Crisis & Distress Services in Alberta

If you or someone you know needs help, there are many resources across Alberta and Canada offering 24/7 anonymous, confidential, immediate, or short-term interventions for people in crisis or distress.

If you need help or are experiencing thoughts of suicide or self harm, please reach out to a helpline. If you are concerned about your safety in a relationship, consider calling from a friend’s phone, a public phone, or a work phone.​

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How can I keep myself safe?

If you are having thoughts of suicide or self harm, the ways of keeping yourself safe depend on your unique situation and experience. Here are some considerations:

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• If you don't have a therapist yet, shop around for one who you could see yourself trusting with your struggles.

• If you already have a therapist, you can ask them to create a safety plan with you if you haven't made one yet.

• If you are alone, you can engage in activities you enjoy or that keep you busy or distracted (music, tv, phone, outside, pets, art, hobbies).

• If you don’t feel safe alone, but aren’t ready to talk, you can call a friend or family member who can help distract you, just by talking or going out or doing something fun.

• If you need more help, you can contact someone in your life who you would feel comfortable telling that you are struggling. Let them know what they could do to help, whether it’s listening, helping you with your safety plan, or visiting you.

• If you don’t want to tell anyone in your life yet, you can call, text or chat with an anonymous distress line to speak with a trained peer volunteer or counsellor who can help you calm, regulate, reframe, create a safety plan or implement your safety plan, or access other resources and referrals.

• If you have a therapist, you can contact them and they’ll respond when they get your message to provide support between sessions or set up an extra session.

• If you have access to the means to harm or kill yourself, you can tell someone who can take the means for now or bring you somewhere safe away from them.

• If you feel you cannot keep yourself safe, you can call a mobile response or crisis team (see Immediate Risk below) to come to you, or have someone take you to the emergency room. Once there, you might be connected to resources, supports, and professionals who can help you.

How can I help keep someone else safe?

If someone tells you they are having thoughts of suicide or self harm, stay calm. They are reaching out for help, and there are many ways you can support them. Talking about suicide does not make it worse, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

Normalize their experience - many people have suicidal thoughts; it's not wrong or weak. Just try to stay present with them, showing you care and want to help. Don't minimize or deny their struggles, just try to understand their story. Be kind.

Ask if they have a safety plan and how you can help. Offer to listen, visit, or help them call a crisis line. If they have a plan for how to kill themselves and access to lethal means, you can help them remove the lethal means or take the person to a friend's or family's or your own safe place. Non-consensual emergency intervention and hospitalization can increase suicidality, so be thoughtful before you call and try to engage the person in the decision.

If the person feels they cannot keep themselves safe, or you feel they cannot keep themselves safe, you can call a mobile response or crisis team or 911 to come to them (see Immediate Risk below), or offer to take them to the emergency room. Once there, they might be connected to resources, supports, and professionals who can help.

Directory of Alberta Crisis & Distress Resources

Below you'll find a list of resources sorted by location, with some specific sections for certain populations or concerns. Jump to any section using the shortcuts, and click on any title of a resource to visit their website and learn more. If any of the numbers or links are incorrect or out of service, please contact us.

Immediate Risk

Canada-Wide

Alberta-Wide

Specifically for Youth & Young Adults

Specifically for Indigenous People

Calgary & Area

Cold Lake & Area

Edmonton & Area

Fort McMurray & Area

Lethbridge & Area

St Paul & Area

Whitecourt & Area

Sexual Assault

Abuse & Family Violence

Elder Abuse

Disclaimer