The BC Children's Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre has trained parent peer support workers through a collaboration with FamilySmart, a provincial organization of trained families with lived experience in child and youth mental health. These parent peer support workers from FamilySmart are called Parents in Residence (PiRs). 

Wherever your family is in your journey - whether you have never accessed services but are concerned about your child, or your family is currently receiving services and you want to talk to someone who has been though something similar - the Parents in Residence are there for you.

Who are our Parents in Residence, and what do they offer? 

The Parents in Residence (PiRs) offer non-judgemental, compassionate peer support to families, parents, and caregivers from anywhere in B.C. There are three PiRs who work at the Kelty Centre. They have lived experience as family members who have children and/or youth with mental health challenges, and provide support to parents and families. 

The PiRs provide:

  • peer support including coping strategies, self care, finding community resources and developing a support network
  • personalized system navigation and way finding for a range of mental health services across the province
  • mentorship through connecting to other parents and caregivers 
  • access to information, resources and networks 

Meet the FamilySmart Parents in Residence at the Kelty Centre:    

Diane

Diane Evans grew up in Vancouver, but has also lived in Montreal, London, England and Antalya, Turkey. She loves to travel and has taken her two boys on lots of epic adventures. Her biggest travel adventure was converting her Honda Civic into a camper and driving from Vancouver to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT so she could camp on the beach of the Arctic Ocean. In her down time you will find her scouring airline websites or plotting road trip routes! Diane's lived experience comes from working with family members who have significant mental health issues. Diane is passionate about supporting parents through the challenging situations they face while raising kids who are managing mental health struggles. She is also passionate about Disneyland. And shoes. 

 

Kelly

Kelly Kuerbig moved across Canada as a child, getting to know some of our beautiful country. She loves travelling, live musical theatre, sunshine, beaches, music and spending a day with a good book. Kelly spent many years working with Emergency Services to help those in crisis, and later went back to school when her two girls were older, where she then changed her career to counselling. Kelly's lived experience lies with her family, friends and self. She truly understands how important it is to have someone hear you and walk with you through those challenging times. Finding ones way around resources can be so overwhelming, which is why she is honoured to walk alongside and support families along their way.  

 

Kelly

Melina Auerbach moved to BC as an adult and the views of the mountains still take her breath away.  Hiking, cooking,reading,  and spending time with friends and family are some of her favourite pastimes.  Melina worked for many years in public health, and has lived and worked in the Quebec Arctic, India and the Netherlands.  Melina’s lived experience comes from supporting family members through mental health challenges, She is passionate about helping families find the support that they need and meeting people where they are at.  She knows how much an understanding ear can help when facing challenges of caring for a loved one who is struggling. 

How to connect with a Parent in Residence at the Kelty Centre:

We are open Monday - Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

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Need urgent help?

If you, your child, or someone you care about is having a mental health or substance use crisis:

  • Call 911 or go to your local hospital’s emergency room if you are in need of immediate help
  • Call 1-800- SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) anytime if you are concerned about someone who may be considering suicide

These are a few examples of situations when you should seek immediate help:

  • The child or youth is thinking about or trying to end their life
  • The child or youth is experiencing sensations that aren’t real and/or beliefs that can’t possibly be true
  • The child or youth is unable to care for themselves, and it’s putting them at risk of serious harm
  • The child or youth is experiencing an alcohol or drug overdose
  • The child or youth is taking a dangerous combination of substances (like medications and alcohol)

For non-urgent support options, explore our Ask Kelty Mental Health tool. You’ll find answers to common questions families have about accessing mental health supports and services in BC for their child or youth.