Taken from the PowerPoint program prepared for the presentation by Susan Chernoff.

Slide 1

The Evolution of the Deaf, hard of hearing & deaf-Blind Well-Being Program

Slide 2

• Mental health program that serves deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind and/or their families throughout the province of British Columbia.
• Funding: Provincial Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Founded in 1991

Slide 3

The Province of British Columbia

Slide 4

The Well-Being Program is committed to providing safe, confidential therapeutic services in order to assist people in improving and enhancing their lives. It is the intention of the program to ensure that all clients are aware of their rights and that they are receiving satisfactory services.

Slide 5

Individual, group, family and assessment

• Community Support

Mental health support, advocacy & promote quality of life & social skills

• Community Education

Psycho-education & Workshops

• i.e. Assertive Skills & Boundaries, HIV/AIDS, Dinner Table Syndrome, Parenting Skills, etc.

• Mental Health Interpreting

Slide 7

Stigmas of mental illness & mental health services

Experiences within the Deaf Community

• e.g. linguistic & cultural barriers, gaps in employment, residential physical & sexual abuses

Compensations

• (JHS-CA/ Jericho Hill School for the Deaf Class Action, JIC/Jericho Individual Compensation)

• Program Development/ Funding Challenges

Slide 8

Complex roles & boundaries within & out of the therapeutic environment

• Professional Development

Gaps in mental health training specializing in hearing loss related issues

• Diversity

Wide range of hearing loss backgrounds (e.g. culturally Deaf, geriatrics), genders, ethnics, sexuality, etc.

• Geography

Slide 9

Starting with one person to nine current staff

The development of a spectrum of resources & services (e.g. Interpreters/ Deaf-Interpreters; Support Services for deaf-blind, refugees/immigrants; Child & Family Worker and Community Education)

• Increased accessibility to services

e.g. community partnerships, videoconferencing and satellite offices in the Vancouver Lower Mainland

Slide 10

e.g. Client-Satisfaction Surveys (three separate surveys), Alcohol & Drug Survey-Report, MHCEU – Mental Health.

• Increased awareness of the variety mental health services

e.g.: addiction service/treatment program, religion counseling, youth day treatment program, support groups, etc

Slide 11

• Innovative Early Identification

e.g. preschool & school programs, rehabilitation/vocational programs

• Professional Development & training for mental health professionals and interpreters

e.g. papers: "Psychotherapy with Deaf Clients: The Evolving Process of a Therapist/ Interpreter Team", video-productions

• International Recognition

e.g. World Federation for the Deaf, Gallaudet University

Slide 12

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority

200-1070 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6H-1E7

Tel: 604-732-7656 Voice
Tel: 604-732-7549 TTY
Tel: 1-800-949-1155 TTY
Fax: 604-732-5042