About PSCA

We are:

  • Professionals dedicated to developing students
  • Committed to helping each other grow, learn, and deal with challenges
  • Skilled, creative, effective, collaborative, resourceful and fun-loving

What do we do in PSCA?

  • Provide dedicated, professional counselling services to post-secondary students
  • Learn, share and practice the most current and effective counselling strategies
  • Address how larger context and institutional factors impact our work and service to students
  • Partner with organizations that enhance our knowledge, skill and resources like: Healthy Minds-Healthy Campuses, CAUCUSS, Canadian Mental Health Association

The BC Post Secondary Counsellors’ Association will provide leadership in establishing counselling best practices for the purpose of providing exceptional services to BC post-secondary students. Through the prominent positioning of and support for counselling services on British Columbia college and university campuses, we will promote optimum student development, wellness and success.

The BC Post Secondary Counsellors Association is an informed, skilled interactive community of post-secondary counsellors who work together to advocate for responsive and effective counselling and mental health services within BC post-secondary campus communities. The skill and resilience of PSCA members is developed and maintained through on-going support, networking and professional development opportunities. By identifying and sharing best practices within our field, we ensure effective counselling services for BC post-secondary students.

Our constitution describes the purpose of the Association:

  1. To be the association of Professional Counsellors employed in British Columbia colleges, institutes and universities.
  2. To serve as the official voice and to represent the interests of its Regular Members.
  3. To function as a non-partisan, non-sectarian, and non-profit association.
  4. To remain an independent provincial organization.

Past Initiatives on Behalf of the Membership:

  1. Gave a presentation to the BC Council of Senior Student Affairs Leaders [CSSAL], highlighting the issues facing counsellors in BC post-secondary and the current initiatives underway to meet these challenges.
  2. Redesigned the PSCA website incorporating on-line membership application and conference registration functions to improve efficiency.
  3. Formed a productive partnership with Healthy Minds- Healthy Campuses of CMHA.
  4. Participated in the design of annual Healthy Minds- Healthy Campuses Summits.
  5. Planned and hosted annual regional training events for PSCA members and the professional community.
  6. Produced a suicide education module for training campus community members in basic suicide intervention conversations and resource referral.
  7. Numerous post-secondary campuses are in the process of creating and facilitating a campus-wide mental health strategy with multiple program initiatives.
  8. PSCA counselling services directors and members were key stewards in developing the bench mark standard “Post-Secondary Mental Health: A Guide to a Systemic Approach.”
  9. Post-secondary campuses are involved in the Changing the Culture of Substance Use [CCSU] project.
  10. Creating a dialogue on counsellors’ response to critical incidence on post-secondary campuses.
  11. Initiating webinar education on case management of high risk students.

Our Logo

The design explores what brings PSCA members together as well as what unites and drives our efforts as an organization.