Mental Health First Aid – Supporting Youth Course: BCSS Youth Staff Training
This February, the BCSS Youth team and some of the BCSS facilitators completed…
Read moreAbout BCSS Youth
We provide resources for youth who have a loved one with a mental illness or substance use disorder.
Programs & services
BCSS Youth is a part of the BC Schizophrenia Society that provides programs, workshops, resources, educational materials, and more for children and youth aged 8-18 dealing with a family member with a mental illness. The programs offered through BCSS Youth are called Kids in Control (KIC), Tweens in Control (TwIC), and Teens in Control (TIC). These programs aim to foster resilience through self-care and boundary-setting and to increase the knowledge and understanding of serious and persistent mental illness.
Who is the BC Schizophrenia Society?
British Columbia Schizophrenia Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1982 by families and friends of people with schizophrenia. Since then, BCSS has grown into a province-wide family support system.
We are dedicated to supporting each other, educating the public, raising funds for research, and advocating for better services for people with schizophrenia and other serious and persistent mental illness.
Our purpose
We strive for a province where those affected by schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses receive effective treatment and support, and family members are an essential partner within the mental health system.
Our team
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Mary Beth Hall
BCSS Youth Program Manager
Mary Beth Hall is BCSS’ Youth Manager for the Kids in Control (KIC) and Teens in Control (TIC) programs. She joined BCSS because she felt a calling to work in youth mental health and believes we all have a responsibility to raise the next generation as healthy as we can.
Mary Beth has a BA from Memorial University in Newfoundland and a diploma from Thompson Rivers University. Before joining BCSS, she worked with youth as a theatre arts camp instructor and museum school interpreter. She’s also lived or worked in Ghana, India, and every country in Central America. Mary Beth loves to read, being in nature (hiking especially), and dance.
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Kayla Arnold
BCSS Youth Program Coordinator
Kayla Arnold joined BCSS in August 2021 and is a Program Coordinator for the BCSS Youth programs. Kayla has spent more than a decade working with children and families with multiple barriers and is a certified life skills coach with extensive education in mental health and child education. For her, the most fulfilling part of working with BCSS is being able to show youth that they’re not alone in dealing with their family member’s illness. As a former foster child, she’s a tireless advocate for kids and wants to give them a safe place to learn and express their feelings.
Outside of work, Kayla enjoys camping, skating, creating cake art, and spending time with family.
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Amber Miner
BCSS Youth Program Coordinator
Amber Miner’s passion is teaching kids and teens about mental illness. She is one of our dedicated program coordinators of the BCSS Youth programs. She’s also a Licensed Practical Nurse with a background in working with youth and families. As someone who has a family member with schizophrenia, Amber knows how important dispelling stigma and presenting the correct information can be to our youth. She sees firsthand the incredible results education, connection, and self-care tools can bring to young people’s lives.
Outside of work, you can often find Amber reading a good book or admiring nature.
BCSS Youth programs and services are often co-facilitated and operated with the support of the BC Schizophrenia Society’s regional educators, operations, and communications teams. To read the other BCSS staff bios, click here.
Join our team
Current openings and opportunities at BCSS Youth
Join the BCSS Youth team to help our mission of improving the quality of life for those affected by schizophrenia and serious and persistent mental illness through education, support, public policy, and research.
Stay informed
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