(L-R) Shalom Counselling Centre Board of Directors Treasurer Heather Vogel and Chair Michelle Ott surrounded by members of contractor Alair Homes at the Sod Turning Ceremony for the new facility on Friday. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Increase in counselling inquiries

Red Deer’s Shalom Counselling Centre breaks ground on new facility

Jun 24, 2022 | 2:55 PM

Red Deer’s Shalom Counselling Centre held a sod turning ceremony on Friday for their new facility being built.

The Centre (5515 27 Ave) is a faith-based charity since 1999 that provides professional and subsidized counselling services to all members of the community. Services include individual, couple, family and group counselling related to stress, grief, depression and more.

Their current location since 2007, the renovated farm house in the Timberlands area contains seven offices for their 15 staff members. While their original location has served them well, Board of Directors Chair Michelle Ott says rooms in the basement lead to inaccessibility, and play therapy rooms for children are multiuse for adult counselling sessions which can lead to discomfort. The building also has some temperature control issues.

The current location of the Shalom Counselling Centre on 5515 27 Ave. west of the new location. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

The new facility will be on land bought in 2015 by the Centre just east of the current location. The 4,672 square foot one-level building, as described by Derek Fredeen, partner of Alair Homes and contractor of the facility, will have a warm and welcoming front entry way, large windows for natural light, a courtyard in the back and flexibility for future growth if needed.

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Increasing to 12 offices, there will be four administrative offices, eight counselling rooms and two play therapy rooms for children.

The Board of Directors says they have outgrown that space as they’ve experienced a 33 per cent increase in counselling inquiries in 2022.

Ott says that wait times for services have reached up to six weeks.

“When you are in crisis mode, it is hard to make the brave decision to come get help. So when you finally do make that decision, to be told you then have to wait, I think that’s really detrimental. A lot of things can happen in that time period and we want to be there the moment somebody decides they need help, not down the road,” she said.

In 2020, Shalom states they served 865 clients totaling 3,815 counselling hours. In 2021, they served 1,007 clients for 4,268 counselling hours.

Ott thinks the pandemic was a large factor in the increase, not only by bringing awareness and acceptance to speaking openly about individual mental health, but also adding new struggles.

“Instability is impotence for things to change,” she said. “That brings you to your knees sometimes when nothing is the same like it looked a year ago and you’re not sure what the future holds.”

Although they acknowledge the current times are not ideal for the project due to things like inflation, the Board says the community is in need.

With a mortgage in place and roughly $50,000 established, Treasurer Heather Vogel also announced on June 24 the launch of a Capital Campaign, aiming to raise the remaining funds for the $2 million project.

Plan for the new Shalom Counselling Centre facility. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

Construction is expected to begin this month with an estimated completion date of March 2023.

According to a study conducted by Angus Reid in January 2022, one-in-three Canadians, or 36 per cent, say they are struggling with their mental health.

For more information on donations, visit the Shalom Counselling Centre website.