IndigEnous resources
Through Perinatal Services BC, resources have been developed with and for Indigenous Peoples and health professionals.
These resources support culturally safe care that improves health outcomes and honours Indigenous perspectives and traditions.
Here are some examples.
- Pregnancy passport: A culturally appropriate health promotion resource empowering women and families through their sacred journey of pregnancy
- Emotional health: A guide to emotional health in pregnancy and early parenthood for Indigenous people and their families
- Doula services: Information for communities interested in providing Indigenous doula services, or individuals interested in becoming doulas
Podcasts
She Found Motherhood
Drs. Alicia Power and Sarah Lea of Grow Health in View Royal host the She Found Motherhood podcast. They do this to help take the anxiety out of peoples’ journeys through pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood. If you are looking for evidence based, high quality information that can add clarity to the decisions that face you in pregnancy, birthing or the postpartum period, then tune into this podcast! For more from this dynamic duo, look up their She Found Motherhood website.
Making Mama Well
In the Making Mama Well podcast, Dr. Pip Houghton of Campbell River talks to real mamas, pregnant and parenting people about maternal mental health and the “normal hard stuff” that all newly parenting families experience.
This podcast series is part of a perinatal mental health project which is supported with funding from the Shared Care Committee, a partnership of Doctors of BC and the BC government.
Honest as a Mother
Amanda Gurman invites you and other moms to sit with her for a lot of good, tough conversations on motherhood. Amanda is a full-time, working mom with a passion for discussing the “taboo” topics of motherhood. Listen in to her Honest as a Mother podcast where she faces the feeling and experiences of what motherhood is really like.
Beyond Postpartum
It’s not always about you and your new babe. In the Beyond Postpartum podcast, Jessica Wendi Abel address the challenges and ways you can support the older child in your family, even when PPD makes that harder than it should be. Running from 2020 until 2022, Beyond Postpartum is an official podcast of the Pacific Post Partum Support Society based on Vancouver.
#Our Anxiety Stories
Want to learn more about anxiety and hear people from all walks of life share their experiences with anxiety? Then go to #OurAnxietyStories – The Anxiety Canada Podcast, hosted by John Bateman.
Community Groups
Prenatal & Postpartum
Fernwood Community Centre
Best Babies by Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group (NRG)
Quadra Village Community Centre
Best Babies (prenatal and postpartum support programs)
Esquimalt Neighbourhood House
Best Babies groups (prenatal) and Best Families groups (postpartum)
Mothering Touch
Pre-natal classes for birthing and parenting in downtown Victoria.
Baby Groups in downtown Victoria
Saanich Neighbourhood Place
Early parenthood support through the in-person Best Babies program (pre-natal) and Babies Group at Saanich Neighbourhood Place.
Royal Oak Neighbourhood
Early parenthood support through the in-person Best Babies program (pre-natal) and Babies Group at Royal Oak Neighbourhood House.
Perinatal LOSS
Perinatal Mindfulness Groups with Instructor Stephanie Curran at Full Circle Perinatal Care with subsidy support of the Pacific Perinatal Foundation.
Directories
Use these local and regional directories as a starting place to find the community services that are available to you.
Division of Family Practice
Pathways
- Community Services Directory for patients in Victoria & Area
- Community Services Directories for patients in BC
- BC Directory for Medical & Maternity Care Providers
HealthLinkBC
HealthLinkBC provides non-emergency information and advice in British Columbia. These links may be useful for parents in their perinatal period.
Other services
A number of programs and services are provided locally that may be of use to you and your family. Some are listed here.
Public Health
- Island Health / Public Health Nurses:
Services to support women and families during pregnancy and the postpartum period - Island Health / Right from the Start:
Support from public health nurses for expecting and new parents and their babies, children and families. - Victoria Native Friendship Centre: Early Childhood Development before and up to 6 years after birth
- Victoria Native Friendship Centre: Slaheena Prenatal Support Program led by a public health nurse and dietician.
Women MD
General Mental Health
- Bounce Back Program
- CBT Skills Groups
- Anxiety Canada groups, courses, podcasts & info
- BC Women’s Hospital in Vancouver: Reproductive mental health services
- This Way Up (Australia): Online therapy programs
Perinatal LOSS
- Life After Miscarriage:
- Pacific Perinatal Foundation
Health Monitoring & Program Management
Info
Island HEalth
Nearby Courses
HealthLink BC provides reliable non-emergency health information and advice in British Columbia. These links may be useful for parents in their perinatal period.
Fall 2023 Course: Mindfulness for Fertility
- Dr. Alda Ngo, Whole Family Health
- Stephanie Curran, Elements of Health Centre
For Organizations: The Art of Dialogue: Mindfulness at Work
- Patricia Galaczy
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction instruction
- Course facilitation combining mindfulness and leadership for organizational health
Interview: by KidCareCanada Dr. Joanna Cheek discusses Anxiety in New Parents
- Transcript of interview
Courses for Canadians: CBT Skills GROUPS
- CBT Skills
- Raising Resilient Kids
- ADHD Strategies for Adults
BCalm: BC Association for Living Mindfully
- The Art of Loving Mindfully — GP-facilitated 8-week MSP-covered skills group online + Info for Referrers
- Mindfulness meditations — drop in Zoom sessions
- More BCalm offerings & resources
Online resources
BC Reproductive Mental Health
BC Reproductive Mental Health Program BC Women’s Hospital (Vancouver)
Pacific Post Partum Support Society
Postpartum.org Vancouver
Postpartum Support International (PSI)
Homepage Portland, Oregon
Pregnancy Support
Anxiety Canada
About this collection
Resource listings are reviewed and updated periodically. The listing expands and updates a list of local perinatal mental health resources that was developed in June 2021 as a SharedCareBC, initiative.
We strive to list resources which offer benefits to the groups of people they are intended for. However, we are unable to review each resource in detail, and we do not know the needs and circumstances of every visitor to this site.
A listing on this page is not a recommendation or endorsement. Users are responsible for deciding what resources to use, and for getting help and advice of a qualified mental health or health professional.
Corrections and suggested additions are welcome at perinatal@tracimcgee.ca
“Postpartum is very real. And there’s so many resources that we just have to help each other find what they are and keep getting the word out there.”
– Reese Witherspoon