Are you a family member, partner, friend or support person of someone receiving treatment in one of our programs? Read these frequently asked questions.
If you know someone who is experiencing mental health or substance use issues, don't hesitate to let them know that you care about them, and that help is available. Encourage them to get in touch with their doctor. If they don't have one, they can visit a local walk-in clinic.
You can also take a look at our
Other B.C. Mental Health and Substance Use Resources page.
Most of our programs are for people who have already tried other treatment options and need more specialized care. Learn more about them and whether they are a fit for your loved one by visiting the pages below.
BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services provides services for adults. To learn about options for mental health or substance use support and treatment for children, visit the
BC Children's Hospital mental health website or contact the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre at 604-875-2084 or toll free at 1-800-665-1822.
We encourage you to visit and stay involved in your loved one's treatment.
Please note that you are now required to wear a medical mask, which we will provide, when visiting any of our treatment facilities.
Visiting hours and guidelines vary at each of our locations:
- Monday to Friday, 3-4:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
- Saturday, Sunday and long weekends, 1-4:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
Sunday afternoons or by special arrangements, depending on the visitor (children may have more frequent visits). Contact us to make arrangements.
- Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7-8:30 p.m.
- Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 2-4 p.m. and 7-8:30 p.m.
- Patients in Hawthorne House, our pre-discharge unit, as well as in the
Community Transition Cottages may receive visitors on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
For visiting hours at individual provincial correctional facilities, contact BC Corrections.
Contact Cedars at Cobble Hill and the Phoenix Society for visiting hours.
Contact Vancouver Coastal Health for BC Psychosis Program visiting hours.
If you can’t visit in person, you can connect with your loved one by phone or video (including FaceTime). There are tablets and phones at every site that clients have access to stay in touch with you. Please contact the facility to ask about how to connect with your loved one using the available technology.
Helping a loved one who is struggling with a mental health or substance use issue can be extremely difficult.
Our
family support group offers care and support to family members and loved ones of patients at any of BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services' facilities, as well as a safe space to share your experiences. The group meets every third Monday at the Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health and Addiction. It's run by and for family members who have loved ones struggling with mental illness and substance use.
We also have a support group called Understanding Addiction just for families of patients and clients at the Heartwood Centre for Women.
Contact us at heartwood@cw.bc.ca for details.
