Resources
Eating Disorder Parent Support Group – North Van
Phone: See below
Address: 101 – 255 West 1st Street, North Vancouver, BC
Family Services of the North Shore offers a free support group for parents, partners and caregivers of individuals with eating disorders.
The group meets on the 2nd and 4th monday of every month (except holidays), from 7:00p-8:30p.
Call 604-988-5281 ext.202 for more information and registration. Click here for more details.
Sources BC
Phone: 604-531-6226
Address: 882 Maple Street, White Rock BC, V4B 4M2
Web: www.sourcesbc.ca
Sources BC (formerly Peace Arch Community Services) provides numerous support groups, self-help meetings and programs including addictions, employment services for adults and youth, information and referrals, and counselling services to individuals and families in the Surrey and White Rock area.
Services include:
- Community Living – life skills training, community kitchens, social clubs and other daytime programming
- Youth Services – a 1-on-1 youth justice program, FASD-related support for parents and families, and some counselling for youth with mental health diagnoses and their families
- Family Services – counselling, though referrals must come through MCFD.
- Drug & Alcohol support – Individual counselling, psych-educational groups and referral
- A food bank
- and much much more.
FAYSS
Phone: 604-534-2171
Address: 20618 Eastleigh Cr., Langley BC
Web: www.fayss.com (placeholder site)
Family and Youth Services Society (FAYSS) in Langley BC has merged with Aldergrove Neighbourhood Services Society (ANSS). As of fall 2011, they are still providing most of the same services as listed below, but please check with them to verify.
All requests for service must eventually be made via Langley’s MCFD office: 604-514-2711
Services include:
- Parent-Teen Mediation – Short-term outreach counselling and conflict mediation for families in crisis, more specifically with youth 12-19, in order to help prevent family breakdown and the need for kids to be taken into care by MCFD.
- Functional Family Therapy – Longer-term (8-30 sessions) therapy with youth, 12-19, and their families.
- Sexual Abuse Support Services – Professional counselling to children and youth who have experienced sexual abuse and their non-offending family members. Unless the offender is a peer, the abuse must have been reported to police and/or MCFD.
For more information, please see Aldergrove Neighbourhood Services Society‘s web page: www.aldergrovens.com
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.
Youth Space
Web: youthspace.ca
Youthspace offers online support to British Columbian youth. They provide an online live chat service and forum discussion board, as well as a way to connect to a professional e-counsellor.
The live chat is open every day (except Wednesday), 6pm to 11pm, and can be accessed here.
The NEED Crisis Line is now closed, unfortunately. You can call the Vancouver Island Crisis Line for service (1-888-494-3888).
Aunt Leah’s Place
Phone: 604-525-1204
Address: 200 – 668 Carnarvon Street, New Westminster, BC V3M 5Y6
Web: www.auntleahs.org
Aunt Leah’s Place works with teen mothers and youth in foster care system to help them achieve a better future by providing guidance, supported housing, job training and coaching in essential skills.
Services include:
- Aunt Leah’s House: Supported housing for pregnant and parenting teen moms under 19
- Thresholds: Supported housing for new moms who are at risk for being homeless or losing their babies to the foster care system
- Support Link: A semi-independent living & life skills training program for youth, 15-18, who are presently in the MCFD care.
- A variety of life skills and job training employment programs, primarily catering to youth currently placed in foster care and participants (past and present) of Aunt Leah programs.
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)
