View our PiR Brochure
Parent in Residence and Youth in Residence are young people and families with lived experience in child and youth mental health. The PiR/YiRs utilize each other and their collective experience and expertise to come alongside young people, families and service providers. The PiR/YiRs have a team of peers and a management team that supports the valuable work they do.
The PiR/YiRs provide peer support, mentoring, system navigation, and access to information, resources, networks and education. Our team of PiR/YiRs currently work in many BC communities, hospitals, and other sites providing Child & Youth Mental Health Services and in Edmonton, Alberta at CASA Child, Adolescent & Family Mental Health.
Who We Serve
- Youth or young adult with lived experience of mental health and/or substance use challenges
- Families and caregivers parenting children, youth or young adults with mental health and/or substance use challenges
- Systems and service providers; to assist in building knowledge, skills and capacity in working well together with youth, young adults and families to enhance mental health outcomes.
The following quote is just one from the 2017 PiR/YiR Program Evaluation. See full report here.
“If we couldn’t count on the PiR in the background to be the glue connecting and supporting families, it would be much more of a challenge to manage waitlists.” – CYMH Clinician
“The YiR saved my life, as a young person who ‘fell through the cracks.'” – Youth
Contact A Parent or Youth In Residence
Community-Based Parents in Residence
Abbotsford – Corinna Landsberger
corinna.landsberger@familysmart.ca
Burnaby / New Westminster – Graeme Partridge-David
graeme.partridge-david@
Campbell River / Comox Valley – Wendy Safruik
Chilliwack / Fraser Cascade – Corinna Landsberger
corinna.landsberger@familysmart.ca
Gibsons/Sechelt – Jacquie Chess
Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon – Sheila Dyer
Langley – Michelle Goetz
Maple Ridge / Pitt Meadows – Jeannie Harnett
jeannie.harnett@familysmart.ca
Mission – Monica Thimer
North Shore (North & West Vancouver) – Ann Louise Filbert
annlouise.filbert@familysmart.ca
Prince George – Kathy Buhler
Richmond – Currently seeking
Smithers & Bulkley Valley – Jim Desjardins
Squamish – Trudie Neubert
Surrey / Delta / White Rock – Nicole Taylor | Michaela Bisson-Montpetit | Sukhpal Sidhu
surreydeltawhiterock@familysmart.ca
Tri-Cities – Moira Hazlehurst | Sarah Dover
Vancouver – Melina Auerbach | Jamie Agtarap
Victoria / Sooke / Westshore – Lisa Tate
On-Site Parents in Residence
CAPSU, the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Stabilization Unit at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Parent in Residence:
Tammy Music – CAPSUPiR@familysmart.ca
Sandra Spani – CAPSUPiR@familysmart.ca
Youth in Residence:
Courtney Harvey
Cass Lucke
Kelsey Simpson
PROVINCIAL Parents in Residence
If you are a parent looking for support today and do not live in an area with a Community PiR, please feel free to connect with a provincial PiR by calling the FamilySmart™ Parent in Residence at the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre at BC Children’s Hospital: 604-875-2084 or toll-free: 1-800-665-1822 or email: keltycentre@cw.bc.ca
FamilySmart™ PiR staff at the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre:
Diane Evans – keltycentre@cw.bc.ca
Kelly Kuerbig – keltycentre@cw.bc.ca
Melina Auerbach – keltycentre@cw.bc.ca
CASA (Edmonton) PiRs
Lori Erickson – casapir@familysmart.ca
Krista Nystrom – casapir@familysmart.ca
“Even as a GP, it is hard to navigate the system. Sometimes you see a referral to another agency and you wonder how the family got to that agency so quickly, and it turns out it was the PiR who facilitated that connection.” – GP
There are no charges for accessing our PiR or YiR services and a referral is not required.
While this program is currently only implemented in BC and Edmonton, Alberta, it is our intent to influence and assist other provinces and territories to connect with us about bringing our Parent and Youth in Residence program to your communities.