In 1975, a small counselling non-profit in Saanich sprouted from a need to provide clergymen and their parishioners guidance in navigating life’s hardships and sensitive issues.
Today, South Island Counselling has blossomed into a full-fledged secular organization, offering some of the region's most affordable services to hundreds of clients, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary of supporting the community.
Adopting a sliding-scale model, the charity offers subsidized rates ranging from $35 an hour with master-level interns working towards their registered clinical counsellor designation, to $140 for sessions with accredited therapists.
Stacey Cronin, the organization’s director of administration, noted that this represents a “huge reduction,” especially considering the average cost of therapy in the region is around $150 per hour.
“We try to make it accessible no matter what you have,” said clinical director Richard Sayad.
Believing that good mental health is the foundation of a thriving community, Cronin and Sayad said that they are committed to helping Greater Victoria residents, regardless of their financial situation.
“Whether it's helping people with addictions, marital problems, depression, or anxiety, you're giving people hope for their future,” she said. “You're giving them an opportunity to become re-employed or get through their university which benefits their community.”
Although the region offers various mental health services, Cronin argued that South Island Counselling fills a critical gap by providing lasting support for folks with lower incomes.
“People have to be in a crisis mode and then they are referred through Island Health to get a couple of sessions,” she said. “It might help them at the moment, but in the long term, it's not really ideal, so there's a real lack in the city. That's where we come in and help them over the long term, giving them however many sessions they need.”
With demand skyrocketing in recent years, South Island Counselling has recorded a 40 per cent increase in service hours and a 75 per cent rise in clients since 2020.
For Cronin and Sayad, this emphasizes the crucial need for subsidized counselling.
“People are more depressed than ever,” she said. “ It's a storm that has been brewing for a while and we're seeing it now, for over the last five years, just how people really need services.”
Cronin noted increasing levels of anxiety and isolation, worsened by an overconsumption of social media, have boomed since COVID-19. She added that the current state of the world and the ever-increasing cost of living are also taking a toll on people’s mental health.
Witnessing this phenomenon firsthand, the charity has taken on more and more clients over the years, becoming a victim of its own success.
“Theoretically, we could grow, we could be twice the size of the number of clients we get,” said Sayad. “It's just a matter of the physical space, rental costs, not burning out, and the need for a bigger administrative team.”
What allows the non-profit to offer subsidized counselling is in part because it operates in a church-owned building, leased at a fraction of the market rate, and counsellors accept working at a loss. Without this, their operations would not be viable, explained Cronin.
Although their waitlist grows year after year, Sayad noted that this shouldn't deter people from seeking their help.
“Sometimes it's worth applying for a couple of months' wait to get such affordable counselling, especially when private practitioners already have waitlists at $160 an hour.
“We want to continue for another 50 years and be a staple in the community.”
For more information about South Island Counselling’s services, to apply or to donate, visit southislandcounselling.or
