Mental Health
Here To Help
Web: www.heretohelp.bc.ca
Email: bcpartners@heretohelp.bc.ca
Here to Help is a collaboration of seven mental health and addictions nonprofit organizations. It is a web site with up-to-date information, publications and stories on mental health and substance use, as well as resources like life skills and other coping-related “toolkits”, plus a discussion forum where you can connect with others.
Richmond Youth Clinic
Phone: 604-233-3204
Richmond Youth Clinic provides free and confidential services to youth aged 13-21. Services include: birth control/ECP, STI testing, pregnancy testing/counseling, PAP testing, IUD insertion, mental health counseling and referral. Hours and location vary:
- Mondays, 3:30-5:30pm – At Richmond Place, 8100 Granville Ave., by appointment only
- Tuesdays, 2-4pm – At the East Richmond Hall, 12360 Cambie Rd., drop-in or by appointment.
- Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30pm – At Richmond Place, 8100 Granville Ave., drop-in or by appointment.
- Fridays, 1-4pm – At Richmond Place, 8100 Granville Ave., by appointment only.
The North Shore Schizophrenia Society
Phone: 604-926-0856
Address: 205 – 1865 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC
Web: www.northshoreschizophrenia.org
The North Shore Schizophrenia Society is a peer support organization, helping families whose relatives are struggling with a serious mental illness. Trained family volunteers provide counseling, information, education, advocacy and ongoing support in both the North Shore and Sea to Sky corridor. Despite its name, the society covers all serious mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.
Services include:
- Family Support Centre – The core of the service, located at the address above, where you can drop by or call any weekday from 9:30am to 5pm and talk to one of their volunteers. Peer support through one-on-one meetings can also be arranged .
- Family Support Groups meet monthly in West Vancouver and Squamish for family members to get together and talk about their experiences, how to cope, or just gather strength. (link)
- Family-to-Family Education Course – A 12-session course to help family members gain the knowledge and skills to cope more effectively with their mentally ill relatives.
- … as well as social events, para-legal support and a lecture series.
Mood Disorders Association
Address: 200 – 460 Nanaimo Street, Vancouver BC
Phone: 604-873-0103
The Mood Disorders Association of BC is built around peer-run, self-help support groups, but also offers special language, faith-based and educational programs as well.
For a list of some of the special interest groups run by MDABC, click here. They also have a full list of their groups as well, though their normally clickable map (here) wasn’t working last time I checked… you can still call or email at info@mdabc.net for more info.
These groups can offer support and friendship for those with mood disorders (such as bipolar, depression, anxiety) as well as their supporters.
Ministry of Children & Family Development
Web: www.mcf.gov.bc.ca
MCFD is, broadly, the provincial ministry holding the responsibility for the well-being of children and their healthy development. They are probably best known for providing child protection and supervising substitute care (like foster care and group homes), but also provide services for children with special needs, child and youth mental health, youth justice, and early childhood development programs and services.
Some of the programs they run are:
Frasier Early Psychosis Intervention – Psychosis Sucks
Tel: By region
- Fraser South (White Rock, Langley, Delta, Surrey) 604-538-4278
- Fraser East (Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission, Agassiz) 1-866-870-7847
- Fraser North (Burnaby, Tri-cities, Maple Ridge, New Westminster) 604-777-8386
The Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) Program serves young people with early psychosis who are between the ages of 13 to 35, and their families. The program bridges youth and adult mental health services, and links community with hospital. EPI provides a range of services including medication management; education (individual and group); stress management and support; relapse prevention; along with assistance with other needs such as education, work, housing, drug misuse, etc.
This site promotes early detection, educates about psychosis and provides direction for seeking help. In short, it sports a TON of information about what psychosis might look like, what it means, and what you can do about it.
For the Vancouver and Richmond area EPI program, please see our entry on H.O.P.E. (Helping Overcome Psychosis Early)
British Columbian Schizophrenia Society
Web: www.bcss.org
The BC Schizophrenia Society provides and promotes support to families of people with severe mental illness, public education, advocacy, and research. Their site includes online family support forums, an events/workshops calendar and lists of resources.
Of particular interest is their Kids in Control Support Group Program, which gives information, education and support to children ages 8-13 who have a parent or older sibling with a serious mental illness. The program helps provide the tools and coping skills that will help children grow up happy and healthy despite their challenges and risks, delivered through 8 2-hour sessions. To learn more, check out their site.
Kelty Resource Centre
Phone: 604-875-2084 Toll Free: 1-800-665-1822
Address: BC Childrens Hospital Site (Mental Health Building 2), Room P3-302 – 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC
Web: keltymentalhealth.ca
Kelty Resource Centre is a provincial resource centre helping BC children, youth and their families to find the resources in dealing with mental health and substance use issues. In addition, being loosely related to the now closed Eating Disorder Resource Centre of BC, the centre also provides information and referrals to adults with eating disorders.
Vine Avenue Youth Wellness Drop-In
Tel: 604-542-3926
Address: 15455 Vine Avenue, White Rock BC
Web: www.vineyouthclinic.com (often down, but it exists!)
Email: info@vineyouthclinic.com
Hours of operation: Monday 3:30-6:30pm, 4th Wednesday of each month 3:30-6:30pm
Provides free and confidential health care for youths aged 12-21. Doctors and Youth Workers provide consultations to address your physical and mental health concerns, including general medical issues, sexual health (including free STI testing and free birth control), mental health assessments and referrals, as well as addictions assessments and counselling.
Canadian Mental Health Association
Web: www.cmha.bc.ca Email: info@cmha.bc.ca
Phone: 604-688-3234 Toll-free (BC only): 1-800-555-8222
Address: Suite 1200 – 1111 Melville Street, Vancouver BC
The CMHA is a nation-wide, charitable organization that promotes the mental health of all and supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness. The BC division is part of a network of 19 branches across the province that provide both direct services to people with mental health problems and a range of public education activities.
In BC, they do so through information resources, educational events, direct services, research and advocacy, as well as the support that they provide to the 20 CMHA branches throughout BC.
The national website offers information on various mental health issues, links to resources and an online discussion group: www.cmha.ca.
