Counselling and Support

For more information about the Department of Student Services, click on the main 'Student Services' link.

Please scroll to the end of this section for helpful links and resources.

Personal Counselling & Spiritual Support and Guidance

© Copyright Vancouver College 2011. 

Spiritual Support & Guidance

Father Chris Lynch is available to students and their families for confidential personal, religious, and or spiritual support and guidance. 

Father Chris is available on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays in his office in the Student Services Centre and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in his office beside the main office.

What is Spiritual Support & Guidance?

Print a PDF Pamphlet: What is Spiritual Support & Guidance  by Father Chris Lynch

There are times when we struggle with some of the most profound questions in life, such as those related to God, purpose and meaning. Spiritual support and guidance provides a safe, non-judgmental and confidential space where spiritual concerns can be formulated, expressed and explored. As you put your concerns into words and hear yourself telling your story you can see your spiritual life with some distance and from a new perspective. This results in new insights and a deeper understanding of yourself and your spirituality.  

What Can I Talk to Father Chris About?

• Faith/spirituality
• Sacraments
• Confessions/reconcilliation
• Prayer
• Grief & loss
• Loneliness
• Bullying
• Anger
• Self Esteem
• Self Harm
• Emotional trauma
• Suicide
• Alcohol abuse
• D rug abuse     

How  Can I Arrange to See Father Chris?

 

Students can drop by either of Father Chris' offices or make an appointment to see him at via email.  Father Chris is available in his office in the Student Services Centre on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays and in his office by the main office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.                         

Community Mass

All members of the VC community are welcomed to attend mass every Wednesday at 7:45 a.m. in the Chapel in the Brothers’ residence.

Links on Spirituality and Prayer

Information on saint of the day: www.catholic.org/saints

Reflective daily exercises:  www.norprov.org/spirituality/examenbookmark.pdf

Social justice website: www.networklobby.org

Daily prayer: www.pray.nd.edu

Daily prayer – Irish Jesuits:  www.sacaredspace.edu

Prayer services: www.universalis.com

Christian Brother website: www.ercbna.org

Archdiocese of Vancouver: www.rcav.org

Loving God, please give me the attention to seek you, the grace to desire you, the reason to recognize you, the mind to understand you, the wisdom to find you, the courage to believe you, the ears to hear you, the eyes to see you, the mouth to reveal you, the feet to meet you, the hands to embrace you, the heart to contemplate you, the spirit to love, the life to reflect you, thank you for being with me and in me. Amen.

Personal Counselling and Referrals

Mrs. Beck is available to students for short term personal counselling and referral. 

What is Personal Counselling?

Print a PDF Pamphlet:  Personal Counselling  Monica Beck, Counsellor.

Counselling is sharing your feelings and thoughts with a trained professional who can guide you through exploring your feelings, help you to learn new ways of approaching your experiences and relationships, help you to set goals, and be there to listen and to support you in a safe and confidential environment.

Counselling is confidential with some exceptions which will be explained to you when you come for your first appointment.

What are some typical issues students seek counselling for?

Students pursue counselling for assistance when they are experiencing difficulties, managing a new stage or change in their lives, or for learning life skills for self-improvement and/or to prevent future problems. Some typical issues include:

• Study, time management,and organizational skills
• Relationship issues
• Stress or anger management
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Decision making or problem solution
• Personal growth
• Substance use issues
• Self esteem issues
• Grief and loss

How do students access counselling?

Students can drop by or make an appointment to see Mrs. Beck in the Student Services Centre. After the initial meeting Mrs. Beck and the student will set out a plan for how to proceed - either with short term counselling at school or with a referral to an external counsellor or psychologist for more specialized, in-depth, or long term counselling.Some external counselling services are free or low cost and others are at full cost. Many extended health plans cover a set amount of sessions with a registered psychologist.

Parents are also welcome to contact Mrs. Beck for assistance with any concerns they have with their sons.

Crisis

If you are experiencing a crisis, which may include abuse, thinking about harming yourself or someone else, or feeling very emotionally distraught, you need to speak with a professional immediately. On campus, please speak to any counsellor, teacher or administrator at the school.

Off campus and/or after school hours, contact any of the following organizations:

• The Crisis Centre 24 Hour Line: (604) 872-3311
• Kids Help Phone 24 Hour Line: 1-800-668-6868
• Help Line for Children 24 Hour Line: (604)310-1234
• CART: Child & Adolescent Response Team: (604) 874-2300
• Vancouver Child & Youth Mental Health Referral Line: (604) 709-4111
  

If you are in immediate danger, contact 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department.

Anger and Anger Management

Print a PDF Pamphlet: Anger and Anger Management

Loss & Grief – Monica Beck, Counsellor

Print a PDF Pamphlet: Loss & Grief

How Do We Experience Grief?

