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Parental Mental Health Support for Survivors

Parental Mental Health for Survivors Support Program

The Centre for Family Equity has heard repeatedly from our members about gaps in access to mental health support and the value of those programs, particularly for those impacted by intimate partner and family violence. What we have heard over a decade is backed up by our partnered research with UBC on the impact of the pandemic on mental health.

In response, the Centre for Family Equity launched a parental mental health support program in 2023. With support from funders, we have now developed and expanded the online Parental Mental Health Support for Survivors Support Program. Cohort 2.1 launches in September 2024.

The Parental Mental Health Support for Survivors Program aims to support parents and caregivers impacted by intimate partner and family violence by providing evidence-based coping practices and fostering long-term social connections between program participants. The program is facilitated by a registered clinical counsellor.

The program is offered in two sessions:

Cohort 2.1 - September 2024 to March 2025 - 12 events
Cohort 2.2 - January 2025 to June 2025 - 12 events

Part 1: Workshop Series

The first part of the program consists of six therapeutic online workshops offered every other week on Saturday morning from 10 am to 12 pm over a three-month period. The dates of the January workshop series will be released shortly.

The therapeutic workshops cover the following topics:

  • emotional regulation and nervous system grounding with concrete exercises;
  • coping and communication strategies in high-conflict situations;
  • building social connections to support family violence recovery;
  • strategies and skills for parenting in challenging transitions;
  • self-empowerment and self-advocacy; and
  • goal-setting and future focus.

Part 2: Peer Support Meetings

Online peer support meetings led by a designated peer facilitator will take place after the workshop series has concluded. These meetings can be accessed over three months on an as-needed basis btu we hope all participants fully participate. Each peer support meeting corresponds to one of the six workshops providing an opportunity for practice and review of what was learned in each workshop.

Facilitated peer support meetings will provide:

  • on-going healing and support in a supportive peer-based setting;
  • an opportunity to practise learnings from all six workshops and review content;
  • share about progress;
  • social connection through difficult times.

Who Should Apply

This program is open to women and gender-diverse parents and caregivers who have separated from their partners and have been impacted by intimate partner and family violence, lack of access to mental health supports, and low income. Intake sessions for the co-hort starting in January will take place over the next 4-5 weeks so reserve your spot asap.

The program has space for 12 participants in each cohort. For more information contact Viveca at [email protected]

To join our list to hear about new program cohorts when they start please click here.

History

Program Development 

The Centre for Family Equity's Parental Mental Health program was developed and launched in 2023. We identified mental health service gaps through our funded research with UBC from 2021 to 2024 on the impact of the pandemic on low-income mothers. Our Parental Mental Health program was developed in response to evidence-based data we collected on low-income parents' barriers to accessing much-needed mental health support, particularly for those impacted by gender-based family violence. Our Parental Mental Health program offered cohorts in-person in Vancouver from 2023 to 2024 for Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants. Our partnership with the firm Human Nature Counselling explored a nature-based therapeutic approach. 

In the spring of 2024, we held focus groups with past program participants to gather more input on program structure, content, and design to evolve our model.

Program Expansion and Growth in 2024 - 2025

In 2024, we received financial support to develop an expanded Parental Mental Health for Survivors Program.

We are grateful for support from the UBC Community-University Engagement Support Fund and BC's Civil Forfeiture fund that has allowed us to offer the program to underserved regions of BC and to increase the number of cohorts. 

To join our list to hear about new program cohorts when they start please click here.