MENTAL HEALTH
put a great deal of work into during
her time with the federation.
Bonnett said the CFA is also looking
into what kind of training can be
provided to counsellors so they have a
better understanding about the types of
things a farmer might be going through.
“The mental health services available
to farmers aren’t very well in place
across the country,” Bonnett said, who’s
been dairy and cattle farming since
1975. “If counsellors aren’t trained to
have a good understanding about some
of the types of issues that farmers face,
they might not be able to give them the
kind of support they need.”
Bonnett noted that farming has
always been a stressful business, and
that talking may not only be helpful,
but even necessary to prevent a more
serious problem from arising.
“I think early intervention can
take a situation and prevent the stress
from becoming a more full-blown case
of depression,” he said.
Bonnett said the CFA has also
been exploring how to provide training
to farmers themselves, so they can
help one another.
“If they see a neighbour they
think is having a problem, it can help
to know the right things to say,” he
explained. “If you could get some guidance
on how to approach what to say
and, more importantly, what not to
say, that could break some of those
barriers to getting help.”
The CFA is also part of the federal
Standing Committee on Agriculture
and Agri-Food that is working to
understand the issues facing the sector
and identify gaps related to mental
health in the agriculture community.
“During those committee meetings,
a number of farmers stepped forward
to tell their own personal story
about what they’ve gone through,” he
said, commending their courage.
Bonnett also said the CFA is working
with the federal government to coordinate
a national 1-800 hotline with
trained counsellors.
Farm, Rural and Northern
Support Services
Although it’s not an exclusively agricultural
organization, the provincially-
funded Manitoba Farm, Rural and
Northern Support Services has been
offering mental health support since
2000 through the Klinic Community
Health program.
Manager Janet Smith said she’s
relieved to see the push towards destigmatizing
mental health issues
and feels positive that the topic is on
“everyone’s radar.”
The organization’s counsellors can
be reached through the phone-in hotline
(1-866-367-3276), and via its live chat
online messenger service (supportline.ca
and click on “Live Chat”). During 2017 to
2018, 1,267 people contacted the service.
Smith said the two most often-asked
questions to the counsellors are “Is this
confidential?” and “Are you a farmer?”
“We can say yes to both,” she said.
“Counselling is already a really
unfamiliar and scary thing for some
people, and often it’s unclear what
the benefits might be,” said Smith.
“If a person has never done it before,
the thought of picking up the phone
and talking with a complete stranger
might feel really odd. We want to
ensure that the person feels comfortable
right off the hop.”
All counsellors are trained in
suicide prevention and intervention,
14 § Manitoba Farmers’ Voice § Winter 2019
/(supportline.ca
/(supportline.ca
/openfarmday.ca
