.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, the right support system and access to treatment is essential for those people with mental illness and substance abuse problems.
However, they note that public mental health services are underfunded and can have long wait times.
In addition, the cost of treatment and accessibility issues can hinder one’s ability to receive support.
Although there is a long way to go to improve access to treatment for mental health, important steps are being made to address the gaps.
Nōmina Integrated Health operates an inpatient treatment centre and sober living house on Vancouver Island as well as other skill development programs.
The centre works to promote mental wellness, offering specialized mental health counselling and addictions programming for individuals, families and couples.
In addition to their recovery centres, Nōmina is also opening community centres for more accessible mental health treatment with free Mental Health walk-in clinics, with their latest in Courtenay.
The new clinic will be the second of the health centres walk-in clinics, with the first being in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Their free, walk-in clinics are for anyone who would like to talk to a therapist. Their highly specialized and trained clinical team are master’s level and skilled in working with mental health issues as well as more treatment-resistant and complex disorders.
Their work specializes in sensory processing issues, anxiety/depression, gender dysphoria, trauma, abuse and more.
Their treatment plans utilize a variety of therapies such as Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and more.
Nōmina believes there is a lack of local mental health support and a strong need for quality mental health services.
The Courtenay walk-in clinic is now open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Nōmina Integrated Health Mental Health Walk-in Clinic
- Location: 949 Fitzgerald Avenue, Courtenay
- Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
