Moose Jaw Family Services (MJFS), which provides a wide range of support services in the city, now offers Rapid Access Counselling sessions at their Main Street office and at the Moose Jaw Public Library (MJPL).
“The RAC (Rapid Access Counselling) program came to be about four years ago. It’s new to Moose Jaw, Gravelbourg, and Assiniboia as of this past July 2022,” said Kandice Hebert, a social worker who is the counselling co-ordinator at MJFS. “It’s a partnership between Family Services Saskatchewan and the health region, and funded by the health region.”
Services provided by the program are completely free, Hebert said, with 30 service partners across the province providing in-person and virtual counselling services.
Counselling works best when the client and counsellor can meet consistently and build a relationship. However, that often involves long waitlists — if an emergency session is needed, the RAC program can connect a client online with any service provider in the province to minimize delays.
“People are able to connect with the service and book themselves by going to counsellingconnectsask.ca. Our services are prioritized for individuals who do not have access to workplace benefits, live on a fixed or low income, or who otherwise would experience long waits to use another local service. But, it’s open to everybody,” Hebert explained.
Potential clients can also call 306-630-8325 to book a session or find a drop-in location. Drop-in sessions in Moose Jaw are Mondays and Wednesdays at the MJFS office at 200 Main Street East, and Fridays at the Moose Jaw Public Library.
Moose Jaw Family Services is a community-based non-profit that has been operating since the ‘70s. They offer diverse family support options including supervised visits, active parenting classes for all ages, a resume program, and more.
MJFS workers are experts who use research-based methods to strengthen their clients’ relationships. Hebert said that the range of services at MJFS is so broad that they can find a way to help virtually anyone struggling with their relationships or with basic life skills.
“If anyone ever has any questions about how we might help them, we definitely encourage them to reach out and connect with us. That’s what our agency is about, is looking at what gaps exist in the community here and trying to find the right programs to … best support and build a stronger and healthier community.”
For example, MJFS offers a young parent program that teaches expecting or new parents between the ages of 13 and 21 the skills necessary for independent living and parenting, promoting normal development in their babies, and stabilizing and improving their own situations.
Another program is LIS, a six-week Living Independent Skills course for 15- to 19-year-olds either living on their own or preparing to live on their own. LIS teaches topics like budgeting, opening a bank account, finding an apartment and understanding renter rights, nutrition, and many more.
“A lot of our referrals come from the high schools, and from the Section 10 program at the Ministry of Social Services as well,” Hebert added. “Some of those most basic skills, they seem simple, but they can be the most difficult and daunting things for teenagers to figure out.”
The MJFS agency and its provincial associates have seen a strong increase in use of the RAC program since it began. Hebert noted that unlike many other mental health programs, RAC is able to grow with need — if Moose Jaw’s Rapid Access Counselling client base continues to grow, more counsellors will be hired.
“Right now, we only have one RAC counsellor, but there’s always room to add more to the team based off of utilization,” she explained. “Things are getting full across the province, but the really beautiful thing about the RAC program is that we monitor that growth and the health region and the provincial government have really been good at supporting it.”
MJFS also has a new program coming in April called the Nobody’s Perfect Parenting Course. Developed by Health Canada and facilitated in Saskatchewan by the Sask. Prevention Institute, the Nobody’s Perfect course meets the needs of young, single, low-income, socially or geographically isolated parents, or parents with limited formal education.
Call 306-694-8133 to see if Moose Jaw Family Services can help you.
