British Columbia is in a provincial health emergency and this emergency is affecting people from all walks of life, including those with a mental illness or those who have a loved one with a mental illness.
At the heart of our operation is the Family Support Centre, providing personal support and information programs on major mental illnesses — schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, borderline personality disorder, concurrent disorders, and anxiety disorders.
Pathways has introduced new programs as a response to COVID-19 so that we can still serve a community that we know needs our support during these difficult times. In replacement of our one and only annual public fundraiser, we are turning to you to help us help more people through our new online support programs.
Pathways’ support centre is located in West Vancouver but we are offering our online and telephone support services throughout all of British Columbia. Due to COVID-19, stress levels may be increased, and many people are experiencing fear and anxiety. It is during this time especially that we are thinking of family members and how to best support the community at this isolating time.
Our new online programming includes the following services:
One-to-one support: Pathways is now offering support through email, phone or Zoom sessions with the help of our volunteer family support team and support coordinator. We know the importance of checking in with you and your family and we want to ensure that if you require any additional support, we will be there to help.
Support Groups: With the social media platform Zoom, Pathways will be hosting weekly online support groups available to anyone in the province with the following monthly schedule:
Saturday, April 25th @ 10:00 – 11:30 AM
Friday, May 1st @ 12:00 – 1:30 PM
Thursday, May 14th @ 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Your web browser will download Zoom automatically when you start or join your first Zoom meeting, but it is also available for manual download here: https://zoom.us/download If you are using your smartphone or tablet, you can download the application through your App Store.
Support Sessions will continue after May 14, every week for 1.5 hours:
First Friday of the month @ 12:00 PM
Second Thursday of the month @ 7:00 PM
Third Thursday of the month @ 4:00 PM
Last Saturday of the month @ 10:00 AM
Please email Pathways at info@pathwayssmi.org to register for a support group or to get more information.
Family-to-Family
Our increasingly popular Family-to-Family mental health course is currently being delivered online. It is running twice a year, in Spring and Fall for families, significant others and friends of a loved one living with mental illness.
The course is 8 weeks long, with one session delivered per week. The curriculum covers not only most aspects of serious mental illness and its treatment, but also how best to deal with the challenges of having a loved one with an illness. Participants learn how to solve problems, communicate effectively, handle negative feelings, help their ill family member recover, and advocate for both families and their ill relatives.
Please visit our Family-to-Family page by clicking here for more information.