SZYMON Apanowicz spends his day helping people regain their life balance.
“For many patients, it is the first time they’ve really opened up to someone about the way they feel,” he says.
One of 14 behavioural health consultants with the Calgary Foothills PCN, Szymon provides short-term mental health support for patients referred by their family doctor.
Appointments typically take place in the physician’s clinic.

Range of issues:

Some patients may be coming to terms with a physical diagnosis, while others are dealing with social issues.
Issues that behavioural health consultants help patients address include depression and anxiety, relationship issues, parenting problems, addiction and workplace stress.
“We see a real range,” Szymon says.
“People can be suffering because they are isolated and do not realize, for instance, how important maintaining friendships can be.
“Parents may be struggling to cope with a child’s addiction to computer games. A child may be struggling to cope with a parent’s death.”

Short-term help:

Over the past year, behavioural health consultants in the network saw 11,954 patients—up 24.4 per cent from the previous year.
The form of brief therapy that behavioural health consultants offer is solution-focused and aims to help people resolve their problems within a short period of time.