CMHA Brings Peer-Led Mental Health Support to Quesnel

Jan 20, 2026

Quesnel, BC – [January 19, 2026] — The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) of Northern BC is proud to announce the launch of a Peer Support Program in Quesnel, delivered by a Peer Support Worker and trained volunteers with lived and living experience of mental illness, and grounded in a recovery-oriented, person-centered model of care that recognizes the deep connections between mental health, poverty, and social class disparities.

The Quesnel Peer Support Program supports individuals through connection, shared experience, and mutual understanding. Peer support is rooted in the understanding that people who have navigated mental health challenges—often alongside poverty, unemployment, housing instability, and food insecurity—are uniquely positioned to offer hope, validation, and practical support. Services include one-to-one peer support, group connection, system navigation, advocacy, and community engagement.

This expansion builds on best-practice Peer Support programming established at CMHA’s Prince George branch, where peer-led services have demonstrated strong outcomes in reducing isolation, supporting recovery, and addressing the social determinants of mental health.

“This program is launching in Quesnel at a critical time,” says Elaine Laberge, Executive Director of CMHA of Northern BC. “Many people in Quesnel are experiencing profound economic uncertainty. We are seeing escalating mental health challenges, increased substance use, housing precarity and homelessness and food insecurity. Peer support meets people where they are—without judgment.”

Dr. Elaine Laberge, who lives with mental illness, emphasizes the power of peer-led programs grounded in lived experience.

“As someone with lived experience, I know how deeply mental health is shaped by social class and access to basic needs,” says Laberge. “Peer support programs led by and for people with lived and living experience are powerful because they acknowledge the realities of poverty while restoring dignity and hope.”

Stephanie Aaslie, CMHA’s Quesnel clinician/therapist and Northern Peer Support Manager, underscores the importance of integrating peer support into a broader, equity-focused continuum of care.

“Peer support is a cornerstone of wellness and trauma-informed mental health care,” says Aaslie. “When people are supported by peers who understand not only mental illness but also the stressors, it builds trust and self-determination. In Quesnel, this program strengthens our ability to respond compassionately to growing needs while ensuring people feel seen, heard, respected, and supported in meaningful ways.”

The Quesnel Peer Support Program will work collaboratively with CMHA services and community partners to ensure low-barrier, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive supports that address both mental health and the structural conditions that shape well-being.

CMHA of Northern BC has served northern communities for more than 60 years and remains committed to advancing mental health as a human right—recognizing that recovery cannot be separated from social and economic justice.

The first Peer Support information session will be held:

Monday January 26th, 2026 at North Star Church (301 Northstar Road) in the upper meeting room from 5:00-6:30pm.  A light meal will be served.

A special thank you to West Fraser who is sponsoring this program.

Media Contacts:

Stephanie Aaslie, RSW, MACP
Clinical Program Coordinator
Canadian Mental Health Association of Northern BC
236 424 1946
stephaniea@cmhanorthernbc.ca

Dr. Elaine Laberge, PhD
Executive Director
Canadian Mental Health Association of Northern BC
250 649 8222
elainelaberge@cmhanorthernbc.ca