Author: sam

Volunteers are the heartbeat of our mission: not only do they keep the Centre running, they provide life-affirming support on our crisis lines and to our communities every single day.

On Friday, August 23rd, we had a chance to express our gratitude at our Volunteer Appreciation Jamboree at Trout Lake Park. This annual event is a heartfelt celebration of the incredible individuals who contribute their time and passion to our cause.

Our sincere gratitude to the following businesses whose generosity made the event extra special:

The not so early bird

Brassneck Brewing

Burgoo

Hime Sushi

Modo Yoga

Pedal Society

Rain or Shine

The Rio Theatre

Rhythm City

Cycle Vancouver

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If you would like to join Crisis Centre’s team of volunteers, check out our website for the full listing of volunteer opportunities and application information.

Last year, we reported that the Crisis Centre of BC, in partnership with the BC Crisis Line Network, was working to bring about changes to our systems to ensure British Columbians receive the right kind of suicide intervention and mental health crisis care.

This year, we took a crucial step towards providing better access to mental health crisis care for all, with the integration of local centres across the network onto the same phone system, allowing calls to be routed between them.

For years, we have worked to ensure that no call is left unanswered, that nobody is left waiting or met with a voicemail inbox in their moment of need. In September 2023 we onboarded onto the Provincial Health Services Authority’s new call centre, alongside nine other BC crisis centres. Now, if a particular crisis centre is experiencing a high volume of calls, another centre within the network provides seamless backup support. This ensures that people in crisis receive timely help, even during peak hours. The network also fosters knowledge sharing and collaboration between crisis centres, meaning we can continue to improve the quality and appropriateness of support we provide.

In BC, we moved from a 43% answer rate for incoming calls to a 76% answer rate in only six months.

In November 2023, we also onboarded onto the national 9-8-8 platform, joining 40 crisis centres across Canada to provide immediate support to folks dealing with suicidal thoughts or actions. The 9-8-8 service has been receiving 1,000 calls and 450 texts every single day, and we have answered calls from people in distress as close as our neighbourhood and as distant as Newfoundland. The bottom line is, these calls get answered because crisis line responders are available. 

9-8-8 offers bilingual, culturally appropriate support, and an easy-to-remember number, ensuring a broader reach to those who may not have known about previous helplines. 

 

Building a Stronger Safety Net for Crisis

The launch of the provincial crisis line network and the national 9-8-8 suicide crisis hotline are significant strides towards a more effective crisis response system. However, the road ahead requires further collaboration.

Here in British Columbia, we continue to work towards a more coordinated crisis response continuum, a comprehensive approach that prioritizes early intervention and community-based support. 

A crisis care continuum maximizes the autonomy of the person in crisis by providing alternatives to police and psychiatric intervention, which is often the default for crisis intervention today. We believe in a system that helps the person in crisis decide their next steps in the least restrictive way, and minimizes the trauma inherent in coercive approaches to care.

The ideal continuum includes:

• 24/7 accessible crisis hotlines, chat, and text services: These would offer immediate intervention and serve as the entry point for further support within the continuum.
• Civilian-led mobile crisis response teams: These teams would be equipped to address crises directly in the community; in communities using civilian-led teams, police interventions are almost never necessary.
• Community-based crisis respite facilities: These facilities, separate from hospitals and jails, would provide safe havens for those in crisis; when community-based crisis respite is in place, only 2% of individuals who flow through the crisis care continuum require psychiatric hospitalization.
• Wraparound crisis follow-up and care: This ensures individuals receive ongoing community-based support after a crisis event.

The national suicide crisis line is a step in the right direction. To further streamline crisis care and minimize police involvement in mental health situations, we advocate for:

• Ensuring all BC 9-8-8 calls are answered in BC.
• Clear criteria for directing calls from 9-1-1 and police non-emergency lines to crisis lines, ensuring individuals connect with the most appropriate resources.
• Expanding the use of 310-6789, BC’s crisis line, as a public access point for dispatching mobile crisis teams across the province, as public feedback suggests.

By working together to implement a comprehensive crisis response continuum, we can build a more robust safety net for those in need.

Do you believe that everyone deserves support through crisis? If so, we invite you to become a society member of the Crisis Centre of BC.

If you are dedicated to providing help and hope to individuals, organizations, and communities across the spectrum of crisis support, suicide prevention and postvention, we’d like to invite you to consider becoming a member. Membership in the Crisis Centre is free, and there is no obligation to become a donor.  

To learn about the benefits of members and to check out eligibility for becoming a member, visit our website. 

Joining the Board of Directors: If you are interested in taking on more of a leadership role, consider joining the Crisis Centre’s Board of Directors. To begin the application process, please complete the membership form and review the Board job description here. 

Click here to more information about membership.

