Manitoba launches online counselling to help with anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic

The Manitoba government will launch a free online counselling program to help people struggling with anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Brian Pallister and Health Minister Cameron Friesenmade the announcement ahead of Friday morning's dailyCOVID-19 briefing, at which public health officials said Manitoba has seen its firstdeath related to the coronavirus.

The province hired Morneau Shepell, a private Canadian tech and human resources consulting company,to create a digital therapy program that will be availablethrough the government's online COVID-19 portal.

"Most of us have never experiencedanything like this. This is sustained and significant intrusions into the way we live our lives," Friesen said.

"Don't hesitate to reach out to avail yourself of the services you need."

The resource isexpected to be available in two weeks.Once up and running, Manitobans16 years old or older will have access to the resource, which will be availablein both French and English languages, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Participants in the mental health program will be paired with a therapist for 12 weeksand go through a curriculum of cognitive behavioural therapy techniques to help ease their symptoms.

Morneau Shepell has 5,000 counsellors available, 80 of whom are in Manitoba, and the firm is recruiting more, the province said.

No doctor referral is required and there will be no wait period, Friesen said at the news conference.

The provincial government is spending $4.5 million for one year ofthe program.

WATCH|Premier Brian Pallister discusses his own mental health experience:

Premier Brian Pallister talks about his own experiences with mental illness

5 years ago

Duration 1:17

Premier Brian Pallister spoke about his own experience with depression while announcing a new online program to help Manitobans cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Manitoba is the first province to offerMorneau Shepell's online therapy services to its residents, said Heather MacDonald, the communications manager for the company, in a statement.

'Barely scratches the surface'

Brianne Goertzen, provincial director of the Manitoba Health Coalition a health-care advocacy group established in 2018said that Friday's announcement "barely scratches the surface of what is necessary to support our public system, but also to support those Manitobans that are struggling with mental health issues."

Some people will focus on the figure of $4.5 million, Goertzen said, but there are a number of larger issues that should be focused on.

"Everybody should be concerned about the fact that our government hasn't been prioritizing mental health services, and that this announcement is sorely lacking in vision and in a clear path of implementation,"said Goertzen.

"We can acknowledge that right now we're under very stressful and uncertain times for a lot of folks, and that is also reflective of how our mental health is doing. But I think it's really important for our government to beprioritizing the existing services and the community resources that are out there already."

Goertzensays people should also be wary of whata private sector influencewithin the universalhealth care system will meanonce the pandemic is over.

"The issue with using crises as a time to implement certain ideological choices of how you're going to run the health-care system can lend themselvesto it staying in place outside of the pandemic and when the year concludes," she said.

She also noted a fair portion of Manitobans affected by mental illness donot have internet access, and internet service is not reliable in many rural and northern Manitoban communities.

Positive move, but some concerns:clinical psychologist

Jo Ann Unger, a clinical psychologist and the president of the Manitoba Psychological Society, generally sees Friday's announcement as a positive for mental health especially since it comes during a time when people are largely focusing on physical health.

"[Friesen] is very right about the toll that this will have on our mental health. So that we're putting money behind that as we deal with this very difficult situation is absolutely important," Unger toldCBC Radio's Up To Speed on Friday.

She added, though, she was surprised by the announcement, because the society wasn't approached to discuss how psychologists in Manitoba could help the situation, and because the government chose to hire a company from outside the province.

"While [Morneau Shepell] does employ some local therapists, it doesn't allow for systemic change in a mental health system that does need some additional funds in order to work functionally," Unger said.

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She also has concerns regarding the program itself, namely the use of the term "therapist" by Morneau Shepell.

It's a "very general term, and a lot of people can define it in different ways," Unger said, and she wonderswhat type of therapists will be involved, whattheir experience is, and the amount of supervision they'll receive, among other questions.

"I'm just concerned about the lack of transparency about what we're getting."

Unger is also intrigued by the 24/7 aspect of the online service. She saysManitoba already hasthose types of services, whichare needed by people suffering a mental health crisis.

She's also unclear about whether therapists will actually be available around the clock,or if patients simply have access to their online training modules at all hours.

As of Friday morning, 39cases of COVID-19 havebeen identified in Manitoba.

More than 4,000 cases have been confirmed across Canada, while over half a million have been confirmed around the globe.

WATCH | Full news conference on the Manitoba government's free online counselling program:

Manitoba launches online counselling program

5 years ago

Duration 24:26

The Manitoba government has launched a free online counselling program to help people struggling with anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.