Flagstaff Family and Community Services, through Counsellor Carson Ryner, will soon be offering a counselling outreach program throughout Flagstaff.

Ryner says, “It’s a simple idea, but at the same time very effective in terms of access of service.”

The idea was tried many years ago, more than 30, and all are hoping that it can be successfully revived. FFCS Executive Director Lynne Jenkinson says, “I called our former Director, Gail Watt, and asked her if we had ever tried a rural counselling program, and she said, “It’s the thing I was originally hired for.

“Gail was the Executive Director, after that, for 32 years.”

“Our concept is that if people are unable to come to Killam for counselling, perhaps because of fuel prices, then we can go to them,” Ryner says.

“Are all the people who need counselling in Flagstaff currently able to access it in this economy? Probably not.”

He says that the idea has garnered a great response whenever it was raised here, and that he has successfully run other outreach programs.

Booking appointments will still be centralized, through the FFCS office in Killam or through Ryner directly.

“We want to ensure that client confidentiality is maintained.”

Satellite offices will be set up in Forestburg, Alliance, Daysland, Heisler, and Hardisty.

Ryner says initially he’s anticipating being in each location for part of a day, a couple of times each month, but says that may change as needed.

“It’s not a static service, where I’m sitting in an office somewhere waiting for someone to walk in, it will be by appointment only.

“The system will have a lot of flexibility, if there’s a higher need in a community we can respond with a greater number of hours.”

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Leslie Cholowsky
Editor