A resource for health care providers serving rural and farming patients
Register for an upcoming webinar to learn more about how the Farmer Wellness Initiative can support your patients.
The Farmer Wellness Initiative provides Ontario farmers, farm workers and their families with free, unlimited mental health counselling, specific to the unique challenges that can be experienced by the agricultural community.
If a patient is in need of support, they may call us anytime. No health care referral required. No wait list.
Intake and crisis support are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. Available in English, French and Spanish.
What you need to know
ELIGIBILITY Ontario-based farmers, farm families (relatives of farmers - living on or off farm), farm employees (staff who are employed on farms), and spouses and dependents of all farm employees. Note: callers must be 16 years or older. Youth between the ages of 12-15 may utilize the service with parental consent.
PRIVACY All information received through counselling sessions is confidential and in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (2004).
COST FREE! There is no cost for this service, and the number of sessions is unlimited.
ACCESSIBILITY Operated by TELUS Health, you can call 1-866-267-6255, 24 hours a day , 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Available in English, French and Spanish.
How it works
INTAKE
When your patient calls the line, they’ll go through a brief intake process. They’ll be asked their name, where they live and why they’re calling. (Note: if they’re in crisis, they’ll be directed to immediate support.)
CONNECTION
Within a week, they’ll be connected with a counsellor that they can see on an ongoing basis by phone, video, or in person (based on availability). The registered social workers and psychotherapists who provide counselling are ag-informed to best serve the community.
SUPPORT
Your patient may engage in counselling for as long as they need. Sessions are free and unlimited. Finding the right counsellor is important. If they’d like to be matched with someone new, they can call the line back and be matched with someone who may be a better fit – no questions asked.
How it works
INTAKE
When your patient calls the line, they’ll go through a brief intake process. They’ll be asked their name, where they live and why they’re calling. (Note: if they’re in crisis, they’ll be directed to immediate support.)
CONNECTION
Within a week, they’ll be connected with a counsellor that they can see on an ongoing basis by phone, video, or in person (based on availability). The registered social workers and psychotherapists who provide counselling are ag-informed to best serve the community.
SUPPORT
Your patient may engage in counselling for as long as they need. Sessions are free and unlimited. Finding the right counsellor is important. If they’d like to be matched with someone new, they can call the line back and be matched with someone who may be a better fit – no questions asked.
What can patients talk about in counselling?
Mental health counselling doesn’t just have to occur in crisis or distress. Proactively talking to a professional about any mental health or life concern can help patients manage stress, interpersonal relationships, and wellness. Here are some topics that might be useful for patients to talk about:
- Developing coping strategies and managing mental health
- Family or relationships
- Financial pressure
- Succession or transition planning
- Stress on the farm
- Anxiety or depression
- Managing workload
- Substance use
- Loneliness or isolation
- How to support loved ones
- Processing traumatic events
Mental health concerns in agriculture
With factors like mental health stigma in the agriculture community and lack of access to supports in rural areas, coupled with high stress, unpredictability and working in isolation, it can be a challenge for farmers and agriculture workers to make mental health and well-being a priority. As a result, people in agriculture may be more susceptible to mental health concerns than the general population.
35%
of farmers meet the classifications for depression
45%
of farmers report high stress
58%
of farmers meet the classifications for anxiety
68%
of farmers are more susceptible than the general population to chronic stress
2x
more likely to experience suicidal ideation than general population
40%
of farmers are reluctant to reach out for mental health and counselling support due to stigma and what others may think
1-in-4
Canadian farmers felt their life was not worth living, wished they were dead, or thought of taking their own life in the last 12 months
Canadian farmers have significantly higher alcohol use rates than the general population
Common stressors in farming
Weather
Finances
Productivity
Commodity and market prices
Family dynamics
Work-life balance
Equipment breakdown/malfunctions
Animal disease/sickness
Insights from the Agriculture Wellness Ontario team
Our team at Agriculture Wellness Ontario, composed of members of the agricultural community—including farmers and mental health professionals—delivers specialized mental health programming, conducts outreach, and informs the Farmer Wellness Initiative line for the agricultural community. Here are some helpful insights for working with this community:
Access to health care
- Farmers may be reluctant to reach out for health care support due to stigma, capacity in their life and access to health care, especially if they’re located rurally.
- Sometimes farmers may only reach out for support when something is urgent. It’s important to emphasize that routine health care is vital for their own health and the health and operations of the farm. Express validation for them seeking care and avoid judgment for waiting until it is urgent.
