Communities Served:

• Houston, Smithers, Hazelton & surrounding communities are served by the Bulkley Valley office
• Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Stewart & surrounding communities are served by the Terrace office
• The Haida Gwaii are served by the Haida Gwaii office.
• The regional manager for BCSS Northwest is Dolly Hall.

See below for service and contact information

Services Provided:

• Free support and information for individuals (family & friends) who support someone who may have or has been diagnosed with a mental illness
• Free handouts, books and videos to borrow on a variety of mental illnesses
• Free education for family members & friends through the Strengthening Families Together Program
• Free support groups for family & friends
• Free education for community groups through our Partnership Education Program or talks on specific subjects related to mental illness

Please Note:

Our Haida Gwaii office is going to be closed temporarily, effective immediately. Dolly Hall in Terrace will be the contact person for families on Island in the interim.

Here is her contact info:
Dolly Hall, MA - NW Regional Manager - BC Schizophrenia Society
210-4546 Park Ave., Terrace, BC V8G 1V4
Phone: 250-635-8272 Fax: 250-635-8206 nwmanager@bcss.org

The BCSS Coordinator for Terrace, Prince Rupert, Kitimat and the surrounding smaller communities is Noreen Spence Phone/Fax 250.635.8206 Toll free 1.866.326.7877 Email terrace@bcss.org. Please click on the link above for more information.

Contact Toby Coupe: Phone/Fax 250.847.9779 Toll free 1.888.847.9779 Email bulkley@bcss.org. Please click on the link above for office address and more information.

2nd Thursday of every month, 1 pm – 3 pm at MH Conference room, Courthouse Building, Main Street. Info at bcssbv@telus.net 250.847.9779 (phone/fax)

Do you have a family member with a mental illness? Are you wondering what services are available for serious mental illness in your community and how to access them? Need help figuring out what to do? BCSS can help. We have staff and volunteers in locations near you who can talk to you about your options and help you get connected. For contact info, please visit the link above for a list of locations or contact BCSS at 1-888-888-0029 to be referred to the person nearest you.

In the 2009-10 fiscal year alone, BCSS provincial coordinators responded to 5,684 calls and over 35,000 emails for support and information, attended 1,700 meetings, organized 390 support group sessions, and presented to over 34,000 members of the public

The Family Toolkit is designed to assist families in caring for a family member with a mental illness by providing information and practical resources.

2nd Wednesday of the month, 2:00 - 4:00 pm @ Mental Health and Addictions Conference Room, (Old) Court House Building, Main Street . Info: bulkley@bcss.org 250.847.9779 (phone/fax)

3rd Tuesday of the month, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. @ BCSS Office, 3815 Railway Avenue, Smithers. Info: bulkley@bcss.org or 250-847-9779

This resource may be useful to people who would like to understand the rules and procedures in place in BC around mental illness, police involvement, involuntary treatment, etc

Visit www.reachingfamiliesproject.org to participate in our online support groups for family members and supporters.

Partnership Education is based on a personal storytelling model. It is a unique and powerful presentation that helps people in the community to understand the nature and prevalence of chronic and severe mental illness. A Partnership presentation is a panel of three guest speakers - a person with a psychiatric diagnosis, a family member, and a mental health professional. The three guests are presented as a team and each describes their own personal experience with mental illness. For information about volunteering for or arranging for a partnership presentation in your area, please contact the BCSS staff person or volunteer near you.

Sign up here for our e-newsletters for family members, mental health professionals, educators and aboriginal community members to keep posted on BCSS events, resources and advocacy or click on the above link for more information.

Do you have a relative or friend with a serious mental illness? Strengthening Families Together is a 10-session group for families and friends, which provides information, skill-building, and support. Offered throughout BC in spring and fall. Contact your local branch for details.

This fact sheet helps families recognize a crisis situation and offers suggestions on how to deal with a crisis.

Dos and don'ts for families coping with schizophrenia

This booklet was published due to requests from family members who have a spouse ill with schizophrenia, for information specific to their needs.