OTTAWA, ON – November 3, 2017 – The Counselling Group of Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Ottawa is pleased to announce it has received a Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant totalling $20,000 to support the launch of a new e-counselling program in order to expand counselling services in the Ottawa area. The Counselling Group has been providing counselling to the Ottawa community for over 30 years. This new funding will allow services to expand from in-office sessions to include counselling by telephone and online at TheCounsellingGroup.com.
Online counselling has proven to be not only more approachable, but also as effective as face-to-face therapy. It overcomes barriers, reaching clients who cannot regularly access or afford counselling.
“We are excited to begin this work with support from the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund. Remote access to The Counselling Group will make it possible for clients to receive affordable, quality mental health care,” said Rebecca Fromowitz, Assistant Executive Director of JFS Ottawa. “We strive to serve our entire community, including those at the social and economic margins, as many cannot physically come into the agency to see a counsellor.”
People who will specifically benefit from this new funding include those with limited financial resources, isolating mental health concerns, physical disabilities or limited childcare, as well as people living in rural regions or at a distance from the site, and those with transportation or scheduling challenges.
This funding will also help expand services more equitably across the Ottawa region. The online and telephone access to The Counselling Group will be geared-to-income and affordable, becoming the first community-based e-counselling program in our region available to adults regardless of their income. The program will ensure services are more equitable and timely by supporting access to care from anywhere with an internet or telephone connection.
“Bell Let’s Talk is very proud to support The Counselling Group of Jewish Family Services’ in the launch of their new e-counselling program to expand counselling services and help more people living in the Ottawa region,” said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “With 70 grants in 2017, the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund is supporting programs providing mental health services in communities around the country that help Canadians living with mental illness.”
About Bell Let’s Talk:
The Bell Let’s Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk Day, and provides significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace initiatives. To learn more about the Bell Let’s Talk campaign, and to download the Bell Let’s Talk toolkit to help get the conversation started, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
January 31, 2018 is Bell Let’s Talk Day
For every tweet/retweet using #BellLetsTalk or view of the official Bell Let’s Talk video, Bell will donate 5¢ to Canadian mental health initiatives. Join the conversation!
About The Counselling Group:
The trained and experienced counsellors at The Counselling Group provide a full range of counselling and support services for children, adolescents, and adults. They offer individual, couple, family, and group counselling tailored to support clients in identifying and reaching their achievable goals.
Our registered, professional counsellors are caring and empathetic and have a holistic, client-centred approach to counselling. Their work with clients from all orientations, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds reflects The Counselling Group’s respect for difference and diversity.
The Counselling Group is a program of Jewish Family Services.
For more information on The Counselling Group or Jewish Family Services of Ottawa, visit TheCounsellingGroup.com, JFSottawa.com and connect on Facebook at Facebook.com/TCGOttawa.
Media Contact:
Rebecca Fromowitz
The Walk-in Counselling Clinic / Jewish Family Services of Ottawa
2255 Carling Avenue, Suite 300
Ottawa, Ontario K2B 7Z5
Tel: 613-722-2225 x410
rfromowitz@jfsottawa.com