Free session places spotlight on mental health in the Tri-Cities

Chris Boyd had a question for the dozens of people who showed up to hear him talk. 

Earlier this year, Boyd, a registered clinical counsellor based in Coquitlam, gave a presentation on mental health at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey. The training seminar was held by a collection of Rotary clubs in the Lower Mainland — associations that provide help and service across a variety of areas to the community.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Boyd, who is also a member of the Rotary Club of Coquitlam, has seen a rise in the number of people seeking mental health help. It was a lonely, divisive and isolating time, he said, which raised anxiety for many folks. 

A 2022 survey found that one in three Canadians struggled with their mental health, an area that was associated with stigma prior to the pandemic. 

Although the number of people seeking help skyrocketed in the pandemic, Boyd assumed the lecture hall would be nearly empty. Mental health was something many people — especially men — avoided talking about with other people, let alone with strangers in a public setting. 

“I was honestly anticipating five or six people to show up,” he said. 

But about 40 people filled the lecture hall on that night, leading him to do something he had never done before: ask the crowd why he assumed only a handful of people would show up. 

“There was an understanding that there’s a lot of people having a difficult time and the importance of talking about it, speaking up and accessing these supports,” Boyd said. 

Boyd said he hopes a new speaker series will similarly inspire people in the Tri-Cities this fall. 

On Oct. 29, the four Rotary clubs within the Tri-Cities will host the first of two events focused on mental health over the next six weeks. 

The session, hosted by Denis Boyd, his father, is expected to focus on anxiety and stress. The second session roughly one month later will touch on the emotional challenges that come with having kids. 

Both are free to attend and will be held on Douglas College’s Coquitlam campus. (People will need to register online before, though.)

The initiatives come as many people across the country are clamouring for more access to mental health care. 

Cost was the main reason why 15 per cent of Canadians didn’t access mental health care within the past 12 months, according to a 2023 survey by Canadian Institute for Health Information. 

The figure was the third highest among the 10 countries where the survey recorded data. Canada only trailed Australia (18 per cent) and the U.S. (26 per cent). 

Approximately 87 per cent of people living in Canada say the country should have universal mental health care, a service that is funded through public health insurance plans and are free to access, following a recent study published by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). 

Private sessions may not be covered under Canadian health care plans, and although there are mental health services funded by the province, the waitlists are usually long. 

“Since COVID, a lot of people have better, extended health coverage, but that’s not always the case,” Boyd said. “A lot of it can come down to funding. . . . It can be quite pricey to talk to a counsellor or psychologist.” 

Keeping the sessions free was a priority for the rotary clubs. The speaker series is designed to give people strategies and techniques to help improve their mental health, especially as the calendar shifts to fall and the weather becomes dark and gloomy. It’s also a time when Boyd typically sees an increase in people seeking mental health services.

“I think it has to do with the days getting shorter, and as we get closer to Christmas. Christmas can be an enjoyable time for a lot of people, it can also be a very challenging time as well,” he said.  

The four rotary clubs — Coquitlam, Coquitlam Sunrise, Port Coquitlam Centennial and Port Moody – are funding the series through grants. The first two sessions are also sponsored by Boyd & Associates Counselling, the private clinic where Boyd and his father work. 

The clinic is providing the speakers and helping with the cost to run the events.

The clubs are looking to provide eight to 10 more sessions in 2025. Although nothing is set in stone, the future events may range from the importance of setting a bedtime routine to help with sleep habits to coping with grief. 

“There’s a lot of psychologist and counsellors that are willing to give back,” he said. 

Each session will last for about one hour and include a Q&A session.  

The pandemic may have heightened anxiety for many people, however, Boyd believes it was also a time when the stigma started to slowly subside. 

More people are talking about mental health. More professionals are taking it seriously. And more than 40 people came to his Surrey session just a few months ago — all signs that more people are rejecting the preconceived notion that talking about mental health makes an individual weak. 

“Hopefully these presentations normalize the importance of speaking up and accessing these supports,” Boyd said. “You’re not alone.”