- Farmers experience many physical ailments that have an impact on their mental health, and may be working with physical illness or injuries.
- Many farmers don’t have access to health benefits.
- Start and encourage mental health conversations. Physical health impacts the entirety of the farm, as well as the farmer’s sense of identity.
Income and working conditions
- Farming income isn’t always constant and is often a stressor. Farming income sometimes depends on seasonality, as well as the unpredictability of the weather.
- There is often no set retirement age for farmers, and farmers are sometimes forced into retirement due to health concerns and factors out of their control.
- Farming is a laborious job with many physical and mental health risks due to environmental, physical, chemical and isolation hazards.
- Farming often requires long hours, especially during planting and harvest season. Reduced rest and basic self-care are often a concern during stressful farming periods. Further, it may not always be practical to take time off work. Work modification may be a necessity rather than time off.
Social inclusion and protective factors
- Farming is a very community-oriented profession and lifestyle. While farmers are very supportive of each other, they can also be competitive.
- Community and faith groups are common support spaces for farmers.
- Farmers often operate their farms in multi-generational families. This can cause relationship strain.
- Farmers may need encouragement to utilize community supports or to reach out to their communities for connection and support.
Recommended reading
Further to the insights above, the Agriculture Wellness Ontario team recommends the following links if you’re interested in learning more about mental health in the agricultural community:
- AJ Research Group: Farmer Mental Health Publications
- AgKnow: Research studies
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: Mental Health and Substance Use of Farmers in Canada during COVID-19
- University of Guelph/Ontario Veterinary College: Farmer Mental Health in Canada Worsened During Pandemic, OVC Study Finds
- CBC: Study explores common risks and resiliencies in farmers’ mental health crisis
- CBC: I learned to push through pain watching my stoic dad on the farm. Now, I want to change
- Huron Citizen: Walton’s Baan trained as a ‘Guardian’ to connect residents with the help they need
Request materials
The Farmer Wellness Initiative can provide a variety of promotional materials to support your practice in promoting mental health and well-being to your patients who work in agriculture, including infosheets, postcards, business cards and magnets. Click ‘Request materials’ to send an email about resources for your practice. Additionally, click ‘Download digital toolkit’ for content to promote the Farmer Wellness Initiative through your practice’s online channels.
Frequently-asked questions
Is there a referral process for patients to the Farmer Wellness Initiative?
- No, the counselling and crisis support offered is available by self-referral. During the intake process, the intake counsellor will ask a self-identifying question if the individual is a farmer, farm worker or family member of a farmer or farm worker. They don’t ask for any farm identifier or registration number.
Who is eligible to participate in counselling through the Farmer Wellness Initiative?
- This service is available to all Ontario-based farmers, farm families (relatives of farmers – living on or off farm), farm employees (staff who are employed on farms), and spouses and dependents of all farm employees.
Who are the counsellors and practitioners on the line?
- The counsellors are registered social workers or psychotherapists. They have all received farmer literacy training to understand the stressors farmers experience and are able to contact the Agriculture Wellness Ontario team for any farm difficulties on which they’d like more information or understanding.
- Further, many of the counsellors are based in rural areas or have a farming background themselves, and often operate their own private practices in addition to working on the line.
Am I able to access notes or information from the counsellor on a shared client?
- To obtain information from counselling sessions, the client must request the counsellor’s notes themselves and provide them directly to their health care practitioner. All information received through counselling sessions is confidential and in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (2004).
Is there a waiting list for counselling support?
- No, if someone is in crisis, they’ll be directed to support by a counsellor right away on the line. We want to ensure counselling support is accessible for all farmers, farm workers and family members. In non-crisis situations, the turnaround time from intake to the first counselling appointment is approximately five business days.
What modalities do the counsellors use on the Farmer Wellness Initiative?
- The Farmer Wellness Initiative provides individual, couple and family counselling using a number of modalities. Modalities include solution-focused, cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness-based, and some counsellors are specialized in their practice and may provide trauma, addictions and substance use support.
- If clients are looking for specialized trauma and/or addictions support, it’s important they indicate this during the intake process.
What are the individual responsibilities of Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division, Agriculture Wellness Ontario, and TELUS Health in the operation of the Farmer Wellness Initiative?
- The Farmer Wellness Initiative is overseen and promoted by Agriculture Wellness Ontario, a suite of free mental health programming for the agriculture community. Agriculture Wellness Ontario is a department of CMHA Ontario. Counselling services are provided by TELUS Health.