Free Mental Health Resources

Free or Inexpensive Mental Health Services: MindMapBC

  • MindMapBC: A custom-made database of outpatient mental health services
  • Services Included:
    • Professional counseling
    • Peer counseling
    • Support groups
    • Others
  • Accessibility:
    • Services that are free, low-cost, or sliding scale
    • Self-referral services (no need to see a doctor before accessing)

Pay-What-You-Can Peer Support Groups

  • Concept: Peer Support
  • Features:
    • Accessibility
    • Affordability
    • Creating a sense of community
    • Knowing that you are not alone
  • Group offerings:
    • 25 different groups are available
    • Moderated by mental health professionals from a variety of backgrounds
    • Topics vary to meet different needs
    • Limited spaces available
  • How to join:

    • Choose the topic that meets your needs
    • Sign up

Voices & Visions Support Groups​

  • The International Hearing Voices Network believes that people can live well with unique sensory experiences.
  • Are you feeling alone or unsure about your unique sensory experiences? Do you want to meet people who understand?
  • Our Voices & Visions support groups are led by peers who have experienced unique sensory experiences themselves.
  • The groups provide help and support, and they meet both in-person and virtually.
  • Groups are open to anyone with lived experience and their supporters and are offered on a drop-in basis.

Free Online Course - Resilience in a Time of Uncertainty

Coursera is an incredible resource offering free courses from universities. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a 13-hour course on resilience in a time of uncertainty. 

As well as building your own resiliency, throughout the course you will hear examples of individuals using resilience skills in their personal and professional lives.

You can begin at any time, and decide yourself on the pace of the course.

HereToHelp - Online Mental Health Resources

  • Information resource: Trustworthy information on mental health and substance use.
  • Collaboration: The BC Partners, seven agencies came together for this project.
  • Objective: Provide people with access to quality information on mental health, mental illness, and substance use problems
  • Website features:
    • Explore the website on your own or through a filter about someone you care about
    • Ask a question
    • Do a screening self-test
    • Access the Resource Library for information on various topics
    • Specific pages on mental health issues:

      • ADHD
      • Grief
      • Suicide
      • Eating disorders

Crisis Phone Lines and Crisis Chat

​If you are in crisis, distress, or having thoughts of suicide, help is available!

Phone
The Crisis Centre is here to listen, and here to help – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Online Live Chat
CrisisCentreChat.ca is a program of the Crisis Centre.
It connects adults via live online chat with support, information and resources.
  • Online Chat Service for Youth
          (Noon to 1am): www.YouthInBC.com 
  • Online Chat Service for Adults
          (Noon to 1am): www.CrisisCentreChat.ca 

Anxiety Canada

  • Awareness Raising: Works to raise awareness of anxiety disorders
  • Types of Anxiety disorders covered:
    • Phobias and specific phobias
    • Generalised anxiety disorder
    • Social anxiety disorder
    • Obsessive-compulsive disorder
    • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Online tools and resources:
    • Self-help toolkits for kids, teens, adults, and parents.
    • Information and resources for anyone who desires to control their own anxiety
  • DVD and App offerings:
    • DVDs using a cognitive behavioral therapy approach to treat anxiety issues
    • MindShift - A free app made to aid teenagers and young people in overcoming anxiety.
    • Teaching techniques:
      • How to unwind
      • How to cultivate constructive thought patterns
      • How to recognize proactive activities that will support one in taking control of their anxiety
Physical address: 811-402 West Pender Street
Tel:604-620-0744
info@anxietycanada.com

Stigma-Free Society

  • Campaign Objective: Eradicate social stigmas and promote acceptance of oneself and others.
  • Programs offered:
    • Help and inform people, particularly young people, on managing their mental health.
    • Topics covered:
      • Mental illness
      • Ageism
      • Racism
      • Gender identity
      • Sexual orientation
    • Presentations to schools and communities with the goal of eradicating stigmas in workplaces and organizations.
  • Serves:
    • Metro Vancouver
    • Greater Victoria
Physical address: Unit 520, 885 Dunsmuir Street
info@stigmafreezone.com

