(Derek Brade/ CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Inner Man Project continues to provide safe space for men to talk about mental health

Jul 23, 2021 | 6:09 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB- Inside the doors of The Inner Man Project on South Railway is a place for men to come together and talk about mental health.

Every week 40 to 50 men walk through the doors. Chairs align in a circle as men sit and hear stories about other men and their struggles with mental health.

Matthew St. Pierre, a former first responder started attending group sessions at the Inner Man Project in September after being diagnosed with PTSD after a work-related incident.

“ My first day there it took a lot for me to get through the doors, and I came in and I pretty much didn’t say anything for my first session. But right near the end I opened up and that day was a big step in my recovery,” he said.

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Sessions at the Inner Man Project help people like St. Pierre through their regular weekly peer classes. The classes are free and individual support is also available for men within 24 hours.

St. Pierre said the sessions at the Inner Man Project help address some of the gaps in accessing immediate support services. It’s a situation St. Pierre knows about firsthand.

“I have to actually go to Lethbridge to see my psychologist. If I didn’t take that opportunity to go and see him in Lethbridge I would have had to wait three months before I saw a Psychologist in Medicine Hat and so that’s where I think things need to change.” he said.

The Inner Man Project was founded last year following the tragic string of suicides involving young men in the community. Founder Dylan Eckes lost some of his friends last year and founded the non-profit alongside other men in the community.

“ What has taken me by surprise is the amount of people wanting to have this conversation. Whether in private or the peer setting. So that is almost a beautiful thing to realize that when we say you are not alone. You are really not alone,” Eckes said.

Since launching last year The Inner Man Project has expanded beyond the boundaries of Medicine Hat, through their Facebook page and Podcast. Like the group sessions, it’s goal is to break the stigma, surrounding mental health. It also offers courses for women.

Now months into the program, St. Pierre is now a mentor facilitating sessions and helping other men. He most recently helped a man with PTSD who was living in Manitoba. He said he has no plans of stopping and intends to give back to the organization that helped him as much as he can.

“ I 100 per cent believe in this group,” he said.