24/7 Mental Health Counselling and Referral Services for Post-Secondary Students

The Province of British Columbia (“the Province”), as represented by the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills is seeking responses for the provision of 24/7 Mental Health Counselling and Referral Services (“the Services”) for all post-secondary students registered at public and private post-secondary institutions in British Columbia.In the context of this CFR and the Services to be provided, “virtual counselling and referral services” means telephone and online chat (via website or mobile app). The Services will include a toll-free phone number that students can call to speak to a service agent for counselling or referral information, and an online chat service that students can access to chat with a service agent for counselling or referral information. The online chat service should be accessible on desktop web browsers and on mobile phones. The Recipient will also be responsible for creating, administering, and maintaining a website with information about the Services and with access to the online chat.The Services will provide brief, individual counselling sessions without the expectation that clients will develop ongoing counselling relationships with Recipient personnel. The Services should use the evidence-based counselling techniques of cognitive behavioural therapy and solutions-focused therapy to achieve resolution of an issue with clients over the course of a call or chat session. “Resolution” in this context means that a client ends the conversation feeling that they have the tools needed to carry on and a plan of next steps in place to move forward with their life. Recipient personnel must have the requisite level of competence, education and skill to provide this counselling and resolve issues with clients. The Services are intended to augment and supplement existing services in B.C., offered as one of the options for help available for students, as part of a stepped care model. The Services must be available 24/7, including outside of business hours when on-campus support services may be closed, to be able to provide “just in time” care for students whenever they need it.Since not every call or chat session will end in resolution, the Services should also provide a basic level of referral to other mental health services, including on-campus support services. Respondents should demonstrate in their experience an understanding of the complete landscape of mental health and substance use services available in B.C.Counselling services and referral information will be provided, as a minimum requirement, in English and French.Counselling staff responding to students should be able to support diverse populations such as online learners or distance students; students with disabilities; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (2SLGBTQI+) students; Indigenous students; international students; students who are immigrants or refugees; and people of all ethnic or religious groups in a trauma-informed, culturally safe, relational, strengths-based and anti-oppressive manner. The Services should also be able to recognize and respond appropriately to the differing developmental needs of students of different ages: while many students are young adults in their late teens or early twenties, many learners are mature students.The Recipient will be responsible for either providing existing branding or creating new branding for a province-wide program, with approval from the Ministry.The Recipient will be responsible for conducting awareness and outreach activities to educate key stakeholders (post-secondary institutions and health authorities) about the Services.In addition, the Recipient will be responsible for tracking key usage and service-level data about the Services, as well as data about client satisfaction through satisfaction surveys, and reporting aggregate data monthly to the Province.The term of the Contract will be for three (3) years with an option to extend at the sole discretion of the Province for up to three (3) additional one-year periods. The project budget will be up to $1.5 million per year, fixed for the initial three (3) years of the term as well as for any extension period(s). The estimated contract start date is August 1, 2026.