Covid-19 & Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support

  • Concept: Wellness Together Canada
  • Purpose: Helping Canadians cope with the strain of COVID-19 on their physical and mental well-being
  • Challenges addressed:
    • Isolation
    • Financial and employment uncertainty
    • Disruptions to daily life
  • Offerings:
    • Tools and resources
    • Modules for addressing:
      • Low mood
      • Worry
      • Substance use
      • Social isolation
      • Relationship issues

Recovery Colleges

Learning centres focused on mental health and well-being, known as recovery colleges, are becoming more prevalent in Canada.
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) currently operates 11 of these centres in communities across the country, with plans for more to be opened in the near future.
The recovery college model is based on a successful model from the UK, where 85 such colleges have been established since 2009.
These centres differentiate themselves from traditional educational institutions by offering courses on subjects such as mental health literacy and health and well-being.
The course curriculum is unique, being developed by subject experts, mental health professionals and individuals with personal experience in mental health recovery.
Recovery colleges are designed as supportive learning environments for individuals with various mental health goals.
  • Individuals with mental illness or mental health problems, including substance use issues, can find support on their personal recovery journey.
  • Those who support someone with a mental health issue can find skills to enhance self-care and overall well-being.
  • Individuals who need to develop confidence in facing life's challenges can find a suitable course.
These centres provide a genuine and empowering learning environment with practical knowledge.

Peer-Led Support Groups - Mood Disorders Association of BC

  • MDABC Peer-led Support Group: A safe place to share your story, struggles and accomplishments, and to listen to others who share similar concerns
  • Benefits:
    • A sense of belonging
    • Informal education about mental health challenges
    • Support of others who have 'been there'
  • Facilitation:
    • Trained volunteers with lived experience of mental health concerns
    • Not intended to provide counseling or therapy
  • Group Offerings:
    • More than 25 Peer-led Support Groups in cities and towns across British Columbia
    • Meeting online via Zoom during the Covid-19 pandemic
    • Free groups meet weekly or bi-weekly
    • Contact the facilitator to register and get the Zoom link for the group you're interested in joining
Tel:604-873-0103  (monitored 9:00am – 4:30pm)

Workplace Mental Health Conference

  • Early bird tickets for the Bottom Line Conference are available until January 27th.
  • The Workplace Mental Health Bottom Line Conference will be held on March 9-10th, in-person event.
  • The conference brings together business leaders, workers, union representatives, policy makers, and researchers from across BC to share real experiences, successes, ideas, and expertise.
  • This year's conference theme is "Learning From Each Other" and will focus on the importance of industry, service, and government leaders sharing their wisdom and experience to improve workplace mental health.

​

  • Suicide Prevention Support: Provides toll-free phone and text support for those in need across Canada.
  • Eligibility: Support is available for those contemplating suicide, experiencing suicidal thoughts, who have made a past attempt, have lost someone to suicide, or are worried about someone else's suicidal thoughts.
Toll-free (24 hour)
Tel:1-833-456-4566
SMS/Text
Tel:45645

​Black Youth Helpline

  • National Helpline for Youth: Offers services and supports to meet the needs of all youth, with a focus on Black youth.
  • Services offered:
    • Culturally relevant services
    • Expert assessment
    • Information
    • Referral
    • On-demand service
  • Language support:
    • French
    • Other languages
Hours: 6 am to 7 pm Pacific Standard Time
Tel:1-833-294-8650
info@blackyouth.ca

Reproductive Psychiatry Program

  • Psychiatric treatment: Offers psychiatric treatment to female patients
  • Patient focus: Patients suffering from psychological conditions directly linked to their reproductive cycle
  • Topics covered:
    • Menopause
    • Infertility
    • Pregnancy
    • Postpartum
Physical address:
2nd Floor, 185-1081 Burrard Street
Tel:604-806-8589
Tel:604-675-2666

Veterans Transition Network

  • Support for veterans: Helps Canadian veterans reintegrate with their families, work through trauma, enhance mental health and reestablish relationships.
  • Reintegration Goals:
    • Help veterans successfully move into civilian life
    • Emphasis on communication skills
    • Self-regulation
    • Goal setting
    • Transition process
    • Impacts of trauma
  • Services offered:
    • Free group counselling services
    • All groups are confidential
    • Facilitated by specialists with expertise working with the military population
  • Eligible Population:
    • Veterans of all ages
    • Male and female
    • Active or retired
    • From the military or RCMP
​Physical address: 622-470 Granville Street
Tel:604-559-8155
Tel:604-559-8156
info@vtncanada.org

