HERE 2 TALK
A Mental Health Campaign
Overview
These extraordinary times can be extremely stressful for students, particularly when balancing work and study. As a result, the British Columbia government launched here2talk, a mental health initiative.
The Here2Talk campaign is committed to raising students’ awareness about the availability, and their accessibility, to mental health support through the Here2Talk service. In November 2021, campaign advertisements were updated to reflect the diversity in B.C.’s student population and to promote mental health in more cultural spaces.
Here2Talk is a free and confidential mental health counselling and referral service that provides immediate, 24/7 support to students in various languages and on multiple platforms. All registered post-secondary students across B.C. and abroad can speak with a trained counsellor about absolutely anything! The service is a single-session model, which means that on-going appointments are not available; however, students can reach out as often as needed (again, at no cost). Here2Talk services can be accessed via phone, by downloading the Here2Talk app, or through online chat sessions at Here2Talk. Through its referral services, the program also connects students to similar helpful supports on campus and in their communities.
Key Messages
- COVID-19 has made the return to campus challenging for everyone. Students may be feeling upset, confused and uncertain about their safety or the future.
- It’s important that students are supported, whether they are away from home for the first time, local, part-time, mature or international students.
- To support students with mental health challenges, the Province has made Here2Talk available to all students registered in a B.C. post-secondary institution – whether they are taking face-to-face instruction, engaged in work-integrated learning or learning online.
- If students need support, there is someone waiting to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and we encourage them to reach out
Background
After conducting extensive research to ascertain students’ needs, the Here2Talk service was launched in April 2020. The campaign is one of the Government’s efforts to promote healthy learning environments and to alleviate stigma associated with mental health.
The Here2Talk programme has been accessed over 17,200 times to date. Students used the phone feature 27% of the time, but consistently preferred the chat feature, which they used 73% of the time.
To learn more about Here2Talk, please visit here2talk or call toll-free 1.877.857.3397 or direct 604.642.5212.
The program is part of a comprehensive approach to mental health support outlined in A Pathway to Hope, British Columbia’s road map for increasing access to mental health and addiction care for all residents.