How we help
Social workers are available to all patients, as well as their families, who are hospitalized or are attending an outpatient clinic. Social workers are part of your health care team at the hospital.
Referrals to social work services may occur automatically as part of the health care team or from a physician, other staff, a community agency or directly from the patient or parent.
Education and information materials are available for patients and their families.
Pregnancy, childbirth and parenting can be an exciting yet stressful experience for women and their families. BC Women's perinatal social workers provide a wide range of services to all women and families who are receiving health care with us, either as outpatients or while staying in our hospital. We help women and their families respond to the myriad of issues that emerge during pregnancy and parenting. We are an integral part of the perinatal health care interdisciplinary team.
Social workers offer support, counselling, information, education, and assistance with planning your return home after your baby is born. They can also refer you to other hospital professionals, resources, and support groups, in your community.
Some concerns you may want to talk with a social worker about are:
- Support for a medically high-risk pregnancy or premature baby
- Previous pregnancy losses or other significant losses
- Lifestyle changes in your personal and family life during pregnancy and after the baby arrives
- Alcohol or drug misuse or other dependency problems
- Relationship stress or family violence
- Resources and supports for new immigrants
- Resources and advocacy when returning to your home community
- Financial concerns and practical supports
For families who lose their baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or newborn death, social workers offer individual and couple grief counseling. There is a monthly Pregnancy Loss Support group.
If you are thinking about placing your baby for adoption, a social worker will meet with you, discuss your options, and provide counselling and support throughout your pregnancy and after
your baby's birth.
Our goal is working in partnership with women and their families to reduce stress and maximize the family's strengths for optimal safety and support for women and children.
We provide:
- crisis intervention
- supportive counselling for loss and bereavement, individual, family and group counselling, financial and practical assistance as well as community liaison and advocacy
Social Workers work on teams which deal with short term hospitalizations and provide crisis counseling but can also refer to community counselling as needed
Provide one-on-one counseling for patients and/or family members
Meeting with the social worker is an opportunity for patients to discuss their concerns, as well as personal and family stress. The social worker can help shed light on issues, work through difficult decisions and plan solutions. When an illness results in a loss, patients and family members experience a range of difficult feelings. The social workers can help families begin to cope with the loss through individual, family and group counselling. Additionally the social worker is aware of community resources that may assist the family in coping with their grief and loss.
Social workers lead, or know about, many support groups where family members meet and share with others experiencing similar concerns.
Bi-weekly (alternate Wednesday) 4:00p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
For more information please contact 604- 875-3788
A social worker can help find community resources, whether it is for financial, home support or other community supports.
This can take many forms such as: needing a place to stay while a child is receiving treatment, needing financial assistance with practical needs, navigating the hospital or health care system, sorting out how to get community services.
A social worker can be an advocate and help get the services to meet a family’s practical needs as well as help to navigate the health care and community support system.
