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HOW WE GOT HERE!
Our work began in 1971 when a small group of women began meeting to share their experiences and to support each other. This was a new approach to the issue of postpartum depression, and one which has influenced changes in postpartum support worldwide since then. Post Partum Counselling started at the Vancouver Crisis Center in response to the needs of all women afflicted with PPD. In January 1972 the program expanded when the Crisis Center was given the services of two Master's degree students. Together, the mothers and the students defined how it felt to be depressed, and the necessary steps to recovery. As the women recovered they became volunteer telephone counsellors. These women stayed in close contact with the mother they were helping and with the students. This established the pattern for our treatment model. From April 1972 to October 1973, we received funding through the Local Initiative Project grants (2 people). From October 1973 to April 1, 1975 we were sponsored by the Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Health Department. The money came initially from federal and provincial funds. With this money we were able to rent office space, have our own telephone and two full-time paid staff.
POST PARTUM COUNSELLING
By 1979 the service involved a two-part program and six staff members —two part-time and four full-time. The first part was providing the mother with a volunteer telephone counsellor. The second part entailed the mother attending a weekly support group led by a staff member. This group was open ended and on-going so women could enter the group and leave as they were ready. In response to the needs expressed by people in the program, Post Partum Counselling evolved and expanded. A monthly Men's Information Night was started, and family counselling was also available. In December 1983 the Provincial Government terminated the Post Partum Counselling Service as part of its fiscal restraint.
THE PACIFIC POST PARTUM SUPPORT SOCIETY
From September 1984 through April 1985 we operated out of West Side Family Place. For a nominal fee we shared their office space and used their facilities for meetings and to operate one support group. We very much appreciated their support. In 1987 we printed the first edition of our book, Post Partum Depression and Anxiety: A Self Help Guide for Mothers. This book, presently in its fifth edition, has to date sold over 16,000 copies internationally.
WHERE WE ARE TODAY
Currently, we have five support groups in BC; one in Surrey, one in Coquitlam, two in Vancouver, and one in North Vancouver. We also hold Information nights for men to help them understand postpartum depression and its treatment. We provide training for our Group Facilitators and Volunteer Telephone Counsellors. The trainees, for the most part, come from our own former client-base —women who have themselves recovered from a postpartum depression. In 1988-90 we were funded by the Ministry of Health to train volunteers from 13 other communities in British Columbia as group facilitators. We continue to offer this service for a fee. Many graduates start post partum support groups in their own communities. Our goal is to set up an network of all the post partum support groups in British Columbia. Our community education program involves staff and volunteers giving workshops for health professionals, educational institutions, and agencies. In addition, we get our message out through newspaper articles and other media. Our present core funding is through the Ministry of Health, the Ministry for Children and Families, and the Social Planning Department of Vancouver City. We are an affiliate agency of the United Way and receive designated donations through them. We also benefit from gaming revenue, private donors, various foundation grants, and other municipal grants. |
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IN THE BEGINNING