Counselling For Parents

Counselling For Parents

care for parents

Important Notice

closed to new referrals

With heavy hearts, we have closed intake to new referrals as of April 11, 2025.

The program office remains open (at 250-885-6760) for enquiries, and as a point of support for parents who are still receiving perinatal mental health counselling through the program.

Also, the program website continues as an information hub about local perinatal mental health services, advocacy for access to these services, and the effort to secure funding that may allow the program to resume.

What is the CRD Perinatal Counselling Program? It is a philanthropy-enabled initiative with a 35 year legacy of giving local parents access to fully funded mental health counselling when they need it in their family’s formative perinatal period. (For six of those years, public health dollars allowed the program to operate.)

The 2025 closure of intake is the first and biggest step for ending the program. For parents who are actively receiving counselling through the program, all program-funded services are expected to conclude sometime before the end of June 2025, or thereabouts.

PS: The closure means that too many moms and their partners will have no option but to endure a perinatal mental health disorder without treatement. That is, even when effective treatments are available in our community.

We see this as a vital public health gap that Island Health and the Ministry of Health can and should address by ensuring that parents have universal access to specialized periantal mental counselling when it is needed. Until then, we are reaching out to local healthcare leaders and mental healthcare champions to secure bridge funding that allows parents to get needed counselling without further delay.

Whether that can happen soon or down the road, our team is ready to restart program services that helps perinatal parents be at their best. And with program partners and supporters like the South Island Primary Care Society, we are available to assist anyone who is helping make perinatal counselling accessible in or around the CRD.

Who We Serve

New & Expecting Parents

We provide counselling and therapy to pregnant and postpartum mothers and their partners. We deliver counselling services when parents need them. And when they can benefit from coounselling, but would not be able to access counselling on their own.

As well, we provide perinatal grief and loss counselling. This is for parents when a major loss occurs before after birth.

Babies change us in unexpected ways.
Why We do this work

Baby Care begins with parent Care

Our services promote a healthy start for families with new babies in our community. How? By helping parents address their mental health challenges that get triggered or show up in the perinatal period. Often, this is unexpected.

We are here for you because we care about you and each member of your family.

Who we connect with

Primary Care Providers

We connect with primary care providers in Greater Victoria who refer eligible patients for counselling.

This website is for new and expecting parents. But at least as much, it is for health professionals who refer perinatal patients counselling.

We deliver mental health care to the parents you provide care for.
Image of ocean and forest in Greater Victoria
Reflections

“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.”

— Linda Wooten, author of “A Mother’s Thoughts”