Thunder Bay Counselling renames Addiction & Mental Health Services during Recovery Month
Says Thunder Bay Counselling CEO, Nancy Chamberlain; “For some time, we have been thinking about the name of this program and wanted to ensure we were keeping up with the current language being used to describe mental health and substance use health services. Our goal is to provide services that align with the needs of community members, reduce barriers to accessing those services, and create a welcoming space for those who are seeking support. With September being Recovery Month, we felt it was the perfect time to launch the new name – Substance Use Health.”
In order to decide on a new name for services, Thunder Bay Counselling created a survey asking service participants, community partners, staff, board directors, and members of the community to vote on which name they felt accurately describes the services being provided, while also reflecting the needs of the community. This survey was circulated through social media, mailing lists, and questionnaires at the reception desk to ensure the response base was broad and inclusive.
In total, the survey received 228 responses:
- 40 from staff and board members;
- 41 from community partners;
- 56 from past or current service participants; and
- 88 from members of the community.
Responders were asked to rank five naming options in order of which ones they resonated with most. The proposed new names were chosen based on relevance and accessibility, with the priority being to reduce language that might be polarizing or misleading.
“The word ‘addiction’ is often stigmatized and may be a barrier to people seeking support. It implies we only offer service to those who are in the process of recovering from substance use, which is not always accurate. Thunder Bay Counselling offers support to those dealing with substance use at any point in their journey,” says Chamberlain. “We knew it was important to connect with those who are currently in service, or are in search of substance use health services, to understand the language that resonates with or is problematic for them, and to be prepared to make changes in the language we use.”
In addition to reducing stigma, “Substance Use Health” better encompasses the services provided within the program, and make it easier for service participants to determine what they need. For instance, the use of “Mental Health” in the previous name occasionally caused confusion for those looking to access mental health services outside the realm of substance use.
The name change will take effect this fall as the organization makes the shift in its language and materials. Services, however, will remain unchanged, so service participants can feel confident knowing they’ll be receiving the same quality and reliable service through Substance Use Health programming.