Vancouver, BC – July 24, 2024 – The Crisis Centre of BC acknowledges today’s Vancouver City Council decision to include the installation of suicide prevention barriers on the Granville Street Bridge into its Capital Plan, but we are disappointed that this essential work is still contingent on other levels of government coming to the table first.

The original motion, introduced by Councillor Christine Boyle, was designed to save lives – now. Amendments brought forward mark a step forward in creating a suicide-safer Vancouver, but they do not address the urgency of the lived and living experiences of folks directly impacted by suicide on Granville Street Bridge.

The Centre supports the inclusion of suicide bridge barrier funding in the National Suicide Prevention Action Plan. We encourage the City to apply for infrastructure funding from all levels of government. But these actions can happen after City Council makes a clear commitment to fund and install suicide prevention fencing as quickly as possible.

The lives of Vancouver residents should not rely on resolving debates about funding.

“While the motion as passed did not meet our hope of prioritizing the lives of residents by unanimously supporting the installation of barriers as soon as possible, the motion still carries weight to bring about significant change in our region, province and country,” said Stacy Ashton, Executive Director of the Crisis Centre of BC. “By bringing forward the addition of bridge suicide barriers as a priority addition to Canada’s National Suicide Prevention Action Plan, Vancouver is demonstrating a commitment to this work; we would have liked that commitment to go further to create safety on Granville Bridge now.”

The Crisis Centre of BC remains dedicated to supporting individuals in crisis and advocating for suicide prevention measures. With today’s decision, the organization is hopeful for a future where bridges are symbols of hope and connection, rather than despair.

About the Crisis Centre of BC

The Crisis Centre of BC is a leading provider of crisis intervention and suicide prevention services in British Columbia. The Centre operates 24/7 crisis lines offering barrier-free, non-judgemental, confidential support and follow-up, as well as education and training programs that promote mental wellness and equip schools, organizations and communities to assist people at risk of suicide.

• 310-6789 (no area code needed)
  BC Mental Health Support Line
• 1-800-SUICIDE / 1-800-784-2433
  BC Suicide Prevention and Intervention Line
• 9-8-8
  National Suicide Crisis Helpline / Ligne d’aide en cas de crise de suicide

Media Requests

Jeffrey Preiss
Director, Development & Communications
jpreiss@crisiscentre.bc.ca

Stacy Ashton
Executive Director, Crisis Centre of BC
Chair, BC Crisis Line Network
sashton@crisiscentre.bc.ca

Vancouver, BC – July 17, 2024 – The Crisis Centre BC is calling on the Vancouver City Mayor and Council to champion public safety and mental health by supporting the upcoming motion regarding suicide prevention fencing for the Granville Bridge. The motion will be brought forward to Council on July 24, 2024.

“Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy,” states Stacy Ashton, Executive Director at Crisis Centre BC. “Suicide prevention fencing on Granville Bridge will save lives.”

The Crisis Centre of BC is a signatory to a Letter to Mayor & Council sent on July 17, 2024.  Other signatories include: Tom Lancaster – General Manager, CMHC-Granville Island; Ruhamah Buchanan – President, PSAC Local 20378, Granville Island; Jonny Morris – Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Mental Health Association, BC; Jeannine Martin, President, Vancouver Regional Construction Association; Jane Talbot, Executive Director, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association; Ivy Haisell, Executive Director of the South Granville Business Improvement Association.  

“The heartbreaking reality is that people attempting suicide from the bridge are acting in moments of crisis,” says Ashton.  Suicide prevention fencing offers a critical opportunity for intervention and prevents final decisions made in someone’s most difficult moments.  These fences save lives, prevent injuries, and prevent trauma for the first responders and bystanders who are moved to help and who witness these events.

By prioritizing this motion, the Council can send a strong message that they value the safety and well-being of all Vancouver residents.

About the Crisis Centre of BC

The Crisis Centre of BC is a leading provider of crisis intervention and suicide prevention services in British Columbia. The Centre operates 24/7 crisis lines offering barrier-free, non-judgemental, confidential support and follow-up, as well as education and training programs that promote mental wellness and equip schools, organizations and communities to assist people at risk of suicide.

• 310-6789 (no area code needed)
  BC Mental Health Support Line
• 1-800-SUICIDE / 1-800-784-2433
  BC Suicide Prevention and Intervention Line
• 9-8-8
  National Suicide Crisis Helpline / Ligne d’aide en cas de crise de suicide

Media Requests

Jeffrey Preiss
Director, Development & Communications
jpreiss@crisiscentre.bc.ca

Stacy Ashton
Executive Director, Crisis Centre of BC
Chair, BC Crisis Line Network
sashton@crisiscentre.bc.ca

BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS) is leading the Crisis Line Enhancement Project – an initiative focused on enhancing the quality, consistency and capacity of crisis line services across BC. The aim is to provide a provincial crisis line service that is anti-racist, non-discriminatory, culturally safe, and supportive of peoples from all backgrounds – regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, migrant status, beliefs or disabilities.

