Loss, Grief, + Recovery Resources

Grief, Loss and Recovery: Attendee Resource Guide

Immediate crisis support

• 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988, 24/7, anywhere in Canada.

• Crisis Response, Community Led (CRCL): mobile, in-person mental health crisis response service for people in Kelowna ages 13 and up. 778-940-2560

• Interior Crisis Line: 1-888-353-2273, 24/7, staffed locally through Kelowna Community Resources.

• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868. For children and youth.

• 310 Mental Health Support Line: 310-6789 (no area code needed). For all people.

Counselling • Third Space Charity: Ages 18-29 in the Central Okanagan: thirdspacecanada.org/counselling

• Alive Counselling: a Kelowna clinic with a team of registered clinical counsellors, various specialties including trauma and grief. alivecounselling.com • Sharlene O'Reilly Counselling: registered clinical counsellor in Kelowna. sharleneoreilly.com • T. R. Rowe Counselling: registered clinical counsellor in Kelowna. trrowe.ca

• Clair Jantzen, Grief and Loss Therapist: Kelowna based counsellor specializing specifically in grief and loss. clairjantzen.ca

Wildfire and evacuee specific supports

• PHSA Disaster Psychosocial Support: psychosocial support to communities affected by disasters like wildfire, coordinates mental health response, supports local responders, and offers guidance to communities on recovery dpsprogram@phsa.ca

• Emergency Support Services (BC): the first stop during an active evacuation order or alert, covering short term needs like food, lodging, and clothing. Register at ess.gov.bc.ca or call the info line at 1-800-585-9559.

• Canadian Red Cross, BC wildfire recovery support: personalized, longer term recovery support with a dedicated case manager, for planning a return home, navigating insurance, and financial assistance toward mental health services. Call 1-833-966-4225, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.

• Central Okanagan Emergency Operations: the regional hub for current evacuation alerts, orders, and preparedness information. cordemergency.ca

• Central Okanagan Foundation, Wildfire Response Fund: coordinates community donations and directs grants to local organizations supporting both immediate needs and long term rebuilding, including rent relief and basic needs support. centralokanaganfoundation.org

Indigenous specific supports

• KUU-US Crisis Line: 1-800-588-8717 toll free. Adult/Elder line 250-723-4050, Child/Youth line 250-723-2040. 24/7. • Hope for Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310, 24/7, phone or online chat at hopeforwellness.ca

• FNHA Mental Wellness and Counselling Support: 1-855-550-5454, to check coverage before booking. fnha.ca/benefits/mental-health

Books

For kids

• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

• The Memory Box: A Book About Grief by Joanna Rowland

• The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr

• When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown

Wildfire and evacuation specific, for kids

• What to Bring by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

• Dear Wild Child: You Carry Your Home Inside You by Wallace J. Nichols

• The Fox and the Forest Fire by Danny Popovici

Books for adults

• It's OK That You're Not OK by Megan Devine

• Grief Works by Julia Samuel

• Generation Dread by Britt Wray

Books for teens

• The Grieving Teen: A Guide for Teenagers and Their Friends by Helen Fitzgerald

• It's OK That You're Not OK by Megan Devine (also works well for older teens)

 

Research and further reading

• UBC Okanagan's ongoing study on wildfire displacement and long term mental health, led by Brittany Barber and Dr. Lesley Lutes. Read more

• Cunsolo and Ellis, "Ecological grief as a mental health response to climate change related loss," Nature Climate Change, 2018. Full text

• Hickman et al., "Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change," The Lancet Planetary Health, 2021. Full text

• Dr. Michael Ungar's Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University, including the RYSE project on communities living through repeated environmental disruption. resilienceresearch.org

• Hobfoll et al., Five Essential Elements of Immediate and Mid-Term Mass Trauma Intervention, Psychiatry, 2007. This is the framework already shaping how the event is structured. Full text

• Masten, Ordinary Magic: Resilience Processes in Development, American Psychologist, 2001. Full text

• IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, World Health Organization, 2008. who.int