West Coast Mental Health Network Society (WCMHNS)

Organization run by peers for those who are or have previously used the mental health and/or psychiatric systems and are looking for assistance and support in their rehabilitation.
​Tel:7783230825
wcmhns@gmail.com

Access and Assessment Centre (AAC)

  • Services offered: Adults with severe and chronic mental illness can get individual and group mental health rehabilitation services from a multidisciplinary team.
  • Types of treatments:
    • Psychological evaluation and treatment
    • Individual and group therapy
    • Rehabilitation treatments
  • Rehabilitation Goals:
    • Developing skills
    • Coaching
    • Education
    • Mentorship
    • In areas including:
      • Home management
      • Community living
      • Interpersonal connections
      • Disease and self-management
      • Volunteering
      • Going back to school
      • Working
      • Having fun
  • Additional Support: Services may engage the client's close relatives or friends if necessary.
  • Hours: 7 days/week/holidays
  • Walk-ins: 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
  • Phone lines: 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m

803 West 12th Avenue
Level 1 East Entrance
Tel:(604) 675-3700

Living Life to the Full - Free Group Online Course
  • Living Life to the Full course: A mental health promotion course designed to help you deal with everyday life challenges and learn self-management skills using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principles.
  • Course features:
    • Practical and easily applied to everyday life situations.
    • Self-empowerment skills from the comfort of your home
    • Connect with other members of your community
    • Group-based, virtual course
    • Delivered through weekly sessions by video conference
    • Trained facilitator to guide you and support discussions
    • Interactive and get to know people facing similar challenges
  • Cost:
    • No cost as it's funded by Province of British Columbia
    • Usually cost up to $250.00 per person.

#Get Real - Articles to Help
#GetReal is a campaign of the Canadian Mental Health Association that guides you in identifying your emotions, and encouraging you to express them rather than burying them.

When we name precisely how we feel, it’s good for our mental health.

Check out this series of great tools and resources.

Did you know:
  • Studies show that suppressing emotions can lead to increased anxiety and depression, disrupted sleep, and overall worsening of mental health.
  • Putting feelings into words is thought to decrease activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain that drives our responses to fear and stress, and increase activity in the prefrontal control regions, parts of the brain associated with regulating and making sense of emotions.

Program for Families

  • Family-to-Family education course: 8 week free education course, offered twice a year and one of Pathways' most sought-after programs.
  • Delivery Method:
    • Taught using a team approach
    • By two trained family-member volunteers with lived experience.
  • Development and Adaptation:
    • Developed under the aegis of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in the United States
    • Licensed and adapted for use in British Columbia
  • Course Audience:
    • Families, significant others and friends of a loved one with a mental illness
    • including anxiety disorders, PTSD, bipolar disorder, depression, borderline personality disorder, concurrent disorders and schizophrenia

Tel: 604-926-0856

Thrive Program
Thrive is a great program of the Open Door Group.
 
If you’re living with a mental health condition, Thrive offers free one-to-one coaching and group programs that focus on personal development and positive community connections.
 
They offer dozens of different group programs. Just a few of these are:
  • Digital photography
  • Creative writing
  • Stress management
  • Time management
  • Computer skill development
  • Employment readiness
  • Shyness and social anxiety
  • Cooking and nutrition
  • Self-esteem
 
Interested in joining? Complete the online intake form.

After that, the next step will be that you’ll meet with one of the experienced recreational therapists to set personal goals and build an action plan. Together, you’ll find the right activities and programs to help you reach your goals.
Tel:(604) 872 – 0770

Podcast: The Power of Disability

This new podcast series highlights what history has overlooked: the incredible contributions of people with disabilities.

In Motion & Momentum +
In Motion & Momentum + is a new YWCA program that helps participants tap into their full potential and create the life they want to live, through goal setting and action planning.
 
WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR?
In Motion & Momentum + was built for individuals who are feeling stuck or like they have been moving in a direction that is not right for them. The program recognizes the inherent strengths, resilience and potential that lives within each individual and is all about providing experiences and opportunities that help participants to reconnect with their potential, take charge and live the life they want to live.
Participants must be unemployed or precariously employed and not a full-time student and have:
  • Canadian citizenship, permanent residency or confirmed refugee status
  • A minimum Grade 5 literacy level
  • Basic digital literacy and access to technology
  • A desire and commitment to participate fully

​PROGRAM DURATION
  • Module 1  - 3 weeks, 3 days a week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays)
  • Module 2 - 4 weeks, 4 days a week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays)
  • Module 3 - 6 weeks, 1 day a week (day TBC)

Total duration: 13 weeks (6 hours a day, from 9:00am to 3:00pm)

Interested in joining us?
 
Register for an online intake session

Tolerance for Uncertainty - A Covid-19 Workbook

  • Concept: Covid-19 workbook: A guide to help you accept your feelings, tolerate distress, and thrive
  • Purpose: Created to assist with managing the strong emotions that may arise during this difficult time
  • Approach: Using a psychological treatment called Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
  • DBT:
    • An evidence-based intervention
    • Helps individuals identify their feelings and learn skills to better manage their emotions
  • Access:
    • Click on the file below to open the pdf.
Click here to upload file
File Size: 4097 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

More Free BC Brain Wellness Programs

  • Concept: BC Brain Wellness Program
  • Purpose: Establish clinically relevant lifestyle approaches to complement medical treatment, support people living with chronic brain disorders, and improve quality of life
  • Approach:
    • Interactive effort
    • Establishing a provincial network of wellness programs
    • Combining clinical care with interventions that support healthier lifestyles
  • Program offerings:
    • Free programs:
      • Dance
      • Writing
      • Mindfulness
      • Open talk cafe
      • Visual art
      • Music
      • Book club
      • Yoga
      • Online improv
      • Gardening & nutrition
      • Exercise classes

Tel:604-827-4386   

Virtual Support Group - Kaleidoscope Mental Health Support Society

Kaleidoscope Mental Health Support Society General Group is held virtually on Thursdays from 6:30-7:30pm.

About Kaleidoscope

Y Mind  - Learn to Cope with Stress [Online]
YMCA of Greater Vancouver is excited to announce that Y Mind, a free, seven-week group program, will be running virtually. These programs are open to adults 30+ across the Lower Mainland, with a separate program for younger adults.
Our goal is to provide accessible and low-barrier programming to support the mental wellness of those in our community. Y Mind uses Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness to help people cope with stress and mild to moderate anxiety.
Y Mind is led by mental health professionals and delivered weekly through group video call.
  • Participants will schedule a private intake meeting via video call to determine if the group is a good fit
  • Each group has 10-12 participants
  • Participants will need a computer, tablet or smartphone with internet connection, camera and microphone
  • The group will be held on one evening per week for 2.5 hours, for a total of 7 weeks
If you are interested in Y Mind, please email the following details to schedule an intake meeting:
  • Name
  • Pronoun (She/her/hers, He/him/his, They/them/theirs)
  • Age
  • Date of birth
  • Phone number
  • Full address including postal code
  • Emergency contact name, phone number and relationship to you
  • Best availability/time for a Zoom intake session Mon-Fri
  • How you heard about Y Mind
We will be scheduling intakes in early January and will be in touch closer to this time to schedule an intake.
Please send these responses to register for an intake meeting to YMind@gv.ymca.ca or leave a message at Tel:604.673.6182 if you wish for more info.

Wellness Recovery Action Plan

The Wellness Recovery Action Plan® or WRAP®, is a self-designed prevention and wellness process that anyone can use to get well, stay well and make their life the way they want it to be. It was developed by a group of people who were searching for ways to overcome their own mental health issues and move on to fulfilling their life dreams and goals.  It is now used extensively by people in all kinds of circumstances, and by health care and mental health systems all over the world to address all kinds of physical, mental health and life issues.
 
