Victoria - South Island

Provides programs and services for people with mental illness, with or without substance use, regardless of their diagnosis. They also offer a variety of services for family members and friends supporting their loved ones. They do this by offering a range of options including 1:1 peer support, group support, individual and family counselling, education, advocacy and a lending library.

Individuals can drop into the office or phone or email to talk to the staff and volunteers. They also have a free lending library. They have information about schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, suicide, borderline personality disorder, marijuana and psychosis, estate planning and RDSPs and a variety of other topics. They can direct you to local and on line resources, or to other island services if your loved one lives in another community. The following group programs are also offered:

Strengthening Families Together: A 10-week course for families and friends of people with mental illness to learn about treatment, coping skills, crisis intervention, and recovery; offered twice yearly.

Hearing Voices: is an empathy-building class that helps participants understand the challenges and strengths of people who experience psychosis. The class is free to family members with a loved one who has a mental illness, social work/nursing/community support worker college students and volunteers with social service agencies. Held at various times throughout the year, class size is limited to 15.

Nutritional Learning Program: The Nutritional Learning Program takes place every Wednesday at the Campbell River Beacon Club where adults with mental health issues learn valuable life skills while preparing a nutritious lunch for themselves and their peers.

Family and Friends Support Group: Held at the office every 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM. This is a drop-in group and is facilitated by a family member. Participants come together to share experiences and learn about treatment options, medication, care and emotional support, the recovery process, self-care strategies, and other resources available. There is no cost and no pre-registration is required.

Information and Resources: Provides online and in-person schizophrenia information, as well as a lending library of books, videos, magazines, and brochures. Topic areas include depression, anxiety, suicide, marijuana and psychosis, estate planning, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder.