New online counselling chat service available for Canada’s Indigenous people
The government of Canada has launched an online counselling chat service specific to Indigenous people it said in a news release on Tuesday.
The First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line, which has been offering toll-free, 24/7 phone counselling and crisis intervention since October 2016, was not yet available online.
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada says the new service is aimed at Indigenous youth, who “are more at ease using the internet and handheld devices to access services and seek support.”
Though the phone service is available in five languages (English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut), the new chat service is, as of now, only offered in English and French. Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, however, isn’t excluding the possibility of expanding the online service to Indigenous languages.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Climate change exacerbates mental health problems in Labrador’s Inuit communities, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Finland’s suicide stats continue to fall, YLE news
Russia: Why high suicide rates in Arctic Russia?, Deutsche Welle’s Iceblogger
Sweden: Gender stereotypes behind high suicide rate, Radio Sweden
United States: Words, a powerful tool against suicide in Alaska, Alaska Public Radio Network
