i dont think anyone's trying to discredit mental illness...if it's an emergency i dont think OP would've posted on an internet forum asking for resources

then again they are people that post shit on here when they should've called icbc asap

As someone else mentioned, I wouldn't recommend a counsellor but rather a psychiatrist for an illness such as depression.

You are legally limited to what you can do as a friend. The only thing you can do is to encourage him/her.

If you want your friend to get free help. The easiest way is for him/her to talk to your friend's family doctor. Any type of counselling (psychologists / psychiatrists) is FREE as long as there is a GP's referral. Again, you can't do much other than accompany him/her to the appointments. I do not recommend free services like UBC / SFU Psychology department that don't require referrals.. as the doctoral students / therapists there are very transient (they are usually on their final year or 2 of practicum), depending on your friend, it is way better to do it on a long term basis via a psychiatrist / psychologist who can see how your friend is doing on the long term.

I would also be reluctant to go through work insurance, even though it is illegal to discriminate based on mental illness; Once a problem is noted on file, you never know who / where it might end up. Especially since the universal healthcare probably won't be around forever. Right now your workplace only need to know you are sick or not sick with a doctor's note, they are not supposed to dwell any deeper than that.

Considering the students in PhD program the majority are female, there is a good chance you will be able to find a female counsellor. However I think it should be the least of your issues right now. You should get your friend to see his/her GP and get the GP to refer your friend to a female counsellor.

The link to resources above are all good and well.. but the fact is still if your family physicians deem you need mental health help, it will be covered by the Health Act, which we are paid for via MSP. If you go to any counsellor's office willy nilly, you will get charged full price usually $150+ / hour.. just like you walk into a MRI lab and want a full body MRI without a referral or request for diagnostic from a family physician.

Get your friend to see his / her family doctor ASAP.

Well it depends, psychiatrist can prescribe a medication that can alleviate the symptoms quickly (a few months for the person / doctor to tune the dose).. However you still need to deal with the fundamental issue of why the person is depressed, that can be done via psychologists.

There are limited number of psychiatrists in Vancouver (I know a few friends that consistently work from 8AM - 9PM 6 days a week), so for the later issues, psychologists will probably be easier. The treatment plan should be done with the GP who is supposed to be the gatekeeper / coordinator of all treatment for the friend.

Coles notes: Involve your family doctor, keep records of your visits and your health. Be an advocate for your own heath and let your GP deal with any treatment that you need.

UBC has a great anxiety clinic out of richmond hospital. The waitlist is based on seriousness though. When I first approached my doctor in November of 2010 (school allieviated my anxiety for 6 months before it hit me like a truck agian) he sent me there as an outpatient but I never got a call until 6 months later.

I don't think government covers CBT/Psychologists, but don't quote me.

edit: on a sidenote I had a friend who had manic bi-polar Disorder and his meds bankrupted him. He was paying 1k a month before pharmacare kicked in.

It depends if the person needs it or not.. hence why I keep saying talk to your GP. Gov pay for CBT/psychologist: Court required anger management or gambling addictions etc. If there is a need and it affects your life, Canadian healthcare system will take care of you.

^^ good to know.

Great thread.

There's been a request to move this to the Health and Wellness subforum. I'm inclined to leave this here for about a week for it to get the traffic/attention it deserves, and I'll move it then.

Let me know if there are objections.