Intervention services offered at the Werklund School of Education
By Jill Reeves, December 19 2024—
To support student wellbeing at the University of Calgary, the Werklund School of Education is offering intervention services to support the needs of both students and community members alike.
The services, in collaboration with graduate programs at the University of Calgary, address a wide variety of common well-being concerns, aiming to support and enhance the mental health of clients participating in these programs.
In an interview with the Gauntlet, Kelly Hicks, the director of Wellbeing in Education at the Werklund School of Education, shared a promising outlook on the perception of intervention programs.
“I think our society has improved significantly over the past few years in the readiness to accept conversation and to start conversation about the benefits of mental health and wellness intervention,” she said.
The overall initiative offers three programs, two which focus on children. The first program is a reading intervention for students in grades two to four who identify with difficulties developing within that area. The second intervention is a one-on-one support program for children aged seven to twelve with anxiety disorders, focusing on improving coping mechanisms.
Additionally, offered in the winter, is a counseling program targeted at those over 14 who struggle with common issues that affect their overall mental health and wellbeing.
As these intervention services are university-based, all services offered come at a highly reduced cost to the client. To further reduce the financial barrier to accessing mental health services, the counselling program is offered at no cost.
“Often the charge for counselling is a bit of a barrier, a huge barrier to people accessing those services,” Hicks said.
Additionally, the intervention services are in partnership with graduate students at the University of Calgary, providing benefit to both the education of students as well as the wellbeing of clients.
“In a learning environment, there’s a very intentional focus on the work that the graduate students are doing,” said Hicks. “So not only does the client benefit from receiving the intervention, but they benefit from receiving the intervention from people who, because of the place in their development of their skills, are often very keen to ensure that the interventions are provided with fidelity.”
Currently, the counselling program has several positions available for clients.
“With so many mental health and wellness issues, I know there’s a need out there. It’s a matter of connecting the information with the people who are able to access it.”
One research study found that one in five Canadian post-secondary students experience mental health issues. Being such a common experience, Hicks said it is now more important than ever to destigmatize mental health and normalize seeking and accessing available care.
“We sometimes need assistance, not because there’s something wrong, but to help develop the skills and strategies to prevent things from happening and to maintain a level of success,” said Hicks.
More information or access to the intervention services offered by the Werklund School of Education can be found here.