This week marks Mental Health Week across Canada, and in the Pembina Valley, the Eden Foundation is encouraging people to have real conversations about mental health and to seek help when they need it.
According to Quinn Friesen, Events Coordinator with Eden Foundation, there has been a noticeable shift in how openly people talk about mental health in the years since the pandemic.
“It’s not hidden anymore,” Friesen said. “People are talking about it more, people are wanting to seek help,” But she also pointed out that many still struggle to find the right support. “They get really lost and overwhelmed.”
More services than you think
Many in the community may not be aware of just how broad Eden’s mental health services are. Along with individual and family counselling, the foundation offers employment assistance, housing programs, and both inpatient and outpatient care through the Eden Mental Health Centre in Winkler.
One program, Pathways Community Mental Health, provides a free counselling session and then helps people connect to other services in their area. Friesen emphasized that the goal is simply to get people the help they need, whether that’s through Eden or elsewhere.
Eden’s Recovery of Hope counselling service runs on a sliding scale, and the foundation helps cover costs for clients who can’t afford the fees. “It might not seem like a big cost — it is huge,” Friesen said.
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When crisis hits, where do you go?
One common misconception is that people in crisis can walk into the Eden Mental Health Centre and receive immediate help. In reality, that’s not how the system works. Jessica Neufeld, a Clinical Resource Nurse on the inpatient unit, said people in crisis should go to the emergency department at Boundary Trails, Portage, or Bethesda Hospital in Steinbach — not directly to Eden.
There, specially trained nurses assess the situation and work with Eden’s psychiatry team to determine next steps. That could involve medication, short-term counselling, or a hospital stay.
“We don't do direct admissions at the centre,” Neufeld said, “Those three hospitals are directly linked to Eden Psychiatry. Whoever is on call, they actually discuss your case and decide what the next best course of action is.”
Taking the necessary steps
The main takeaway Friesen and Neufeld hope for people is that they don’t wait. Whether feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or in full crisis, help is available.
“Come get help,” Friesen said. “There is nothing wrong with that… If you’re at the end, call the 988 number, or if you’re in real desperate need, call 911.”
Neufeld added a reminder to the broader community: everyone’s fighting battles you might not see. “Offer grace to one another,” she said. “We don’t know where someone else is at in their journey.”
The Eden Foundation supports nearly every aspect of mental health care in the region — from subsidizing counselling fees to renovating housing units. Donations can be directed toward the foundation as a whole or specifically earmarked for the Mental Health Centre.
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