One in five Canadians will experience a mental illness throughout their lifetime. A new Walk-In Counselling service coming to Humboldt will provide more free options for those seeking help.

Starting in mid-April, Family Services Saskatchewan will be expanding its Walk-in Counselling programs to 18 communities in Saskatchewan, including PARTNERS Family Services in Humboldt. 

"The idea of Walk-in Counselling is that it's a brief therapy model that offers a complete counselling session in less than four visits. So each session itself can be considered a single meeting where rapid health is offered at the time that an individual really needs it. The goal with walk-ins are so people can access them at the time they need it, have a full therapy session with a certified counsellor, and they'll leave that session with the help that they need and tools going forward to address their issues," said Haley Kennedy with PARTNERS Family Services.

The expansion to the 18 new communities comes through the effort and data taken from five pilot agencies who have delivered Walk-in Clinics over the past couple years. One of the pilot programs took place in Wynyard and has been running for two and a half years. Along with, and following the pilot initiatives, $1,200,000 has been invested into Family Services Saskatchewan from the provincial government. 

"Now with this new funding and the new commitment from the Ministries of Health, we will be able to offer it in Humboldt as well."

The new Walk-in Counselling services will become available in Humboldt in mid-April, based out of PARTNERS Family Services at 231 Main Street.

"As always, individuals can access our services here anytime, but our Walk-in clinic days specifically will be Tuesdays, so people can drop in anytime on Tuesdays and be able to see one of our counsellors."