Everyone experiences grief differently based on the meaning of the loss, including the relationship they had with the person, if the loss is a change in relationship or a death. Our experience of grief is also affected by our previous experiences of loss. If we have coped successfully with other losses we have learned that we can get through it, develop ways of coping, and know in some way what to expect. If we have not had previous experiences our first major loss can be very challenging. If we have not coped well with previous losses or fully processed them we may experience a reactivation of our feelings or an ‘adding up’ of the losses. These are both times when it is important to seek out help both from supportive others and professionals. We also experience grief uniquely with respect to our emotions, physical symptoms, thoughts, and behaviours. Some common features include:

• Shock, numbness, and/or denial
• Anger
• Sadness
• Guilt
• Fear
• Anxiety
• Difficulties with sleep
• Changes in appetite
• Fatigue
• Withdrawing from others
• Poor concentration
• Disorientation
• Confusion or forgetfulness
• Worry about others

Crisis

If you are experiencing a crisis, which may include abuse, thinking about harming yourself or someone else, or feeling very emotionally distraught, you need to speak with a professional immediately. On campus, please speak to any counsellor, teacher or administrator at the school. Off campus, contact any of the organizations below. If you are in immediate danger, contact 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department.

How to Cope with Grief

• Spend time with supportive friends, family, and others.
• Allow yourself to feel and to express your feelings. Talking helps to provide relief, support, and understanding.
• Reach out for help when you need it – everyone does sometimes.
• Keep your body strong with adequate sleep, nutrition, and exercise.
• Do things that comfort you (e.g. a hot bath or shower, listening to music, walking, exercising, praying, etc.)
• Be attentive to the reactivation of grief over previous losses.
• Participate in & create rituals and memorials.
• Share happy memories.
• Avoid the use of substances including alcohol which is a depressant.

Who Can You Talk To?

• Mrs. Beck (counselling & referral)
• Mr. Accili
• Members of the Campus Ministry Team
• Your Teachers & Coaches
• Your Priest
• Your parents & family

When Should You Seek Out Professional Assistance?

• You've been grieving for 4 months or more and you aren't experiencing any improvement.
• You feel depressed.
• You are unable to pursue your regular relationships and/or activities or your work and grades are declining.
• Your sleep and/or appetite have been signficantly disrupted.
• You have thoughts of harming yourself or committing suicide. This is a time when you should seek assistance immediately.

Helpful Resources

• Mrs. Beck
• The Crisis Line:(604) 872-3311.
• Catholic Family Services: (604) 443-2200. 
• Grief Works:   www.griefworksbc.ca
• BC Bereavement Helpline: (604) 738-9950

Stress and Stress Management - Monica Beck, Counsellor

Print a PDF pamphlet: Stress and Stress Management

What is Stress?

Stress is a term that is typically overused to describe when we are feeling a variety of emotions. It is important that we learn to label our feelings appropriately so we and those around us understand and can be supportive.

Stress is a constellation of thoughts, feelings, physical effects, and behaviours which are triggered in reponse to our perception that there is a threat to either or physical or emotional well-being.

Fight or Flight

Once our brain detects a threat a response is triggered through our nervous system. This is known as the ‘fight or flight mechanism’ and can be thought of as a ‘red alert’. A host of changes rapidly occur in our body as a result of this activation. These changes are biologically programmed to prepare us to fight or to run in the face of danger.

Each individual experiences stress, and the fight or flight reaction, differently but common symptoms and their biological functions include:

• Fast and shallow breathing (to bring more oxygen into the body).
• Stomach/gastrointestinal problems (blood is shunted away from the digestive system to provide more blood and oxygen to the large muscles).
• Sweating (our skin is made slippery to avoid capture).
• Fast heartbeat (to provide more blood and oxygen to the large muscles and the brain).
• Strong emotions (to induce action).
• Feeling ‘on edge’ (to make us hypervigilent to/ aware of dangers).
  

Ineffective Stress Management Strategies

We all do our best to cope with stress using strategies we have watched others use, have been taught, or have developed ourselves. Some of these are not effective, provide only short term relief, or can create additional difficulties. These include:

• Pushing things down/keeping our stress to ourselves.
• Becoming irritable and/or angry, possibly taking out our stress on others.
• Withdrawing.
• Avoiding the stressful situation.
• Distracting ourselves excessively.
• Using substances, such as tobacco, alcohol, and or drugs to  ‘numb out’ the feelings.
• Pushing through stressful times on an  ‘adrenaline wave’, then ‘crashing’.

When is Stress Something Else?

• Feelings persist despite reasonable attempts to relax and/or the situation changing.
• Other strong emotions, e.g. sadness, are present.
• Reactions are out of magnitude with the event.
• Relationships are negatively affected.
• Worry is persistent and excessive.
• Ability to perform, e.g. in school, is affected.

How Stress Affects Performance & Health

Without any stress we would likely get very little accomplished! We need some stress in order to feel motivated and to be productive.  Feeling nervous before a test or performance is normal and helps us to work hard.We all have an individual limit; however, to how much stress is helpful versus harmful.

If we approach this limit or surpass it, and thus our resources to cope, our stress will begin to negatively impact our performance and productivity.

When we are stressed our immune system is adversely affected and thus our ability to fight infections is reduced. This is one of the reasons that so many students seem to be fighting a cold or flu during exam time.

Chronic stress that goes unchecked can cause much more serious health difficulties and has been linked to a host of illnesses including cardiovascular disease, immunological diseases, and cancer.

