30,000 Students, One Common Problem

Centers like Brattleboro Retreat are emerging to provide specialized recovery programs for healthcare workers battling addiction. Programs offered are similar to those at standard recovery centers, except here healthcare workers are surrounded by their professional peers, allowing them to find community and express vulnerability.

Kokhanyi, ya zhyvu! (Beloved, I Live!) is a free, community-run support program for widows and partners of fallen soldiers. The program combines structured group therapy with physical and ritual activities. Small groups of eight women meet weekly for eight weeks, participating in therapy sessions followed by activities like yoga, archery and art therapy, all led by women with similar lived experiences. Since its launch, 56 women have completed the program.

Insurance provider GreenShield, in collaboration with university insurance broker Studentcare, provides lifetime coverage of up to $10,000 for gender-affirming care procedures not covered by provincial health insurance. This insurance benefit provides care to more than 200,000 university students across 20 participating schools in the country.

As the number of students seeking mental health support increased, the University of Arizona’s Counseling and Psych Services increased the number of students it’s able to see — up to about 1,500 students a month — as well as the number of staff — from about 40 people in 2019 to 70. This staffing increase makes it easier for more students to access care. The center also provides options for students who struggle with the cost of mental health services.

The Peer Support Team at Northwest Fire District connects firefighters with a trained peer support specialist to talk confidentially about mental health. The program also connects firefighters in need with additional resources like therapy and counseling. In an effort to change the mindset most first responders have toward mental health, there are currently 50 trained peer support specialists throughout the state and more than 1,000 across the country.

Columbia College Chicago's Student Government Association is taking student mental health into its own hands by organizing programming for students, by students, such as therapy dogs and culturally relevant support groups to promote mental health and wellness for students.

Rypins House is a residential treatment home for older adults run by the Progress Foundation that provides access to safe housing, mental health and addiction recovery care. Progress Foundation serves dual-diagnosis patients — those with both a mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorder — and takes a social rehabilitation and harm-reduction approach to care, encouraging residents to take ownership of their recovery.

Agencies like the SHARE Center are beginning to hire peer support specialists, who are individuals who have lived experience of recovery from mental health conditions and substance use disorders. Peer support specialists provide non-clinical, strengths-based support and build trusting relationships with those in need of care. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for peer support specialists has grown exponentially and reports show that working with a peer support specialist can improve health outcomes and quality of life among other benefits.

Outdoor therapy, like hunting trips, rock climbing clinics and weekend hiking adventures, is helping veterans reduce symptoms of PTSD and work through other mental health issues. Several veteran-run groups, like Heroes’ Harvests, have emerged to connect local veterans to these programs and they’ve also begun organizing to pass supportive legislation like the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, which pushes for the VA to provide veterans with the option for outdoor therapy.

The Cowichan Wellness and Recovery Centre works to combat the ongoing overdose crisis. The Centre offers services like mental health support and a community hub where people can access, test and use drugs safely, as well as connect with healthcare, detox, and treatment services. Not only have these services benefited people, and connected them with others in the community, but they’ve also led to decreased criminal activity like theft.