Evaluation of SaskAgMatters: Understanding Counsellors’ Perspectives on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Farmers

In 2019, the Saskatchewan Farmer and Rancher Mental Health (FARMh) Initiative was launched to identify the programs, resources, and interventions that Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers wanted to support their mental health. As part of the FARMh knowledge mobilization strategy, the SaskAgMatters Mental Health Network Inc. was established in 2023 to provide free mental health therapy to Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers through funding from private donations. All therapists have experience in agriculture, enabling them to provide farm culturally informed mental health services. 

SaskAgMatters is governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the SaskAgMatters free therapy program from the perspective of the therapists who deliver these services. SaskAgMatters therapists will be invited to participate in telephone interviews to discuss the current service model.

This evaluation aims to identify the strengths and limitations of the program and generate recommendations to inform future strategic planning and ongoing service development. This project has been determined to be exempt from ethics approval as a program evaluation by the University of Saskatchewan Research Ethics Board.

This project is co-funded in partnership with Mitacs, iA Financial Group and Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation.

  • Courtney Labrecque is a graduate student in the Gender, Sexualities, and Social Justice program, Department of Political Studies, College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree and has been a research assistant and associate with the Saskatchewan Farmer and Rancher Mental Health (FARMh) Initiative since 2020. Courtney has supported many research projects branching off FARMh. She is very passionate about improving access to mental health services, and the importance of fostering equitable environments that will assist with the flourishment of people seeking additional support.  This commitment towards creating inclusive and supportive spaces has extended into her master's program, where she is currently exploring critical disability studies in the education system.