Dee Bardsley, a retired schoolteacher, began volunteering on our crisis lines in 2013. She still remembers one of her first high risk calls - from a struggling young man who was having thoughts of suicide. Dee had spoken with him for a few minutes when he revealed that he had always wanted to be a teacher. “I...
Each month, we receive around 10,000 calls to our crisis line. Here are three stories highlighting the skill and compassion of our volunteers and staff as they support two callers and a chatter through crisis. Makena Makena called our crisis line on a Tuesday afternoon feeling overwhelmed, stressed out and lonely. She told the volunteer that her and...
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness in any given year. Each of us can play a part in helping the people in our lives – friends, family members, neighbours and coworkers - who are struggling with their mental health. First,...
Karen Pickles first called Distress Centre’s crisis line six years ago. As a single mother of two children and caregiver to someone with severe mental health issues, she found herself calling DC often. “I’m sure that we would have called on a weekly basis for the first year,” Karen recalled. “There’s been so many times where...
“Distress Centre, Gwen speaking.” “Hello, my name is Mary*,” said a soft voice on the other end of the line. “I’m having a hard day.” “I’m sorry to hear that,” responded Gwen, a crisis line volunteer at Distress Centre. “Do you want to tell me about it?” Mary sighed. “I’ve had some pretty severe health problems. I don’t...
“Distress Centre, Omar speaking.” “Hello, my name is Adam*,” said the voice on the other end of the phone. Omar*, a crisis line volunteer in the Distress Centre contact centre, listened intently. “I just filed for bankruptcy and I am so relieved. I just wanted to call and say thank you.” “I’m happy to hear you’re relieved,”...
In October 2004, Lee Horbachewski was without hope. She was suffering from untreated postpartum depression after the birth of her second daughter and was ready to take her life. She had a plan and the means to attempt suicide. In a moment of clarity, she pulled out the phone book and found the number for Distress...
Guest post by Caleb Anderson. People with drug and alcohol addictions are generally not the healthiest of people. A substance abuse disorder is a type of self-harm, involving a lack of self-esteem. Drugs and alcohol make it harder to love yourself. As a result, you won’t take care of yourself. When you’re in recovery, you have...
We are pleased to announce that a recent social return on investment case study has shown that every dollar invested into Distress Centre creates a minimum of $7.42 in value for stakeholders impacted by the work of our 24/7 crisis program. What is an SROI? An SROI seeks to illustrate the value of outcomes experienced by...
When Kate Billett was 16-years-old she made a decision to pursue social work. “I wanted a career where I could help people,” says Kate. “I developed a passion for crisis line work and mental health, so that’s what ultimately drove me into social work.” Originally, Kate thought she wanted to be a teacher, but her high...
