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Ten years ago, when my son faced a mental health crisis and subsequent mood disorder diagnosis in his early 20’s, I went in search of resources and support to help my family cope.
I discovered that beyond expensive training, books to read, and time-consuming private counseling, little exists to help families of people with mental illness process and grow through the challenging new reality of their lives.
I learned that when a family doesn’t have access to the support they truly need, stigma, guilt, and isolation become the driving factors behind shattered relationships and other unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance use.
In response I founded EmotionsBC in 2018 to help families and caregivers of people with mental health challenges of all kinds come together to access information, skills, resources and peer support.
In the years since I started this journey, I’ve been inspired by the power of our collective action to change the trajectory of family’s life and relationships. I’ve seen that when we come together to share skills and connect over our lived experience, it helps us strengthen relationships with our loved ones. It empowers us to put on our own oxygen masks so that we can care for ourselves during hard times.
Together, with more than 50 volunteers and a generous community of donors, we have created judgment-free spaces that reduce the stigma, isolation, and guilt that so often come hand-in-hand with mental illness.
I’ve put together this report to show the impact you have had on individuals, families, and communities since the beginning of EmotionsBC in 2018. This is both a reflection of where we have been, and a message of hope for the future.
With gratitude for this community,
Nicole
Nicole Taylor
Founder & Executive Director, EmotionsBC