Monarch Mental Health aims to provide services for LGBTQ people in Regina

A new service is soon to be offered in Regina for people who are gender and sexually diverse.

Monarch Mental Health, launched by UR Pride, will provide free counselling to people who sometimes can't find the proper supports. The service launches next Monday.

Suzy Yim, a Monarch Mental Health counsellor, said the service is offered at Family Service Regina. However, it's open to all residents of the Queen City.

Yim said there are higher levels of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and other mental health disorders within the LGBTQ community than in the general population.

For people in that community, sometimes, asking for help isn't always easy, according to Yim.

"I would say that being someone who's growing up with a different identity in a world that's heterosexist and homophobic can mean that individuals can be more isolated," Yim told CBC Radio's Morning Edition.

"It's more difficult to seek services when you're more isolated."

When Monarch Mental Health launches, Yim said it's likely to provide individual counselling, family counselling and group therapy sessions.

They're currently completing a needs assessment report because there isn't a lot of local data available in Saskatchewan in terms of what the specific needs are for LGBTQ people here.

"We anticipate that we will probably have some programming specifically for youth," Yim said, adding it could be in the form of drop-in or group arts therapy programming.

Yim said she's done work with a provincial organization that found many young people in Saskatchewan experience the same issues as their peers across the country, including social isolation.

She said a strong, connected network of professionals exists in the city, and if Monarch is unable to help, they are able to refer people to someone who might be better suited to their needs.