Why Is Mental Health Still an “Extra” in Healthcare?

Victoria, BC Counselling for Anxiety, Grief, Relational Trauma, and Postpartum Support 

Let’s start with a strange question: when did our brains become optional? 

In Victoria, BC, we’re pretty good at talking about wellness. We stretch, we juice, we hike, we meditate. And yet, when it comes to mental health counselling, it’s still treated like an add-on—something you might have access to through work benefits or if you can afford out-of-pocket fees. 

If you’re looking for anxiety support, relational trauma counselling or postpartum mental health support in Victoria, BC, you’ve probably already noticed the contradiction: mental health is essential to general health, but our systems don’t act like it. 

Mental Health Isn’t a Luxury (Even If It’s Priced Like One) 

A recent Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) report found that provinces and territories spend only about 6.3% of their overall health budgets on mental health — far below what’s needed and significantly less than comparable countries like France (15%) and Germany (11%). This underfunding leaves Canada lagging behind even its own strategic goals for mental health care (https://bc.cmha.ca/news/state-of-mental-health-in-canada/).  

Under provincial healthcare, you can get your broken arm treated without submitting a credit card—but ongoing therapy for anxiety, trauma, or postpartum depression? That often depends on your employer, your partner’s job, or your ability to absorb hundreds of dollars a month. 

This creates a quiet but powerful message: 
Mental health care is optional. 
Preventative care is a privilege. 
Crisis is the entry point. 

And that’s a problem. 

Compartmentalized Healthcare

In 2025, Canada finally expanded the Canada Dental Care Plan, officially acknowledging that—surprise—our mouths are part of our bodies. 

It’s progress, absolutely. But it also highlights how slow our systems are to recognize the obvious. Teeth count. Brains still… kind of don’t? 

The same logic applies to counselling. Anxiety, grief, trauma, and postpartum mental health challenges affect relationships, physical health, parenting, work, and community wellbeing. Treating therapy as an employment perk instead of essential care is like saying, “Yes, your heart matters—but only if your job says so.” 

A Different Way of Practicing Counselling in Victoria, BC 

My counselling practice is intentionally committed to doing things differently. 

I offer accessible counselling services in Victoria, BC that are: 

• Anti-oppressive and justice-based 

• Trauma-informed and culturally responsive 

• Grounded in mutual aid and collective care 

• Low-cost and sliding scale whenever possible 

This isn’t charity—it’s community care. Mental health support shouldn’t require burnout, financial strain, or silence to “earn” it. Anxiety counselling, grief support, trauma processing, and postpartum care work best when they’re accessible early, consistently, and without shame. 

Mental Health Is Healthcare. Full Stop. 

Until mental health services are fully integrated into provincial coverage, we’ll keep naming the gap—and working within it with creativity, care, and accountability. 

Because your nervous system is not an add-on. 
Your grief is not elective. 
And postpartum support shouldn’t depend on your payroll department. 

If you’re seeking counselling in Victoria, BC for anxiety, grief, trauma, or postpartum support—and you’re looking for a practice rooted in accessibility, justice, and collective wellbeing—you’re not asking for too much. 

You’re asking for what should have been fundamental all along. 

Please check out our approach to learn more, or you can reach out for a free 20-minute consult at hello@shapeshiftcounselling.ca.