Effective Stress Management Techniques

Stress management strategies are most effective when they ‘match’ the symptoms that an individual experiences and when multiple strategies are used. These include:

• Talking with friends, parents, teachers, Priest, coaches, etc.
• Counselling with family doctor, Student Services, or an outside counsellor or psychologist.
• Aerobic exercise.
• Learning better time management.
• Healthy distractions.
• Learning more effective study skills.
• More sleep (even modest sleep deprivation reduces our emotional resources, our ability to cope, and our mood).
• Learning new thinking styles (that are coping oriented).
• Deep breathing.
• Learning more effective problem solving.
• Relaxation training.
• Dealing with procrastination.
• Yoga and other meditation techniques.
• Prayer.
• Fueling your body with proper nutrition.

Contact Student Services for help with your stress management or for detailed information about strategies or resources.

Many self-help pamphlets covering a variety of topics are available in the Student Services Centre.

Mental Health Services & Resources

Catholic Family Services Vancouver

Child and Youth Mental Health Services:  YouthinBC

24/7 Counselling and Referral:  Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of British Columbia:  (604) 872-3311

24/7 Counselling and Information:  Kids Help Phone : 1-800-668-6868

24/7 Concerns about and reporting of abuse:  Help Line for Children 24 Hour Line: (604)310-1234

Services for Youth in Distress:  Lower Mainland Crisis Response Teams

General Counselling and Alcohol and Drug Counselling:  Youth Health Clinics

 Lower Mainland Youth Health Clinics (Vancouver Coastal Health)

Three Bridges CHC (West End) - 1290 Hornby St. - 604-736-9844

Grandview-Woodland CHC (Commercial Skytrain) - 1669 E. Broadway - 604-675-3986

Raven Song CHC (Mount Pleasant) - 2450 Ontario St. - 604-709-6400

Evergreen CHC (Joyce Skytrain) - 3425 Crowley Dr. - 604-872-2511

Pacific Spirit CHC (Kerrisdale) - 2110 West 43rd Ave. - 604-261-6366

South CHC (Knight & 49th) - 6405 Knight St. - 604-321-6151

Pine CHC (Burrard & Broadway) - 1985 West 4th Ave. - 604-736-2391

Richmond Youth Clinic – Location by day – see below. 604-233-3204

• Tuesdays, 2-4pm - At the East Richmond Hall, 12360 Cambie Rd.,  drop-in or by appointment.
• Mon. & Wed., 3:30-5:30pm - At Richmond Place, 8100 Granville Ave., drop-in or by appointment.
• Fridays, 1-4pm - At Richmond Place, 8100 Granville Ave., by appointment only.

Lower Mainland Youth Health Clinics ( Fraser Health):

Burnaby Youth Clinic (Royal Oak or Metrotown Skytrain) 4734 Imperial St. - 604-293-1764

New West Youth Clinic (New West Skytrain) 38 Begbie St. - 604-329-1875

Vine Youth Clinic (Peace Arch Hospital) 15455 Vine Ave. - 604-542-3926 (our entry)

Surrey Youth Clinic (Surrey Memorial Hospital) 13750 - 96th Ave. - 604-585-5999

Iron Horse Youth Clinic (Maple Ridge) 11925 Haney Pl. - 604-463-6268  

British Columbia Psychological Association - Referral Service  604-730-0522

Mental Health Information & Self-Help Resources

Information and Helpful advise about a variety of mental health, well-being, and health topics:  Teens Health, Kids Health, Teens Health and Kids Health for Parents

Managing Well Being - Here to Help BC

How to Cope with Test Anxiety - An Anxiety BC Resource :  Test Anxiety 

Anxiety Self-Help Resources:  Anxiety BC Complete Home Tool Kit

Information and Resources about Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders:  Anxiety BC

Anxiety Disorders Toolkit:  Here to Help BC

Depression Toolkit:  Here to Help BC

Coping with Suicidal Thoughts:  Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health

Fraser Health Early Psychosis Intervention:  Psychosis Sucks

Information and referral to education, prevention, and treatment services:  Alcohol & Drug Information & Referral Servive:  (604) 660-9382.

Problem Substance Use Workbook :  Here to Help BC.

Concurrent Disorders Youth Program - For youth experiencing a mental health issue and a substance use concern:  CDYP Brochure

Loss and Grief:  BC Bereavement Help Line

Information about Mental Health and Substance Abuse Resources (available in English and many other languages):  Here to Help BC

Information about mental health symptoms, causes, treatment, support groups, publications, and programs:  Mental Health Information Line:  (604) 669-7600. 

Canadian Mental Health Association: Mental Health Information Topics A-Z

F.O.R.C.E. BC Society for Kids Mental Health Workshops for Parents on Mental Health Topics( anxiety, ADHD, etc.):  In the Know  (click on 'Past In the Know Parent Training Sessions').

Information, articles, and videos on emotional well-being in children and teens:  Seattle Children's Hospital Emotional Well Being

Note: All information on the Student Services link of the Vancouver College website is for educational purposes only. For specific psychological or medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor or a registered psychologist.

© Copyright Vancouver College 2011.