About VICCIR
A safe place to heal, in a new home.
VICCIR was founded in 2015 by people who had witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of war, torture and displacement. They shared a conviction that no one arriving on Vancouver Island should have to face the lasting impacts of these experiences alone.
Our story
How VICCIR began
Spring 2015
A safe haven, close to home
While working mostly full time at the Victoria Child and Youth Mental Health Centre, Adrienne Carter completed fifteen missions with Médecins Sans Frontières as a psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor, and she later spent three and a half years abroad with the Center for Victims of Torture. She came home to Victoria having seen what displacement and trauma do to the human spirit. With Linda McLagan, she founded VICCIR to give immigrants and refugees on Vancouver Island a safe place to heal.
Fall 2015
Families arrive from Syria
Then came the news that Syrian refugee families would be settling in Victoria, the Saanich Peninsula, the Western Communities, the Cowichan Valley and north to Nanaimo. Children, women and men were arriving after unimaginable experiences, including torture, and the small program they had planned was not going to be enough. Counselling became the heart of VICCIR.
Today
More than 40 counsellors and interpreters
VICCIR is the only service on Vancouver Island for immigrants and refugees seeking relief from the effects of trauma, and the only centre that trains interpreters to work alongside counsellors. Together the team has provided more than 25,000 hours of counselling.
“One day I will return what I received. I want to be of help to others.”
A VICCIR client from Ukraine, who came to us in crisis and later showed her own paintings at VICCIR’s Art & Healing event
The VICCIR model
Care built around the person
Each person is unique, so each treatment plan is too. Cultural norms are respected, and so is the value of speaking in your own language. Decisions are made around what the client and their family need, rather than what happens to be available.
Matched with care
Every client is matched with the counsellor who best suits their needs, and may work with more than one.
In your own language
Trained clinical interpreters mean clients can speak in their mother tongue if they prefer.
A team around the family
Counsellors and interpreters often work together with a whole family, including children and teens referred by schools.
No time limit
There is no fixed limit on sessions. Clients can continue, or come back, for as long as they need.
Our mission
We support the healing and integration of immigrant and refugee individuals, families and communities through mental health services that are trauma-informed, culturally safe and accessible.
- We restore resilience, helping people affected by trauma, torture, displacement and migration reclaim their strength, dignity and hope.
- We provide compassionate care through a trained, diverse team of counsellors, interpreters and Health and Cultural Ambassadors who reflect the communities we serve.
- We ignite change as a hub for learning, mental health awareness and training.
- We promote collaboration and advocacy so mental health services become more welcoming and inclusive.
What guides us
Our values
01
Inclusiveness
We serve immigrants and refugees of all ages, from every country, who live on Vancouver Island. Clients are encouraged to contribute what they can, but no one is refused care because of their finances, and the most traumatized clients are given priority.
02
Confidentiality
Trust is the foundation of counselling. What clients share is held in the strictest confidence.
03
Respect
We respect each client’s personal, religious and cultural background by matching them with the right counsellor and interpreter.
04
Service quality
Our professional counsellors and trained interpreters receive ongoing training and guidance in trauma treatment.
05
Welcoming people
Through our work with clients and the agencies who support them, we help newcomers become part of Canadian society.
At VICCIR we value inclusiveness, confidentiality, respect, a high quality of service, and extending a welcome to all.
Ten years of care, one conversation at a time.
VICCIR began in 2015 with a handful of volunteers and no funding. Today it is the only centre on Vancouver Island offering trauma therapy to refugees and immigrants in the language they speak.
25,000+
Hours of counselling provided since we opened our doors
30
Languages, with clinical interpreters trained for counselling
80
Countries our clients have come from
$0
Lowest point on the sliding fee scale. Cost never closes the door
“VICCIR is not just an organization. It is a blessing. I came here and found a village. I found home.”
Abel
Help us keep the door open
Grants cover part of what we do. The rest comes from people across the Island who believe newcomers deserve care in their own language.