Pacific Post Partum Support Society is a small, non-profit charitable organization that has been providing mental health and emotional support to new parents and families since 1971. The program started as a grass roots initiative when a small group of mothers began meeting at the Vancouver Crisis Line office to share their experiences and support each other.
At the time, our peer support model of care was a new approach to addressing the issues of postpartum depression, and is one that has since influenced changes in postpartum support. Over the years, our programs have expanded and shifted based on the needs of the communities we serve.
Today, we support anyone who is experiencing isolation, distress, or a PMAD in the perinatal period or is supporting someone who is. This includes pregnant people, new parents, mothers, fathers, partners, non-gestational parents, surrogates, adoptive parents, foster parents, and people who have experienced perinatal or infant loss. We receive over 6000 calls to our support line per year, and that number continues to grow. If you are pregnant, have a child under the age of 3, have recently been pregnant, or have experienced loss, we are available to support you.
Our mission is to end the isolation and distress experienced by many parents and families with the profound life change that accompanies the birth or adoption of a child.
We believe that postpartum depression or anxiety is a multi-dimensional problem, with social factors such as discrimination and oppression, isolation, lack of child-care, and the stressful nature of mothering/parenting playing important contributing roles.
We believe that through mutual aid and emotional support, women and parents are empowered to engineer their own recovery and to learn skills of self-care which encourage healthy life choices for themselves and their families.
We believe that it is healing for a woman/parent with postpartum depression and/or anxiety to share their experiences, in confidence, and to receive non-judgmental support and understanding from those who have resolved, or who are in the process of resolving, their own depression.
Our staff are passionate, dedicated, and committed to supporting new parents and families in the perinatal period. All of our staff are parents, and many have experienced a tough adjustment to parenthood. You can learn more about our staff here
We have a volunteer Board of Directors. Our board is an active part of our Society and is made up of people who have a keen interest in perinatal mental health and are committed to supporting our mission. If you are interested in joining our board, see our Support PPPSS page. You can learn more about our board members here.
Without our volunteers we wouldn’t be able to do the work that we do. Volunteers offer their strengths, skills, and time to support us in many areas of our work. To learn more, check out our volunteer page.
Our partners and funders are instrumental in supporting us to realize our mission. We have ongoing partnerships with various organizations, including BC Reproductive Mental Health programs, community family drop-in centers, community public health nurses, general practitioners, registered clinical counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, BC Midwives, and Postpartum Doulas.
Our funding support comes from a wide variety of sources, including government agencies, foundations, corporations, and individual donors/members. We are grateful for this ongoing support and thank each of our donors for their contribution to our Society. If you are interested in partnering with us or supporting us financially, see our For Care Providers and Support PPPSS pages.
Our staff members are the life of PPPSS. They are passionate and dedicated, and believe new parents and families should receive the support they deserve.
DIRECTOR
COUNSELLOR AND GROUP FACILITATOR
COUNSELLOR AND GROUP FACILITATOR
COUNSELLOR AND GROUP FACILITATOR
COUNSELLOR AND GROUP FACILITATOR
COUNSELLOR AND GROUP FACILITATOR
COUNSELLOR AND GROUP FACILITATOR
COUNSELLOR AND GROUP FACILITATOR
PROGRAM MANAGER
AND GROUP FACILITATOR
COUNSELLOR AND GROUP FACILITATOR
COUNSELLOR AND GROUP FACILITATOR
COUNSELLOR AND GROUP FACILITATOR
BOARD CHAIR
BOARD DIRECTOR
BOARD DIRECTOR
BOARD DIRECTOR & TREASURER
BOARD DIRECTOR
BOARD DIRECTOR AND SECRETARY
BOARD DIRECTOR, PAST TREASURER
BOARD DIRECTOR
BOARD DIRECTOR
Pacific Post Partum Support Society is located on the traditional, ancestral, unceded, and occupied territories of the xʷməθkʷiy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and Stó:lō First Nations.
