Counselling Services

Counselling Services
  • Free, short-term one-to-one counselling available via video, telephone, or in-person.

  • Sessions are led by counselling students, volunteers, or staff, with a maximum of 15 sessions.

  • Following the 15-session limit, clients can rejoin the waitlist after a 2-month transition period.

  • Our counsellors are equipped to address a range of topics including mental health counselling, grief & loss, stage 1 trauma counselling (safety & stabilization), stress management, wellness, relationships, life skills, goal setting, and gender/sexuality.

How to Join the Waitlist:
  • The waitlist is currently open, and you can book a consultation appointment.

  • During the 20-minute consultation, our counselling program coordinators will assess your eligibility.

  • If our program isn’t suitable for you, we’ll provide referrals to other resources.

  • Eligible individuals will be added to the waitlist, with approximate wait times provided.

  • Clients will be contacted by their assigned counsellor via telephone and email to schedule their first appointment.

Eligibility Criteria:
  • Our services are available to self-identified women, trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

  • Applicants must be adults over the age of 19 and have low to no income.

  • Previous clients are welcome to reapply after a 2-month transition period since completing a previous 15-session offering.

We Do Not Offer
  • Crisis or same-day appointments, mental health diagnosis or medications.

  • Services to those outside of British Columbia, couples or family counselling, and child or youth counselling.

  • Text or email counselling, as well as support from outreach workers, social workers, or peer support workers.

  • Our program isn’t suitable for individuals experiencing severe mental health issues or crises, nor is it open to middle or upper-income community members

Intake for Exploring Eligibility for Waitlist

The intention of arranging an intake phone call is to determine eligibility for the VWHC counselling program. This is not a scheduled counselling session, however, this is an opportunity to explore if the VWHC counselling program is a good fit for your needs. Following the intake call, you will receive information regarding next steps (being added to the waitlist, scheduling your first appointment or receiving a referral)

Waitlist consultations are 20-30 minutes in length. The waitlist counsellor will end the call on time, even in the event that the consultation was not completed. In those events, community members will have to schedule an additional appointment to complete the consultation to determine eligibility to VWHC counselling program waitlist.

Tell us your details:

Immediate Services

Emergency (Fire, Police, Ambulance): Call 9-1-1
National Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 9-8-8
BC Mental Health & Crisis Response: Call 310-6789
BC Suicide Prevention & Intervention Line: Call 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
Hope for Wellness Helpline: Call 1-855-242-3310
– Offers immediate, 24/7 help to all Indigenous People across Canada
– www.hopeforwellness.ca
Indian Residential School Society Crisis Line (24hr): Call 1-800-721-0066
KUU-US Crisis Line Society (24hr): Call 250-737-4050
– Child/Youth Crisis Line: 250-723-2040
– Métis Crisis Line: 1-833-638-4722
Tsow Tun Le Lum Society: Call 1-250-390-3123
– Toll Free Phone: 1-888-403-3123
BC First Nations Health Authority National Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line:
Call 1-866-925-4419
Access and Assessment Centre: Call 604-675-3700 Available 7:30am to 10:00pm
365 days a year
– Walk-in open 7:30am to 9:30pm 7 days a week
– Address: Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre 803 West 12th Avenue, Level 1
– Access and Assessment Centre (AAC) helps individuals and families access mental health and substance use services in Vancouver.
– Services include referral intake, on-site assessment, crisis intervention, and short-term treatment.

Seniors Distress Line: Call 604-872-1234
Online Chat Service for Youth: www.YouthInBC.com (Noon to 1am)
Online Chat Service for Adults: www.CrisisCentreChat.ca (Noon to 1am)
Trans LifeLine: Call 877-330-6366
– A Trans-led organization that connects trans people to community, support and resources they need to survive
VictimLink: Call 1-800-563-0808
– Crisis support for anyone who has experienced violence (24hrs/day)
Vancouver General Hospital Sexual Assault Service: Call 604-875-4995
(24hrs/day)
Salal Vancouver Crisis Line: Call 604-255-6344
– 24hrs Gender-Based Violence Crisis and Information Line
– National Toll Free Crisis Support: Call 877-392-7583
BWSS Crisis Line: Call 604-687-1867
– Battered Women’s Support Services offers immediate, short-term help to survivors of intimate partner violence, childhood sexual absue and adult sexual assault
– National Toll Free Crisis Line: Call 1-855-687-1868
Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868

We at the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective are a non-profit organization helping all who self-identify as women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming foster health, wellness, and equity through feminist approaches to advocacy, shared knowledge, and low-barrier programs and services.

Contact Information

Website by: NatPheBas GE                  © 2024. Copyrights Womens Health Collective, Canada. Charity Registration Number: 11928 2382 RR 0001