Understanding Counsellors’ Perspectives on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Farmers: An Interpretive Descriptive Study

Farmers in Saskatchewan face unique pressures – from unpredictable weather and financial stress to long work hours and isolation – that can take a serious toll on their mental health. This project is motivated to better understand how mental health counsellors support farmers and what can be done to improve access to care. Our community partner, SaskAgMatters Mental Health Network Inc., is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Saskatchewan farmers, ranchers, and researchers to establish a farm-culture friendly mental health support system for Saskatchewan agricultural producers.

SaskAgMatters’ counsellors will be interviewed to explore how counselling for farmers differs from the general population, what challenges and barriers exist, and insights that could improve service design and delivery. Using an Interpretive Description approach, the project seeks to develop practical insights that can strengthen existing services and guide future supports for the Saskatchewan farming community.

A key part of this project is collaboration with farmer research partners, who work alongside the research team to ensure the study reflects real farming experiences and leads to meaningful, grounded recommendations. This project aims to improve mental health supports that truly meet the needs of Saskatchewan’s farmers and rural communities.

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

  • Taylor Spock is a second-year MSc student in Community and Population Health Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. She has written several speeches, attended numerous conferences, and dedicated hundreds of hours in her personal time to advocate and expand her knowledge on mental health. Her lifelong goal has been to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and reluctance to seek treatment, as she’s personally felt the impact of untreated mental illness in loved ones. Her research is exploring the benefits and challenges of providing mental health counselling to Saskatchewan agricultural providers.