From firefighters to bylaw officers, more BC workers can now reach a Registered Clinical Counsellor
The number of British Columbia (BC) municipalities that cover Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs) in their employee benefit plans has climbed to 22 from 12 since 2023, an increase of 83 percent.
The BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) based that figure on audits of municipal benefit plans, first in 2023, when 12 municipalities confirmed coverage, and again this year, when 22 confirmed they had added RCCs.
RCCs form one of the largest mental health workforces delivering counselling and psychotherapy in the province, BCACC said, and the association counts more than 9,500 of them across BC, or roughly 90 percent of practising counsellors.
Adding RCCs to benefit plans widens the pool of qualified professionals available to staff, according to the association, which said the change improves access and shortens wait times.
Michael Radano, chief executive of BCACC, credited municipalities that had moved to support employee mental health.
He said covering Registered Clinical Counsellors widens employee choice in care and reflects a growing understanding that mental health support belongs in the workplace.
Municipal payrolls span public works crews, recreation staff, planners, engineers, utilities workers, bylaw officers, administrative staff, firefighters and, in many communities, police personnel.
Many of these workers manage emergencies, public scrutiny and complex community demands, and earlier access to counselling can support both individual well-being and organizational resilience.
Scott Maxwell, chief executive of Wounded Warriors Canada, said municipal employees, including first responders, can face situations that leave lasting psychological effects over a career.
Cutting barriers to timely mental health care "is an important part of keeping our Trauma Exposed Professionals safe, healthy and at work," he said, and he hoped more municipalities would expand RCC access.
BCACC said it hoped the growth in municipal coverage would prompt other public and private sector employers to review their benefit plans and widen access to mental health care.
