As summer ends and academic pressures return, students at Concordia encounter significant barriers in accessing the mental health support they need.
As Concordia University starts the new semester, students are once again having to balance the looming pressure of academic performance and their mental health.
Charlotte Saulnier, a Fine Arts student at Concordia, highlighted the competitiveness of university and the impacts mental health can have on academic production.
“We want to stand out from others, to be special, to show that we have something more to offer. This pressure impacts my work,” she said.
Saulnier benefited from a few therapy sessions outside of Concordia thanks to her parents’ financial support, but still finds it overly expensive.
“I’ve tried several times to find a good psychologist, paying $200 per session just to see if it would work with someone. The costs add up quickly, and it’s really frustrating,” Saulnier said.
In Quebec, individuals aged 6 to 25 are experiencing severe mental health challenges, with a rise in hospitalizations since the pandemic, related to conditions like anxiety and eating disorders, according to the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux’s report. Despite this, data obtained by Le Journal de Québec in 2023 revealed that young adults can wait up to 102 days in Montreal to access specific mental health services.
According to Guylaine Bellerose, an art therapist affiliated with The Association of Art Therapists in Quebec (AATQ), another common challenge for those seeking mental health support in Montreal is waiting times.
“If people want to access a service, the waiting lists seem endless,” Bellerose said.
For many students, these challenges leave them to seek alternative solutions on their own. For Saulnier, this meant turning to art as a form of self-therapy, a creative outlet that allowed her to manage her stress without the financial burden of traditional therapy.
“I started drawing to express things I couldn’t say otherwise. It became a natural way to manage stress,” she said.
While traditional mental health services like therapy and counselling are effective and indispensable, there is a growing recourse to alternative mental health support that offers different avenues to explore their emotions and find relief.
To Bellerose, art therapy is inclusive, catering to all: children, adults, seniors, trauma survivors, and those on a journey of self-discovery. The practice is accessible at home, with or without professional supervision.
“Art therapy provides a space to learn ways to feel better, to take time for self-improvement,” Bellerose said.
“We live in a very rational world where the mind takes precedence. Through art therapy, there’s also the possibility to contact and reconnect with one’s creativity,” Bellerose said.
For Concordia University students seeking mental health support, several on-campus and community resources are available. The Zen Dens offer a free space for relaxation and peer support. Empower Me provides 24/7 confidential counseling for those under the CSU Health Plan. Students can also connect with Concordia Students’ Nightline for anonymous listening support. The Applied Psychology Centre offers therapy and assessments, and the Stronger Than Stigma initiative works to break down barriers to accessing mental health care through advocacy and awareness. You can find a variety of mental health resources on their website.
