Mental Health and Substance Use Services

BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services provide specialized mental health care for people across British Columbia with severe mental health and substance use/addiction issues, people in custody, and people who have been referred by the courts for assessment and treatment. 

Learn more about BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services here.

The Canadian Mental Health Association – BC Division (CMHA BC) is an organization that promotes mental health and supports for people recovering from mental illness.  

For more information, find a CMHA location in your area. 

 Visit the CMHA BC website here.

Community Transition Teams (CTT) help people leaving British Columbia’s provincial correctional centres to safely reintegrate into their communities. CTT has ten teams across the province, offering support, coordination, and transitional assistance. 

Learn more about Community Transition Teams here.

Developmental Disability Mental Health Services are available for CLBC individuals eligible under the Developmental Disability stream (not the Personalized Supports Initiative eligibility stream).   

Developmental Disability Mental Health Services provide mental health services for people who have both an intellectual developmental disorder and a mental health disorder.   

Help to improve may include:  

• Screening & assessment 
• Treatment & consultation  
• Follow-up services  
• Support, education & advocacy  
• Referrals to other community services 

Please contact your local CLBC office to learn more.  

Find information about Developmental Disability Mental Health Services in the different B.C. health regions below:

• Fraser Region 
• Interior Region 
• Northern Region 
• Vancouver Coastal Region 
• Vancouver Island Health Authority  

Managed by the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, the Help Starts Here website has over 2,600 listings of mental health and substance use supports. There are many resources that use easy-to-understand language about commonly searched topics. 

Visit: HelpStartsHere.gov.bc.ca

The KUU-US Crisis Line Society provides a First Nations and Indigenous-specific crisis line available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, toll-free from anywhere in British Columbia. 

The KUU-US Crisis Line can be reached toll-free at 1-800-588-8717.

Alternatively, individuals can call direct into the Youth Line at 250-723-2040 or the Adult Line at 250-723-4050.  

Learn more about the KUU-US Crisis Line Society here.

This number and people who answer the calls are here to provide emotional support, information, and mental health resources.  

Call: 310-6789 (No Area Code Required)

The aim of a Peer Assisted Care Team (PACT) is to provide an alternative to police when people are having a mental health crisis. A mental health professional (social worker, nurse or counsellor) and a trained peer with lived experience will come to provide support and follow-up afterwards.  

A Peer Assisted Care Team is led by a client-centered organization in an identified local community area. 

Learn more about Peer Assisted Care Teams here. 

Find PACTs in communities across B.C. here. 

These programs are for people who experience severe mental health and substance use issues and need an integrated, whole-person treatment approach. These programs are for people living anywhere in B.C., but are located in the
Lower Mainland. They require a referral from a professional. Please contact your nearest CLBC office to support the referral process. 

• Provincial Assessment Centre – The Provincial Assessment Centre (PAC) is an inpatient mental health facility located in Coquitlam, British Columbia. PAC provides multi-disciplinary mental health services for referred individuals 14 years and older with a developmental disability and a concurrent mental health concern, or behaviour issue.
• Heartwood Centre for Women – The Heartwood Centre for Women, located in Vancouver, provides integrated treatment for women 19 year and older, including members of Two-Spirit and gender-diverse communities, across B.C. who struggle with severe substance use and mental health challenges.
• θəqiʔ ɫəwʔənəq leləm’ – Red Fish Health Centre for Mental Health and Addiction – The centre treats people across the province who live with the most severe, complex substance use and mental health issues. 

Hope people who are feeling like they have lost hope and are struggling to cope, or dealing with thoughts of suicide, or worried about someone else, 9-8-8 is here to help. When you reach out, a trained responder will listen without judgement, provide support and understanding, and can share resources that will help. 

Learn more about the Suicide Crisis Helpline here.

Call or text 988 for help.

This number and people who answer the calls are here to support anyone experiencing feelings of extreme sadness including thoughts of suicide.  

Call: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)

9-1-1 is the emergency number you can call if you need immediate help. They can send an ambulance, police, the fire department and more.