Supporting Families Affected by Parental Mental Illness and Addictions
Addictions / Substance Use, Child Services, Family / Parenting, Mental Health - Adult & Senior, Mental Health - Child & Youth, and Youth Services
Provided by Supporting Families
Community-based program for families in Richmond who are affected by parental mental illness or addictions.
Groups and activities include:
Resilient Kids Group:
A once-a-week group for 8-11-year-olds that engages kids affected by parental mental illness and addictions in a variety of learning activities, games and social opportunities. Each group runs for 8 weeks. The groups usually occur 2 or 3 times per year (Winter, Spring and Fall.) The focus of the group is to help children build resiliency skills which include: identifying and managing feelings (enhance emotional literacy); coping with negative feelings (practicing skills such as asking for help); developing friendships, social skills and having fun with other kids with similar experiences.
Resilient Kids Group:
A once-a-week group for 8-11-year-olds that engages kids affected by parental mental illness and addictions in a variety of learning activities, games and social opportunities. Each group runs for 8 weeks. The groups usually occur 2 or 3 times per year (Winter, Spring and Fall.) The focus of the group is to help children build resiliency skills which include: identifying and managing feelings (enhance emotional literacy); coping with negative feelings (practicing skills such as asking for help); developing friendships, social skills and having fun with other kids with similar experiences.
A 6-week group for parents runs at the same time as the Resilient Kids Group with the focus decided by the parents and can include emotional support, parenting skills, developing skills to increase your child’s resiliency and support from the other parents and group facilitators.
Resilient Youth:
Two groups are offered to 11-12-year-olds, with an older group for 13-18-year-olds that are living with or exposed to drug and alcohol use, gambling or mental illness in their families. The group is a combination of psycho-education, group support and recreation. The group is offered once per week for 8 weeks two to three times per year and is co-facilitated by various community organizations.
UROK (previously Super Days):
The UROK (Urban Resilience Opportunities for Kids) program offers, once a month, social events developed for pre-teens and teens affected by parental mental illness and addictions. These events are usually on weekends (Saturday and Sunday). The exact times vary depending on what the event is. Transportation to/from home and food is provided for free. UROK events are open to clients of the Supporting Families program: Ages 8 to 18 years old, Affected by parental mental illness or substance use Living or going to school in Richmond, Whose family member has decided in partnership with the Supporting Families Clinical Lead that the group would benefit the youth.
Family Fun Nights:
Family Fun Nights occur on the second Friday of every second month (February, April, June, August, October and December) from 6 – 8 pm. The evening is for anyone who is currently a client or interested in learning more about the Supporting Families Affected by Parental Mental Illness and Substance Use program. The program includes a family dinner paired with arts and crafts as well as fun activities and games.
Parent Education Group:
Parent Education Group is a once-a-week group that engages parents whose children/youth are affected by parental mental illness and addictions. The group covers a range of attachment-parent-focused topics and usually occurs 2 or 3 times per year and runs for eight weeks.
Short-Term Counselling & Systems Navigation:
The Supporting Families Program staff includes a Registered Clinical Counsellor who can offer short-term Individual or family-based counselling to determine which local service(s) may best suit a family’s needs. The Registered Clinical Counsellor will contact each family who is referred to the program to determine the family’s needs and what our program may offer.
Community Education:
Community-based education evenings are organized three times per year. These nights offer community members the opportunity to learn more about a range of relevant topics for families affected by parental mental illness and addictions. Topics include Lived Experiences with Addictions and Mental Health; Managing your Child’s Anxiety; Building Resiliency in Children; Making Sense of Adolescence; Parenting Sibling Groups, and Parenting a Child who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Referrals are accepted from parents, family members, health care providers, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, schools, community agencies, and self-referrals.
Website: http://supportingfamilies.ca/
For Friday Fun Nights: 604-782-1306 (Rick Dubras/Barb Fee)
604-314-3285 (Tina Lee) or 604-270-9220 (Jenny Tse)
For Super Days: 604-872-4914 (Natalie Talson)
Service is available in English.
Cost: No cost
Availability
Service area: Richmond + show cities
Service Types Provided
Addictions / Substance Use
Child Services
Family / Parenting
Mental Health - Adult & Senior
Mental Health - Child & Youth
Ways to Access
- Provided at a single location
The listing of this service in Pathways is not a recommendation or endorsement by Pathways.