Welcome to this issue of professional resources, produced by the BC Schizophrenia Society, in partnership with the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information.
We hope this newsletter provides you with helpful information to assist you in collaborating with family members and supporters in the care of their loved one with a mental illness. A companion enewsletter is also available for family members.
In this newsletter:
Ongoing Family Resources & Referral Information
Families to Refer:
Relatives or supporters looking for support groups or education events for themselves in their area of BC. No limitations by diagnosis. Relatives, parents, siblings, adult children, family of choice, lesbian /gay / LGTB.
If your agency provides support or information events or groups to relatives/supporters of persons with a mental illness in BC, please send in your information for posting on this calendar to onlinesupport@bcss.org
Families to Refer:
Families needing help finding and accessing mental health info and services for children/youth with a mental health concern, youth with a mental health concern, adults/youth with eating disorder. Run by BC Mental Health and Addictions Services - office in BC Children and Women’s Hospital, service area BC-wide through phone and email.
Families to Refer:
Families of persons with a serious and persistent mental illness (including but not limited to schizophrenia, psychosis, schizoaffective disorders) All family members welcome at support groups, family education groups (regardless of family member diagnosis). Kids in Control program provides service to children 8-13 of parents with any kind of mental illness, as does Family Respite program. Online support groups for family members is also not diagnosis-limited and are facilitated including groups for adult children, lesbian/gay family of choice and siblings. Referral details at the above links. Service areas: BC wide except respite and kids programs.
Families to refer: Parents of children with a mental illness looking for support and information. Service area: specific regions, see website.
BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions information offers a wide variety of general audience information on mental health, addictions and mental wellness. All information is evidence based. Funded by provincial health authority.
If this e-resource has been forwarded to you by a friend, you can sign up for your own copy here
Featured Resource
Covenant House Formalizes Inner City Youth Mental Health Program
In 2007 Covenant House launched a pilot program that would link psychiatrists from St. Paul’s Hospital with youth at their downtown shelter, and the program became finalized this year. Doctors from St. Paul’s now spend 4 days a week coming to the different Covenant House sites to engage the youth where they’re most comfortable.
Donald MacPherson, drug policy co-ordinator with the City of Vancouver, says that the program “is a really good example of bringing highly specialized medical knowledge to the front line.” At one residence downtown, ambulance calls and drug dealing has decreased, whereas visits to support groups have increased since the program’s inception. The program has assessed about 140 youth, of which 1 in 3 males and 1 in 5 females showed signs of psychosis. About 15% of children and youth in BC have a mental illness. [excerpted from First Call Weekly Announcements]
Read more about the program in this Globe and Mail article, or visit the Covenant House website.
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