35 Years of Pioneering Parent Care In The CRD
From March 1990 to June 2025, a series of evolving perinatal counselling programs delivered mental health care and support to thousands of new and expecting moms and their partners—helping them navigate mental health challenges in the most transformative time of life.
A GENERATIONAL Legacy OF Mental Wellness for Parents and Families
This pioneering counselling access program has ended. But it leaves Greater Victoria with a generational legacy of improved mental wellness and resilience–and it offers BC a proven blueprint for expanding access provincewide.
An Evolution In Service Delivery Models
Program Inception
Early Expansion
Public Health Partnership
Private Network Development
A Community That Refused to Let Parents Face Mental Health Challenges Alone
In 1990, something unprecedented began in the Victoria area. Community leaders decided that no new parent should struggle with depression, anxiety, or overwhelming life changes without support. This original vision has been actively pursued for 35 years. It has resulted in a mental health safety net that has helped thousands of families keep healthy and growing despite the challenges of early parenthood.
But for the first time since the 1980s, this mental health safety net no longer exists in Victoria and the CRD
From Postpartum Program to Perinatal Network
First postpartum counselling program known in BC.
Community-based care is established.
Sustained by the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health.
Initiation of postpartum support groups to serve more families.
Intake coordinator joins to improve timely service access.
Linda Lange, BCATR, joins to provide postpartum loss counselling.
Public Health Nurses at Island Health take on the support groups.
The postpartum program returns to individual counselling only.
Island Health contemplates ways to expand across its region
Island Health cut funding in half in 2019, and fully in 2020.
Funding administration by South Island Primary Care Society.
Service expands to include pregnant moms, partners, and couples.
Team-based model gets traction with up to five clinicians.
Growth in referrals from doctors and midwives outpaces funding.
Expired funding ends 35 years of free counselling for parents.
Priviate counselling is offered for a range of rates
Traci’s spouse, Michael, becomes the new intake coordinator.
Perinatal interns join the network of registred counsellors.
With the interns, low cost perinatal counselling is introduced.
Advocacy begins for universal access to perinatal counselling.
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Two Visionary Leaders. Decades of Dedicated Care for Parents.
Joan Wale, RSW
Program Founder and Leader: 1990-2004
Traci McGee, RMFT, RCC
Program Innovator and Leader: 2004 to Present
What 35 Years of Care Achieved
Impact Across Greater Victoria
Why This History Matters Now
When funding expired in June 2025, parents and families in Greater Victoria lost something that cannot be replaced.
Parents facing perinatal mental health challenges now confront barriers not seen since the 1980s.
The CRD Perinatal Counselling Network continues the mission through fee-for-service care, but many families can no longer access the support they need. Our care coordinator speaks weekly with parents who are either struggling to afford counselling or going without care entirely
What We’ve Learned
Sustainable, universal access requires public health investment. Thirty-five years proved that community-based, specialized perinatal care works. Now we need policy makers to ensure it’s available for the next 35 years.
