myWellness Counselling

All throughout my life I have struggled with my mood in the winter time. It can be easy to take for granted how much sunlight and warm weather helps to keep me happy in the spring and summer. Here in Saskatchewan we rarely get much of a pleasant, crisp autumn. We might get a few nice days in September but before long the clouds take over and things get rather gloomy very early in the year. Mix in the isolation that has come along with the pandemic and things can get tough. I used to be able to go to a coffee shop with a good book or go for food with friends to boost my mood. Now doing those things just don’t feel safe as we keep hearing about rising numbers of COVID cases all across Canada. All of this mixed with being stuck inside of a small apartment is bound to have a negative effect on our mental health.

This is why I am proud to say that the MyWellness program offered as a part of the SPSA Health Plan includes mental health counselling. I recently went through the process of matching myself with a counsellor and it was super easy! You start by filling out a questionnaire. There is a short-er option that takes about five minutes to complete and a longer one that takes around 20. Based on the results of the questionnaire you are matched with a counsellor. If the first match doesn’t seem like the right fit you can select from several others and there are plenty of options. Then you can book an appointment with your counsellor. It’s as easy as that!

MyWellness offers counselling services through Inkblot Therapy and utilizes a very user-friendly website/app and all of the sessions are conducted online. Sask Polytech students receive one free session and after that sessions are $37.50 per half hour. Students enrolled in the SPSA Health and Dental Plan have $400 worth of coverage for counselling services that can be used to help cover the cost of additional sessions. The team of counsellors are very well educated and have a range of backgrounds and specialties so these prices are very competitive with other counselling services.

I truly believe that counselling can be a help to all of us at any stage in our life. Busy student schedules often leave us neglecting our mental health. There’s no shame in seeking help when we struggle so don’t be afraid to reach out if you need someone to talk to.

– Bob Carnahan, VP Prince Albert