BCMHSUS, in collaboration with the BC Crisis Lines, Trans Care BC and PHSA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team – will be hosting a ‘Diverse Client Voices’ dialogue event on June 19th, 2024.

The aim of the event is to bring together crisis line responders and patient / family partners with:

• lived experiences of mental health challenges
• and / or previous histories of using crisis line services

to identify ways to make the service safer and more accessible for all of BC’s diverse communities.

For this event, we are curious about how we can enhance the crisis line service to support community members who identify as:

• Indigenous, Black or a Person of Colour (IBPOC)
• Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and additional sexual orientations and gender identities (2SLGBTQQIA+)

If you are interested in participating in the event, please reach out to: clep@phsa.ca by Friday June 14th 2024. 

Thank you!

 

Our Bereavement Coordinator, Jessica’s, work has included going out into communities that have experienced a suicide loss. Supporting a community through the aftermath of such a loss is a multi-step process that, when done effectively, can make a big difference to those impacted. 

Jessica highlights the importance of bringing together a community as soon as possible after a loss has occurred. “The aim of doing this to bring hope to a place where there was once hopelessness.” It is important to have structure to the first gathering, and have a clear goal and direction. Thinking of it like planting a seed of hope, Jessica considers what tools she can provide to the community, and how they will work with them after she has left.

Suicide loss is unique because it is sudden, aggressive, and violent. These factors cannot be changed. The social stigma that comes with the loss, though, is something that can be changed, and bringing the topic out into the open can help to extinguish the shame that may be felt by those close to a suicide loss.

The question many people ask is “Why?”

Because there is never a good enough answer to this question, Jessica does not dwell on it, focusing instead on the question of how to promote life and move forward. Her role is to bring the community together, build connection, and provide educational support about suicide loss. These things alone can be life supporting. It is also about fostering an understanding that we all grieve the same loss, but we all grieve differently. Life-affirming activities, respecting the needs of others, and staying connected with each other are some steps a community can take towards healing.

Jessica also emphasizes the value of moving beyond the grief of the suicide death, to celebrating and remembering the life of the person. As Jessica says, “One event does not define a life”, and focusing on who the person was beyond their suicide can be healing. 

Finally, it’s about normalizing pain in the path of life. We all experience pain – and what should we do with it? Building capacity to come together and heal from a suicide loss certainly seems like a positive step.

 

Learn more about our postvention work in our interview with Jessica Wolf.

How can we support someone who is grieving the loss of a friend or a family member to suicide? In the immediacy of a suicide loss, providing the right support is important, but can be challenging. Postvention – the work that is done to help family and friends cope with a suicide loss – can make a difference on how the suicide impacts whole communities, including those closest to the loss. 

Over the past year, we have worked to offer postvention support in a number of communities. Jessica Wolf Ortiz has been our Bereavement Coordinator for three years, and has built the program from scratch. Jessica has seen first hand the positive impact this work has had on those involved.

What is postvention, and why is it an important part of the Crisis Centre’s programming? 

Suicide needs to be thought as a process not just an event. In this process we try to protect communities from thoughts of suicide coming up when life becomes challenging. This work is called prevention. 

A crisis line such as ours offers support to people when thoughts of suicide do come up and can or may threaten their lives. This is what we call suicide intervention. 

Lastly, when suicide has sadly happened, postvention is what is needed to support those impacted by its ripple effects. Many, many people are impacted by each suicide; it is difficult to define how many as each experience is unique, but it is always an important number. Having a postvention/bereavement program at the Crisis Centre is important as it acknowledges that everyone who is touched by suicide needs to be supported.

 

How have you approached building out the offerings in your postvention work with the Crisis Centre? How do you believe your work has impacted the communities you have worked with? 

We have built this program on two important pillars: connection and learning. The bereavement program as part of CLE (Community Learning and Engagement) acknowledges that we need to build community, create networks, and offer resources and learning experiences to those impacted by suicide. People who are impacted by suicide have a difficult time finding resources that are specific to their needs (suicide loss is quite particular). People now know of our program and our capacity to offer them support or connect them to the right resources depending on their needs. I do think we have built a community of resonance, sameness and belonging for them, a safe space to land after tragedy has happened. 

 

Do you think there is more that can be done in schools, workplaces and communities to support those affected by suicide loss? What supportive measures can be put in place? 

There is always more to be done as suicide still happens. Hopefully we can create a community postvention model that can be tailored to each community’s needs. The earlier we intervene in a community that has been impacted by suicide, the better we can help them support each other and be self-sustainable. We need more people and professionals trained and educated around suicide loss so we can grow our resources.

 

What role does stigma play in suicide bereavement? How can we address stigma and promote understanding and empathy within the community? 

