Last February the Bishop’s University Psychology department sat down with members of the local English community to explore what interest there might be in the creation of a mental health and well-being centre, where professional mental health services could be offered in English and at a reduced cost. The pitch also presented the hypothetical centre as a meeting place where educational workshops, discussion groups of various sorts, relaxation and art-based sessions could be offered free of charge by the undergraduate students for the greater benefit of the community at large. One year later the seeds sown at that initial meeting are starting to germinate. “I’m very proud of what has happened in the past year,” said Dr. Claude Charpentier, who has been working to develop the project alongside fellow professor Dr. Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise. “It is small, but we have to start somewhere.” “It’s better to start slow” Malboeuf-Hurtubise added, noting that when improving community and individual mental health is the goal, its best to try to keep the road relatively smooth. Since the townhall meeting in 2019 the project, operating under the name of “the mental health and wellness community centre and university clinic,” has taken shape as an initiative with two focus areas. See full story in the Friday, Jan. 31 edition of The Record.
