The Ontario government has announced a mental health program that will offer free therapy for people with anxiety and depression.
Ontario’s Health Minister Christine Elliot says the program is based on a new mental health strategy called “Mindability.” It will focus on offering cognitive behavioural therapy for people dealing with depression and anxiety.
People will be able to access the therapy by signing up online, over the phone or via text message. Patients will then be provided one-on-one counselling, group work, or workbooks and online modules, all for free.
The program will cost approximately $20 million and is set to launch this spring.
As part of the new roadmap, our government is investing $20 million to launch Mindability, a first-of-its-kind program in Canada that will give greater access to mental health therapy programs for Ontarians. #onpoli pic.twitter.com/S1Xj2oKJIc
— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) March 3, 2020
Currently, the average wait time for youth seeking free mental health treatment is up to 2.5 years, according to Children’s Mental Health Ontario.