Crisis line volunteer, Shane Stronach, at the Nexen booth in our contact centre. Shane Stronach had been looking for a long-term volunteer opportunity for a while when he came across Distress Centre. Having experienced his own crisis several years ago, he felt volunteering on our crisis lines could be a good opportunity to help out other...
Jeremy Luk, alumni Distress Centre volunteer and registered psychologist. Photo by @rockywanders Growing up, I was always a curious child who was fascinated by the lives of others and in understanding how the human brain worked, so it only seemed natural for me to explore a path in the area of psychology. My first year at...
In recent years there has been a push to normalize talking about mental health and mental illness to help end the stigma that surrounds it. But sometimes, even if you have the best intentions, you can find yourself floundering when someone confides in you that they’re struggling with their mental health. Previously we created a guide...
Unfortunately, news of tragedy is not an uncommon occurrence in our lives. And when they occur, as we all struggle to understand how horrific events can happen, parents are faced with an added challenge: answering tough questions from their kids about what happened. We’ve compiled some tips on how to handle this difficult conversation. 1. Tell your...
Since November 2015, over 27,000 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada. 1,400 of those refugees have settled in Calgary. Welcoming refugees and newcomers isn’t new for our city. According to the City of Calgary, we welcome an average of 1100 refugees per year from around the world and in 2014 we welcomed over 19,000 immigrants and newcomers to our...
The fight to end the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness has largely centered on talking. Bell Let’s Talk Day encourages us to use communication to end the stigma, whether by sharing stories of how mental illness touches us all, being aware of the kind of language we use and how it can be harmful...
