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NIHB Counselling
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What is NIHB Counselling?
Our Non-Insured Health Benefits, or NIHB counselling services are equipped to help you recover from mental health and emotional issues through compassionate yet effective counselling.
If you are going through depression, grief and loss, substance use issues, or struggling with anxiety, trauma or relationship challenges, you have come to the right place!
It’s not easy reaching out for help. We get it.
What you’re going through is normal – the human mind is not built optimally. NIHB counselling can help to clear out the stuckness that has been holding you back from living to your fullest potential in life.
Connect with a master-level NIHB counsellor on our team who understands and respects the history of Indigenous people in Canada, the colonization, and the disparities that continue to exist to this day.
Counselling under the Non-Insured Health Benefits program offers culturally-informed, accessible mental health support to Indigenous individuals, families, and communities. We honour your unique Indigenous traditions, values, and your strength as an individual.
Take the first step toward improved well-being. Contact us today to learn about NIHB counselling,
What is the NIHB Counselling Program?
Canada’s NIHB Counselling program offers 22 fully-paid for sessions, which can be renewed each year. This is designated for First Nations counselling and Inuit counselling – those with a recognized status number in Canada.
Indigenous Services Canada’s Non-Insured Health Benefits program offers not only mental health NIHB counselling, but various other critical health services.
Our NIHB counselling services are offered in Ontario, Yukon and Nunavut at this time.
The NIHB counselling program complements existing wellness programs offered in Indigenous communities. The program covers for a wide range of mental health issues, including stress, trauma, and substance use rehabilitation. Find out more about this government funded program on their website here.
Types of NIHB Counselling Services
Our team of counsellors at FreeMind are here to help with a variety of mental health needs, whether it includes trauma, anxiety, depression, substance use, relationship issues or other concerns. Our counsellors are equipped to support those who are processing childhood abuse trauma, historical trauma and the impacts from the residential school system.
To further break down what we offer:
- Individual Counselling
- We offer one-on-one counselling to provide personalized support and treatment plans.
- We address your unique individual challenges such as depression, anxiety, trauma, stress, substance use, and much more.
- Substance Use Counselling
- Substance use counselling supports you with strategies on recovery, relapse prevention, and getting to the root of your addiction, to bring deep and lasting healing.
- There are various ways we can help you achieve this – reach out for a free 20min consultation!
- Trauma Counselling
- Trauma counselling is offered using the latest, cutting-edge modalities designed to resolve the stuck pain and despair you’ve been going through.
- We support various types of trauma counselling including single-event trauma counselling, childhood trauma counselling, relationship trauma counselling, sexual trauma counselling, intergenerational trauma counselling and residential school counselling.
- Relationship Counselling
- Relationship counselling is a type of one-to-one individual counselling designed to help you optimize your existing and future relationships
- Relationship counselling can help you address and heal from attachment wounds from childhood, recognize destructive patterns that have kept you stuck, or heal your existing relationship.
- Please note that we do not offer NIHB-funded couples counselling but we have several other options available for this (private pay, or low-cost with our master-level Intern).
Locations We Serve
We offer quality virtual counselling (phone or video) so you can access NIHB counselling wherever you are located in the provinces of Ontario, Nunavut, and Yukon, such as:
- Counselling in Toronto
- Counselling in Sudbury
- Counselling in Sault Ste Marie
- Counselling in Thunder Bay
- Counselling in Ottawa
- Counselling in Nunavut
- Counselling in Iqaluit
- Counselling in Yellowknife
- And many more areas of Ontario, Nunavut and Yukon.
Am I Eligible for NIHB Counselling?
To qualify for NIHB counselling services with us, you must be:
- A registered First Nations individual under the Indian Act with a status number
- An Inuk recognized by an Inuit land claim organization (with an assigned NIHB services number)
Our team is committed to assisting you in verifying your eligibility quickly and confidentially, ensuring you can begin your counselling journey without delay. If you need help with the eligibility process, please reach out!
How It Works
- Simply contact us and we’ll do the paperwork for you!
- Contact Us and Verify Eligibility – Complete the form below, and if needed, we will assist you with verification before applying for your funding
- Book a Session – You can begin right away for your first two sessions even before we confirm funding. Our friendly admin team will help you schedule your first 50min counselling session at a time that works for you.
- Begin your Counselling Journey – You will receive up to 22 hours of NIHB Counselling services annually with the opportunity to renew these services in the next 12 month period.
Access NIHB Counselling through the Non-Insured Health Benefits program. Find an Ontario counsellor, a Toronto counsellor, a Thunder Bay counsellor, or an Iqaluit counsellor to meet your needs with virtual counselling. Our team of counsellors at FreeMind Therapy are able to see you from wherever you reside, whether Ontario, Yukon or Nunavut.
Is NIHB Counselling right for me?
“Will my NIHB counsellor truly understand and respect my Indigenous identity, culture, and history?”
We understand your concern about whether your counsellor will respect your Indigenous identity, culture, and history. The NIHB counsellor you will be matched with has undergone specialized education and training as it pertains to Indigenous history in Canada. They have also had to meet a certain level of experience working with Indigenous populations before being an approved provider under the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program.
Each of our counsellors strive to provide a safe, respectful space that honours Indigenous values and incorporates culturally relevant practices, if they are meaningful to you. Whether you’re seeking support for relationship challenges, trauma, anxiety issues, systemic discrimination, or residential school experiences, NIHB counselling is available for any difficulties you face. We are here to support you with a robust level of experience.
“I am scared therapy will exacerbate my pain or bring up unresolved intergenerational trauma – will this happen?”
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