Category: Updates

Posted January 20th, 2025

Written by: Susan Angel

Educating youth in mental health helps them to become miniature educators themselves, Paul Vincent observes.

With a voice that resonates warmth and eyes that twinkle with energy, 55-year-old Paul embodies the spirit of a lifelong volunteer, seamlessly blending service into the rhythm of his life. As a kid, he performed puppet shows in a hospital when his close friend was being treated for cancer and has also volunteered in a women’s centre. He has been with the Crisis Centre since September 2023, and to date has conducted about twenty-five workshops in schools, about two to three times per month.

What initially drew you to volunteer with the Crisis Centre of BC, specifically as a Youth Educator?

I was involved in the Jeep community for over ten years, raising money for breast cancer research, including emceeing events, selling merchandise, and spreading good cheer overall. But I wanted to volunteer in a more personal and direct way. Having suffered from depression when I was young and having attempted suicide at age 29, I now understand that if I had had help during this period, my younger adult life would have been far less difficult. Searching online, I discovered that the Crisis Centre was looking for volunteers for adult and youth programs. I have a young heart and naturally resonate with young people, so I intuitively knew that the youth position would be perfect for me. A lot of emotional damage can occur before a youth reaches adulthood. The sooner we reach them, the more we can impact their emotional wellbeing.

How do you balance your volunteer activities with your day job?

I have a great job working the night shift in a transportation company yard and have a second part time job. I’m also a podcaster working with a close-knit team, and this too takes up a lot of my time. It was initially difficult to find a comfortable schedule, but Lana, our education coordinator, was highly accommodating and arranged my shifts for Mondays, when I have had a good night’s rest.

Have you been on the Crisis Centre phone lines yourself?

I would really like to do that, but unfortunately, I was unable to make it work with my work schedule. I did take the SafeTALK course, from which I learned how to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to support to help keep them safe. This course was necessary and has helped me in many ways.

What does a typical day look like for you as a youth educator and what are some of the key topics you cover?

We conduct workshops for classes of eighteen to thirty students and we are constrained to 40-to-90-minute blocks. Our coordinator arranges school timeslots, and we see one class at a time.

Self-Care for Mental Health is the workshop we offer for grades 6 through 12 students. The objective is to inform students that everyone experiences varying degrees of mental health issues, and that there is no shame in this. We do not yet discuss suicide in this workshop, and we keep the activities interactive to keep the students engaged. For example, the “weighed down” activity is effective for showing that worries can weigh us down, like a bag of heavy rocks. The physical weights are a metaphor for the emotional weights we carry, which may involve school, family, social life, sexuality, or even financial issues. The students are keen and smart, and themselves offer solutions, such as confiding in a friend or getting professional help. We are always mindful of our goal, which is to create an awareness of mental health, to remember that we all deal with it to varying degrees, and that we can adopt self-care habits to maintain our mental health.

It’s Okay Not To Be OK is the workshop we offer for grades 9 through 12. The objectives are to learn what a mental health crisis is, how to identify one in another person, and how to support that person, should the need arise. We discuss self- stigma, and how we can often be our own worst enemies. One of the most important pieces of information we deliver in our workshops is the existence of the 9-8-8 help line. It is Canada-wide and can connect the caller with immediate mental health services, in much the way that 911 operates.

How do you create a safe and open environment for youth?

Young people know genuine. They are looking for tools. As educators, we begin each workshop by sharing a story from our past when we have felt emotionally vulnerable. Students naturally trust us knowing that we are volunteers, and they sense that we speak from the heart. They know that we give these workshops because we want to, not because we have to, and this impacts them.

How can we empower young people to seek help and support when they need it?

I think, normalizing the existence of mental health issues, and getting rid of the stigma that comes with them is the number one thing.

Can you describe a moment when you realized the impact your work was having?

We don’t always see a visible impact at our workshops because our time with the students is brief. At one school, we were presented with a card the teens created and all signed, which felt great. What is most satisfying, though, is to know that when the students walk out of a workshop, we have turned each one into a miniature educator. They will have learned what a crisis is, how to recognize a crisis, how not to brush it off, and how to find help. This makes me feel that I have accomplished something important. This work has also impacted my personal life by giving me the ability to support others. Knowing about my involvement in this program, acquaintances have often sought my help, and I’ve been more than happy to give it. I’ve spent hours talking with them and have encouraged them to visit a counsellor for emotional support or treatment when necessary. All of this stems from having taken the SafeTALK course and becoming an educator.

