Drawing on feedback from the Brock community, the Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre (SWAC) is refreshing the delivery of mental health services to provide more personalized support.

As part of the refresh, Personal Counselling has been renamed Mental Health and Wellness Services to more accurately reflect the breadth of care and resources available.

While counselling sessions continue to be a key resource, the renewed program includes a wide range of supports, including individual counselling, psychotherapy, group therapy and psychoeducational workshops, peer support and wellness navigation.

Whether students are self-referred or referred by someone else, they are connected with the resources that best suit their individual circumstances following a clinical assessment.

Students seeking assistance through Mental Health and Wellness Services can visit the SWAC website, email [email protected] or call 905-688-5550 x5442.

“Supporting student well-being is an important part of helping students thrive both academically and personally,” says Associate Vice-President, Students Brad Clarke. “By refining program delivery, we’re helping students access support in ways that reflect their individual needs.”

To support the refresh, Brock received a competitive Mental Health and Addictions grant of $675,000, allotted over two years, from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security.

“This provincial funding to support mental health and wellness is essential for the educational journey of students enrolled at Brock University. This investment in the Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre will enable counsellors and medical professionals to provide expanded access to on-campus care where and when it is needed,” says Member of Provincial Parliament for Niagara West Sam Oosterhoff.

“Student wellness is essential to student success,” says Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security Nolan Quinn. “This investment will ensure that students at Brock University have further access to timely and high-quality mental health care, building a stronger, healthier campus.”

Executive Director, Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre Bill Helmeczi says a variety of strong partnerships help expand the range of care and resources available to Brock students.

“Working alongside Brock colleagues and community organizations bolsters our ability to connect students with a variety of supports,” he says.

Resources for students are available through Student Affairs’ Campus Assessment, Response, Education (CARE) and Connect Team. From housing and health to food insecurity, the team connects Brock students with campus and community resources to help ensure a positive living and learning environment.

Brock’s Gender and Sexual Violence (GSV) Support and Education team, part of the University’s Human Rights and Equity Office, delivers a variety of trauma-informed, survivor-centred supports, resources and learning opportunities for all members of the University community.

The Niagara Health Sexual Assault Centre also has a team member on campus one day each week to provide counselling and assistance for survivors and witnesses of sexual assault. Brock’s ongoing partnership with Niagara Region Public Health also continues to support sexual health education and services.

Through a GreenShield Community Partnership Grant administered by the Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health, Community Addiction Services of Niagara is on campus twice a week to assist students experiencing addiction related challenges or those affected by a family member’s addiction.

Students experiencing crisis and needing urgent assistance are encouraged to:

• Call 911 in the event of immediate risk.
• Call or text 988 to speak to someone immediately. The suicide crisis hotline is bilingual, trauma-informed, culturally respectful and available to anyone in Canada 24/7.
• Call the Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COAST), which is available 24/7 at 1-866-550-5205.

Brock employees seeking to support students in distress can complete at least 15 hours of training through the Ambassador of Campus Well-being program. More than 100 Ambassadors have already participated in the initiative, which includes a capstone project focused on advancing student well-being at the University.