A huge role! Suicide is still quite misunderstood and stigmatized. People impacted by suicide frequently feel isolated and blamed or judged. This stands in the way of them reaching the right resources and support and adds another layer to the already painful and complex loss. 

An important part of our role in suicide postvention involves destigmatizing suicide to ease the burden they experience. Suicide can happen to anyone… I have seen it in the most loving families and have met the people who have died by suicide in the eyes of their loved ones. No difference between you and I. Reason why we have talked often in our bereavement program about the need to humanize suicide. 

 

What else would you like us to know about postvention? 

That yes, working in postvention does involve working with pain, death and trauma, but we can plant hope where there was hopelessness. Humans have an amazing capacity to touch darkness and appreciate light so much more after. Once a suicide has occurred, there is so much that needs and can be offered to those who stay.

4th June, 2024

PDF: Crisis Centre of BC Welcomes National Suicide Prevention Action Plan

The Crisis Centre of BC applauds the announcement of the country’s first National Suicide Prevention Action Plan. This plan is a critical step forward in strengthening Canada’s response to suicide and improving crisis care.

“Suicide prevention is one part mental health services and three parts effective means prevention, a robust social safety net, and access to education and financial stability,” says Stacy Ashton, Executive Director of the Crisis Centre of BC. “This plan recognizes the importance of a comprehensive approach that includes improved data collection, better access to mental health supports and services, and investment in the social determinants of health.”

The Action Plan comes six months after the launch of Canada’s national 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline, and follows additional mental health investments announced in Budget 2024, including the Youth Mental Health Fund.

The Crisis Centre of BC looks forward to working with the government and other stakeholders in implementing this plan and ensuring these vital resources are effectively utilized.

About the Crisis Centre of BC

The Crisis Centre of BC is a leading provider of crisis intervention and suicide prevention services in British Columbia. The Centre operates 24/7 crisis lines offering barrier-free, non-judgemental, confidential support and follow-up, as well as education and training programs that promote mental wellness and equip schools, organizations and communities to assist people at risk of suicide.

310-6789 (no area code needed)
BC Mental Health Support Line

1-800-SUICIDE / 1-800-784-2433
BC Suicide Prevention and Intervention Line

9-8-8
National Suicide Crisis Helpline / Ligne d’aide en cas de crise de suicide

Media Requests

Jeffrey Preiss
Director, Development & Communications
jpreiss@crisiscentre.bc.ca

Stacy Ashton
Executive Director, Crisis Centre of BC
Chair, BC Crisis Line Network
sashton@crisiscentre.bc.ca

Our Community Learning and Engagement programs foster resilience and hope, and build capacity in individuals, organizations and communities. Partnering with post-secondary institutions is a growing part of what we do, and represents a powerful opportunity to intervene and make a real difference in the lives of students, faculty and their networks. 

Students in post-secondary institutions can face myriad challenges: the pressure of deadlines, social dynamics, financial issues – further exacerbated by being in a new and unfamiliar environment away from home. Challenges can be amplified for international students and newcomers who may be isolated and missing home.

In early 2022, we connected with University Canada West, which was facing low utilization of support services, despite a growing international student population and increasing staff workload.

Before our intervention:

• Staff turnover was high (80%). Staff felt overwhelmed and unequipped to manage student mental health concerns, including suicide ideation and crisis situations.
• Staff lacked confidence in discussing challenges with students and creating safety plans.

Partnering with UCW, our Community Learning and Engagement team set out to develop a comprehensive training program, focused on building staff and students’ resiliency and increasing their capacity to support each other. 

The partnership initially aimed to address the issue that staff were acting as “paraprofessionals”, providing mental health support but without the training they needed to do so effectively. Staff retention was low as they struggled to do the work they had been hired to do while also supporting students who were experiencing increasing stress and mental health crises. 

We focused on building psychological safety as a first principle in our approach. As the partnership moved into its second year, we tailored its content to address recognizing early signs of burnout and taking preventive steps to stop it from occurring. 

We have since developed service pillars to indicate various steps that students and staff are encouraged to take on their journey to become more proficient in taking care of their psychological health. We have fostered stronger support networks, created more psychological safety for students and staff, and strengthened their skill sets for crisis and suicide prevention work, allowing them to offer better support to each other.

Moving towards these early interventions and preventative approaches, we have seen staff retention increase from 20% to 80%. Staff feel better equipped to respond to their students’ needs and support them in creating safety plans and managing their mental health.

This partnership is a success story that continues to develop, based on the data and feedback we collect and the needs of those working at UCW. It is not difficult to imagine that these positive results went beyond those who took the training, extending to the external community of those who interact with the staff and students of UCW. By training students and staff to recognize the signs of burnout and mental health crises in themselves and others, we are creating an environment where everyone can feel more supported.