Nova Scotia’s young people will soon have more access to online counselling support through Kids Help Phone.
Halifax Chebucto MLA Joachim Stroink announced a $150,000 grant to Kids Help Phone today, Nov. 7, on behalf of Leo Glavine, Minister of Health and Wellness.
The grant will give access to 1,600 online counselling sessions for kids, youth and young adults from Nova Scotia through Kids Help Phone’s Live Chat counselling service for the next two years. It will also ensure that kids connecting with Kids Help Phone, by phone or online, are referred to local addiction and mental health resources in Nova Scotia.
“Being a child or a teenager comes with a lot of unique challenges,” said Mr. Stroink. “It’s great to have a trusted resource like Kids Help Phone supporting kids where they are comfortable online. If we can help connect more kids to the help they need, when they need it, then this is a great investment for youth, families and our communities.”
Kids Help Phone has been offering 24/7 professional counselling and information to children and youth in Nova Scotia since 1989. Live Chat online counselling is available at www.kidshelpphone.ca between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
“Live chat allows us to reach a new group of young people who wouldn’t otherwise reach out,” said Shelley Richardson, director of the Atlantic Provinces for Kids Help Phone. “We’ve heard from many kids that they feel more comfortable communicating through chat than actually speaking on the phone.”
This grant is one of a series of community mental health and addictions grants provided by the provincial government. In total, the province will award more than $600,000 worth of community mental health and addictions grants this year.
All grants were awarded for specific projects for a one-year period. Grants greater than $30,000 were evaluated by independent peer reviewers, then by an expert review board outside government.
For more information about Kids Help Phone, visit kidshelpphone.ca.
Source: Release