What advice would you give to someone considering volunteering with the Crisis Centre?

I hope that people want to jump in and volunteer. It’s one of the most rewarding things you can ever do. It’s a tough time to be alive, but it doesn’t take much to be kind. Even the smallest thing can help somebody, and it’s ok not to be ok. Working on the crisis line is not for everyone. It depends on good mental health and state of mind. To help others, we must know how to help ourselves.

Paul reminds us that while helping others can be deeply rewarding, it requires compassion, awareness, and the ability to care for oneself. For those ready to take that step, it’s an opportunity to make a meaningful difference, one small act of care at a time.

 

Learn more about:

Training programs for youth

Becoming a Youth Educator Volunteer

Becoming a Crisis Services Volunteer

How to get the 15% discount:

For Individuals: Visit our training page, use promo code ‘15yearend‘ at checkout to pre-register for a course. Only applicable to Individual Standard Rates. 

For Organizations: Please fill out this form and mention the promotion. Training sessions must be booked by March 31, 2025, and completed within 12 months, to qualify for the discount.

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Whether you want to create a more supportive workplace, or level up your own skills and keep your community safe, the Crisis Centre has a training program for you. We offer a range of impactful training programs to help:

• Destigmatize suicide and mental health: Foster open conversations and create a more inclusive environment
• Strengthen intervention and de-escalation skills: Learn how to effectively respond to crises and support individuals in need
• Facilitate resilience and hope: Equip your team with the tools to support each other and their community
• Promote wellbeing: Develop skills and strategies to prevent stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue

 

Which training courses are included?

Skillfully Responding to Distress

Skillfully Responding to Distress is a half-day workshop that teaches participants how to respond to and de-escalate emotional distress for a person in crisis.

Who is Skillfully Responding to Distress for?
This training is most suitable for participants 15 years and older, who have little to no formal training in counselling or for those seeking a refresher. Typical attendees include professionals working in situations where they need to respond to challenging situations, including social service workers, medical assistants, insurance client representatives, youth workers, call centre staff, and administration.

Learn more and register for Skillfully Responding to Distress

 

safeTALK

safeTALK is a half-day in-person training that teaches participants how to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to support to help keep them safe.

Who is safeTALK for?
safeTALK is suitable for individuals 15 and older. It is ideal for all types of community members, including first responders, teachers, youth workers, housing support, faith communities, parents/families, and community members interested in learning how to respond to suicide.

“The world needs more opportunities to make suicide a safer, less taboo topic.” — safeTALK participant

Learn more and register for safeTALK

 

ASIST

ASIST is the world’s leading suicide intervention training and an empowering program that promotes a whole community response to suicide prevention.

In this 2-day in-person workshop, you will learn how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, providing a skilled intervention, and developing a safety plan to keep someone safe. 98% of attendees highly recommend this training.

Who is ASIST for?
ASIST is suitable for individuals aged 16 and older. Common participants include counsellors, health care workers, first responders, faith leaders, youth workers, and immigrant and refugee settlement workers.

“This workshop was great. It made me feel prepared and also gave me a space to talk about suicide without shame/judgment which is really needed.” — ASIST participant

Learn more and register for ASIST

 

 

 

Vancouver, BC — January 08, 2025 – Voluntary, community-based supports are the only way to ensure proposed involuntary care measures have a chance to succeed.

Stacy Ashton, Executive Director of the Crisis Centre of BC, emphasized the importance of a full spectrum of crisis support:

“It’s common sense to roll out voluntary supports alongside involuntary measures, or you’ll fill 20 beds up on day one and have made no real difference.”

The Crisis Centre of BC, along with nine other crisis centres across the Province, answers the 310-6789 mental health crisis line and 1800SUICIDE line. “We are already part way to on-demand community-based crisis support. The Province has invested in crisis lines and our call answer rate has increased by 46% as a result. Crisis mobile response teams featuring mental health and peer support are available in 33 communities. These measures work, but are not yet funded to answer every single call or able to send teams to support folks 24/7. The cost of community-based support is tiny compared to the cost of building institutions, but one cannot succeed without the other.”

