The Overview

Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees

VICCIR's - The Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants & Refugees - principal activity is to provide mental health counselling to immigrants and refugees living on Vancouver Island.

VICCIR was founded in 2015 by Adrienne Carter and Linda McLagan. In more than fifteen years of service abroad as a psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor, Adrienne Carter witnessed the devastating effects of displacement and trauma on the human spirit. Upon return to her Victoria home, Carter was determined to create a safe haven for those immigrants and refugees on Vancouver Island who had lived similar experiences in their countries of origin and were suffering the impact of trauma. The organization has grown substantially over the last 10 years and continues on it's mandate of offering mental health services to immigrants and refugees who have suffered war, displacement, torture or other traumatic situations.

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VICCIR's Mission

VICCIR is driven by a commitment to empowerment and inclusion. We support the healing and integration of immigrant and refugee individuals, families and communities through mental health services that are trauma-informed, culturally safe and accessible.

VICCIR works to:

  • Restore resilience by helping individuals and families affected by trauma, torture, displacement, and migration reclaim their strength, dignity, and hope.
  • Provide compassionate care through a trained and diverse team of counsellors, interpreters, and Health and Cultural Ambassadors who understand and reflect the communities we serve.
  • Ignite change by serving as a hub for learning and capacity building, expanding mental health awareness, reinforcing community resources, and delivering transformative training to practicum students, professionals, and the public.
  • Promote collaboration and advocacy to make mental health services more welcoming, inclusive, and responsive to each person’s unique background and needs.

We believe every individual deserves the opportunity to lead their life with dignity and well-being.

VICCIR's Programs & Services

VICCIR has developed a unique approach to therapy. The primary components of this model are:

- A client-centred approach to treatment. Decisions are made based on the needs of the client and other family members rather than which resources (counselling modalities, availability, time) are available at the time.

- Clients are matched with the counsellor who best suits their needs and may work with more than one counsellor.

- Trained clinical interpreters are available to enable the client to use their mother tongue if preferred.

- A team approach is taken, with a group of counsellors and interpreters often working with a whole family. Team members work in close communication with each other.

- Clients are seen as individuals, couples, with individual family members and as a whole family. This includes a significant number of children and teens who are referred to VICCIR from schools.

- Clients of all ages, genders and ethnicities are welcomed with no limitation placed upon them because of immigration status or length of time lived in Canada.

- Different therapeutic modalities are offered simultaneously to individuals, couples and families, according to their unique individual situations and needs.

- No limit is placed on the number of therapy sessions and clients are able to return or continue their therapy over an extended period of time.

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Subscribe & Support VICCIR

For every VICCIR BCause Box ordered, we'll donate partial proceeds towards their Core Mental Health Programs.

While VICCIR is occasionally funded through grants, we cannot rely on such an inconstant funding source. As such, our fundraising efforts are ongoing. All funding is used to further the prime mandate of VICCIR - offering essential mental health services to the immigration & refugee communities on Vancouver Island.

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