Counsellor to Counsellor Services and Events
This section includes services and events of specific interest to the counselling community. Some examples of such services include:
- Events/groups for clients
- Ongoing consultation in a specific area
- Programs of interest to clients
- Peer support groups
- Requests for supervisors
- Graduate studies
- Surveys
Living Systems – Low Fee Counselling Program
Low Fee Counselling Program Starting at $10 – Space available
• In-person appointments available in the Lower Mainland or online throughout most of Canada.
• Sliding fee from $10-$65 per session
• We provide services from a Bowen Family Systems perspective for a wide range of mental health issues and relationship problems.
• No waitlist at the moment (some exceptions may apply).
• Contact [email protected] to inquire or visit www.livingsystems.ca
First Link® Dementia Support
The Alzheimer Society of B.C. is committed to building a dementia-friendly society where people living with dementia are acknowledged and supported. First Link® dementia support helps healthcare providers connect people living with dementia and their caregivers to support and learning opportunities at the time of diagnosis, or at any other point in the progression of the disease. First Link® ensures people have the information they need, when they need it.
First Link® offers health-care providers:
- A simple referral system.
- Client support between clinical visits.
- Updates on dementia support and learning opportunities.
- Assurance that your clients are connected to reliable community and health-care resources to help them manage the disease.
First Link® offers your clients:
- Ongoing support and education opportunities throughout the changes of the disease.
- Skills and confidence to live as well as possible with the disease.
When healthcare providers refer a client to First Link®, they connect with the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s services earlier. Without a referral, it takes people an average of 11 months longer to make the decision to reach out for help. Those 11 months can be a critical time for planning and developing support networks – and this can be even more important in rural or remote communities.
How can you refer?
Visit alzheimerbc.org and download the referral forms.
Call or fax your local resource centre.
Email [email protected]
Call the First Link® Dementia Helpline (1-800-936-6033) – Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
BC Children’s Hospital – Compass Program
Compass is a province-wide service to supports evidence based care to all BC children and youth (0-25) living with mental health and substance use concerns. This is done by supporting community care providers with the information, advice, and resources they need to deliver appropriate and timely care to children & youth close to home.
The service is available to a variety of community care providers working such as primary care providers, specialist physicians, CYMH clinicians, Foundry clinicians, and concurrent disorders/substance use clinicians.
The Service
When you call for a consultation, you’ll have access to a multi-disciplinary team who can offer:
- Telephone advice and support
- Identification and help with connection to local & online resources
- Telehealth consultation for you and your patient, when needed
- Tailored education
The multidisciplinary team includes child and youth psychiatrists, mental health and substance use clinicians (social workers, nurses, psychologist, etc.) and a care coordinator.
The Compass team can help with diagnostic clarification, medication recommendations and treatment planning. Support is available for a wide range of issues including substance use, mental health, behavioural and family challenges, trauma and general guidance when things aren’t going well. You will receive a written record of all consultation recommendations for your patient’s chart.
Compass aims to have a member of our multidisciplinary team answer phone calls and respond to your questions in real time. For more specialized questions, we aim to get back to you within the same or next day. Telehealth consults with the provider, patient and Compass team are organized on an as-needed basis.
What you need to know to use the service
- Compass is a consultative service and community providers retain full clinical responsibility of their patients. Recommendations provided by Compass should not supersede the best clinical judgement of an in-person care provider.
- If patients and family consent, Compass will collect identifying patient information to facilitate any needed follow up with you (or with the families directly). If patients or families don’t want their information stored, Compass can provide recommendations on an anonymous basis.
- Compass is not a crisis intervention service, but will support providers with advice around safety planning, risk assessments, etc. Please contact your local crisis services for any emergencies.
- Compass will collect and store your demographic and practice-related information.
- Compass will periodically reach out to providers to better understand their experience with the service and communicate any upcoming workshops or educational opportunities.
Questions? Call 1-855-702-7272 from Mon-Fri, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. PST/PDT. Register at CompassBC.ca.
Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health – The Brain Health and Wellness Project
The Brain Health and Wellness Project will provide interested clinicians with free training and easy-to- use paper tools and The Wellness App developed by the Fountain of Health Initiative. These tools take only 5 minutes to use in routine care, have been field-tested by over 500 patients, and have been found to be effective with over 80% of patients partially meeting, meeting, or exceeding their health goal.
What kind of Clinician can do this work? Any kind of clinician! Psychiatrists, family doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, kinesiologists and any clinician in between!
Scientific literature tells us that even small, simple lifestyle changes in the right areas can help to prevent illness, and to improve health and well-being.
Clinicians can register at:
https://fountainofhealth.ca/wellness-project
Please join this effort to bring effective brain health and wellness promotion into the frontlines of care in Canada! Register and share this information with colleagues, teams and networks who might be interested. For questions, contact the Project Manager, Daria Parsons at [email protected].
YMCA Free Mental Health Wellness Programs – Vancouver Island
YMCA Y Mind Teen – Campbell River Family Services
The YMCA Y Teen Groups supports teens 13-18 who experience worry, stress, and/or anxiety. In partnership with the YMCA-YWCA of Vancouver Island, Campbell River Family Services will run the 7-session Y Mind Teen program to support teens in learning healthy coping strategies to manage stress, explore fun and creative ways to learn about mental wellness, and connect with other teens going through similar experiences. This is a safe and welcoming group that is run by trained staff. Y Mind Teen is grounded in the evidence-based principles of Mindfulness and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). Y Mind is supported by the BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions and serves the five regional health authorities across the province.
In order to be eligible for the program, teens will be asked to attend an Information Session and complete an Intake meeting with a facilitator. In order to measure the effectiveness of the program, teens will be offered to complete a voluntary Evaluation Package administered by the McCreary Centre Society.
Program Details:
- 7 group sessions (90 minutes per session)
- 8 – 12 participants per group with two trained staff
Program Sessions Include:
- A variety of fun mindfulness activities that are easy to practice at home and school
- Simple activities based on Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) for teens to engage with during and outside of group sessions
- Healthy coping strategies to support symptoms of stress and worrying
- Creative activities using music, art, and media
- Engaging group discussions about topics that are important to teens
Program Eligibility Requirements
- 13-18 years of age
- Experience worry and stress
- Ability to attend all 7 sessions
To learn more and register, contact Joyce Pielou at [email protected] or Tami Riecker at [email protected].
Disclaimer: Except where specifically indicated, the opinions expressed in this notice are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellors, its officers, directors, or staff. The publication of any advertisement by the B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellors is not an endorsement of the advertiser, or of the products or services advertised. The B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellors is not responsible for any claims made in advertisements. Advertisers may not, without prior consent, incorporate in a subsequent advertisement the fact that a product or service has been advertised in a publication of the B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellors.