The announcement of two secure involuntary care sites set to open in Surrey and Maple Ridge is meant to provide care for the small subset of people needing urgent mental health and addiction care. “We hear from folks before involuntary care, during involuntary care, and after involuntary care – we hear everything on the lines. Involuntary care is preventable with community-based supports, and community-based supports are what people need to be successful upon release. Quite simply, we cannot afford to keep people in involuntary care forever, so we have to ensure people have supports on the outside as well.”

Media Contact
Stacy Ashton
Executive Director, Crisis Centre of BC
sashton@crisiscentre.bc.ca 

The months leading to the New Year is a time of giving, connection, and hope. At the Crisis Centre of BC, we’re reminded daily of the incredible generosity of supporters like you who bring light to those facing their darkest moments.

This year, we’re navigating a unique challenge. 

With the current disruption to mail services, many of our valued donors may not receive our traditional holiday card—a meaningful reminder to give.

This uncertainty makes your online support today more crucial than ever.

Every donation you make helps ensure that we can continue to provide 24/7 crisis support, education programs, and a lifeline for those in need. And this year, we’re asking for just a little extra help. By donating earlier and giving a bit more than usual, you can help close the donation gap we are expecting.

Please give today.

Your timely support can make a world of difference to someone in crisis today.

With gratitude,

Stacy
Executive Director

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.

Contributors: Berkay Derman, Sam Newbery

Young people across Canada are smart, caring, and already know a lot about their own minds. At the same time, we know they are facing unprecedented challenges which are impacting their mental health: this has been borne out through recent surveys and is evidenced by the Government of Canada’s creation of the Youth Mental Health Fund, currently in the consultation phase.

With the topic of mental health firmly on the table this International Youth Day, we are proud that we are already doing the work of fostering resilience, hope and thoughtfulness in our next generation. 

At the Crisis Centre of BC, we offer two training programs specifically for youth in grades 6-12: Self-Care for Mental Health, which is an in-classroom, 90 minute workshop, and MindFlip: Brain Science Tools for Everyday Living, which is an online, self-paced course that is completely free to access. A new workshop for youth is also underway, to be piloted in the upcoming school year starting in Fall 2024. Several of our training programs, including safeTALK and Skilfully Responding to Distress, are also suitable for participants aged 15 and older. See our Programs for Youth page for the full list.

In the last school year, our youth training programs reached over 16,000 young people across BC and Canada. 

Our in-person workshop, Self-Care for Mental Health, is facilitated by skilled and dedicated Youth Educator Volunteers, who in the last year alone contributed over 2,800 hours of their time to delivering the workshop to classrooms across the Lower Mainland. They speak authentically, often from their own lived experience, with the aim of breaking down stigma and bringing mental health out into the open so that everyone feels they have support when they need it.

We know these facilitators made a real impact: one Self-Care for Mental Health participant reflected that the course was “very applicable to my life; it was something that I could really think about realistically implementing into my life.” Another found it comforting to learn that they were not alone in dealing with their problems, and the course helped them feel that there are solutions available. Another participant commented that they would love to see the training embedded into the school curriculum, adding: “It gave me ideas as to what could benefit my mental health. I will definitely remember this lesson.”

Our online training program, MindFlip: Brain Science Tools for Everyday Living, is completely free to access, and is suitable for young people to take either independently, or in a group setting. The self-directed modules introduce concepts of brain science and explain how it informs practical tools that can be used for effective self-regulation. A group of young students were integral in the development of the MindFlip modules, including the look and feel of the visuals.

Students have told us that they found the course compelling, and believe it will help others like them who struggle with a negative mindset to “flip” to a better one. Support workers also reflected that the course is well made, and that the youth perspective shines through and really adds value to the content of the course. “The videos are done really well and everything was explained in a way that everyone can understand. The guided practices at the end of each session are really helpful.”

We need your help

Feedback about our youth programs is consistently positive, making a real impact on the hearts and minds of the young people who experience them. Our hope is that we can continue to expand our reach and train up new Youth Educator Volunteers to teach coping skills and resiliency to young people across the province. Our volunteers are mental health advocates, role models, and above all, people with lived experience. By modeling openness about mental health, we want to ensure every young person feels empowered to ask for support when they need it, and never feels alone in their struggle. 

But we can’t do this without your help. We rely on donations to maintain and grow our programs. Your donation will help us expand our vital programming, train new Youth Educators, and provide youth with empowering, life-sustaining and hope-inspiring resources to take forward into their lives. Learn more about becoming a donor or make a one-time donation and help us create hope for even more young people.

 

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