How we help
Real help, given gently.
Steady Path Society offers five kinds of support to newcomer families in BC raising a child/children with a disability. No cost, no referral needed. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
01
One-on-one support
Free
A calm, private hour with someone who understands. We talk through what’s weighing on you: settling in, family, work, or simply finding your footing.
- Confidential and judgment-free
- In person or online
- In English now; French soon
02
Newcomer navigation
Practical help
The systems are confusing when you’re new. We help you understand the paperwork, find the right office, and ask the questions no one tells you to ask.
- Healthcare, schools, housing
- Forms and applications
- Warm referrals, not dead ends
Learn more about newcomer navigation
03
Peer-support groups
Phase 2
Small, closed group sessions with others who are walking the same road. A gentle circle where no one has to explain why it’s hard.
- Closed, consistent groups
- Facilitated and safe
- Coming as we grow
04
After-hours follow-up
Within 24 hours
The hardest moments rarely happen at office hours. Send a note any time of night, and we’ll follow up within a day.
- No bots making decisions
- A human reply
- You’re never left waiting
05
Sibling Support
Applications open 1 Oct
Most support goes to the child with the diagnosis. We're building a program for the brothers and sisters growing up alongside them too.
- For the whole household
- Shaped by families like yours
- Read one sibling's story
Learn more about sibling support
12+
years walking with families
5
cities, and online anywhere
$0
asked of any family, ever
Is this counselling?
People ask me this often, and it is a fair question, because the words get used loosely. Counselling is clinical treatment, talk therapy for mental health, delivered by a regulated professional. A family support consultation is something else. It is practical guidance and navigation: working out what your family needs, and how to get it. That is what we do, and it is free.
In practice it means you call, we set up a short conversation, and you tell me what is going on, as much or as little as you want. Then we work out the next step together. That might be understanding a form, finding the right office, preparing for a school meeting, or knowing which benefit to apply for first. It is the conversation you would have with a friend who has already done all of this.
And here is the part I will not skip. If you or your child needs mental-health treatment, real ongoing therapy, that is counselling and it should come from a regulated professional. I am a Registered Psychiatric Nurse, but Steady Path is not clinical care. So if what you need is treatment for anxiety, depression, trauma, or a mental-health crisis, tell me and I will help you find the right person. If it is an emergency, call 911. For health advice any time, call 8-1-1 and speak to a nurse through HealthLink BC. I would rather point you to the right door than pretend every door is mine.
Questions, answered plainly.
Does Steady Path Society's support cost anything?No. Every service on this page is free. Steady Path runs on donations, not fees charged to families.
Do I need a referral to get help?No. Families can contact Steady Path directly, with no doctor's note, school referral, or waitlist to start a conversation, aside from the sibling-support program, which is opening soon.
What areas does Steady Path Society serve?Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Surrey, Coquitlam, and Port Coquitlam, plus the wider Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, in person or online. The office is in Chilliwack, but where you live has never decided who gets help.
What is the difference between counselling and a family support consultation?Counselling is clinical mental-health treatment from a regulated professional. A family support consultation is practical guidance and navigation — working out what your family needs and how to get it. Steady Path does the second one.
Do I need therapy, or just guidance?If you need treatment for a mental-health condition, that is therapy and it should come from a regulated professional. If you need help understanding the system and what to do next, that is a consultation. If you are not sure, start with a call and we will work out which one fits.
What happens at a first appointment?A short call where you tell me what is going on, as much or as little as you want, and we work out the next step together. No forms to fill in before you are allowed to speak to someone.
Can Steady Path Society provide counselling or therapy?No. Steady Path is support and navigation, not clinical treatment. If you need a counsellor or a clinician, I will help you find the right one rather than pretending it is something we do.
A free class for siblings
Twelve Saturdays from 9 January 2027, in four age groups from 4 to 25. It is peer support, not therapy. Apply by 26 December 2026.