WRAP Will Help You:
  • Discover your own simple, safe wellness tools
  • Develop a list of things to do every day to stay as well as possible
  • Identify upsetting events, early warning signs and signs that things have gotten much worse and, using wellness tools, develop action plans for responding at these times
  • Create a crisis plan
  • Create a post-crisis plan

Crest-BD - Support and Resources for those with Bipolar Disorder

The Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial issues in Bipolar Disorder (CREST.BD) is a multidisciplinary collaborative network of researchers, people living with bipolar disorder, healthcare providers, and family members and supporters.Learn about managing bipolar disorder - on your own terms.

A new program during Covid-19:

#TalkBD is an online series of community gatherings providing mental health support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Tel: 604-822-7247
Public Q and A's About Bipolar Disorder on Reddit
For two days every year, Crest.BD holds public Q&A about bipolar disorder on Reddit. View a wealth of information in the 3 years of all the questions and answers.

Eight-Week Cognitive Behavioural Therapy [CBT] Skills Groups

The Vancouver CBT Skills Groups
  • Offers an 8-week psycho-education program for low to moderate severity of anxiety, depression and other lower acuity mental health diagnoses.
  • Sessions are covered by MSP, with a $35 fee for the workbook
  • Committing to completing the eight weeks and obtain a program referral through a doctor.
  • Programs are held at various times and locations around Vancouver.
What is CBT?
  • CBT stands for cognitive-behavioral therapy, a type of talk therapy that aims to change negative patterns of thinking and behavior.
  • There is a lot of convincing evidence that CBT is effective in treating a range of mental health conditions.
More Information
  • For more information about CBT and the evidence supporting its effectiveness, please click on the 'More Info' button below.

Self-Care: 20 Things to Do While Self-Isolating During the Pandemic

Self-Isolating can be a hard time for many of us, whether you're living alone or at home with family. Here are some self-care tips for you and your family while self-isolating. 

Mental Health Education Videos

In order to reach out to the public and to make vital mental health information more accessible, MDABC produces a great, wide-ranging series of original videos which they post via the website below or on a YouTube Channel.  

​The videos feature experienced professionals and/or people with lived experience from the BC community who provide invaluable insight into variety of issues surrounding mental health.

Online Live Depression Support for Men
When: Every Thursday
Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: Free

A survey by Men's Health Research reveals that 1 in 2 Canadians know a man with depression. Yet stigma and barriers are still keeping men from reaching out and seeking help with their mental health.

Men Let’s Talk is an online drop-in group providing support for male-identified people and a safe space to discuss mental health & wellness.
​
Participants can also access one-on-one support from the group facilitator and Peer Supporter, Ty Javos. 

Contact Ty with questions, and to register and receive the Zoom link: ty.javos@cmha.bc.ca / Tel:(604) 987-6959

 ​Self-Help Modules, Worksheets & Resources for Mental Health Problems

  • The Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI) offers resources for individuals and healthcare professionals to assist with interventions for mental health problems, including:
    • Depression
    • Bipolar
    • Social anxiety
    • Panic
    • Self-esteem
    • Procrastination
    • Perfectionism
    • Eating disorders
  • These resources provide general information about various mental health problems and techniques that focus on a cognitive-behavioral approach to managing difficulties.
  • If you are experiencing a mental health condition and looking for specific information and self-help resources, these in-depth self-help modules, worksheets, and resources may be helpful for you.

Mental Health Commission of Canada

The events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic can cause normal reactions to an abnormal situation.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada is not a mental health services provider and cannot respond to individual or clinician requests for help. However, we can provide curated, evidence-based information that can be trusted.
  • In times of high anxiety and stress, it is essential to prioritize mental wellness.
  • This includes limiting exposure to non-essential information and reducing news consumption.
Our commitment at the Mental Health Commission of Canada is to share credible information and resources on:
  • Maintaining mental health during this crisis
  • Supporting individuals managing a mental illness in this new context.
Tel:613.683.3755

Hearing Voices Network Study Club

This group meets on a monthly basis to discuss and watch videos plus read and discuss literature related to the International Hearing Voices Network.

When:  Monthly on various Friday evenings from 6:30 - 8pm
To be added to the E-list for this group:
​Tel:604-708-5276
Where: Meeting Room #2
​Creekside Community Recreation Centre
1 Athletes Way, Vancouver