18-year-old Jasper has conquered more boundaries in one year than he ever thought was possible. Jasper arrived at Distress Centre Calgary in May 2017, as a first year social work student from Mount Royal University. As a new social work practicum student, Jasper was both eager and anxious to begin his two-month placement, and with...
Carol Markusse, a successful business professional, was enjoying life with her husband and two children. Carol thought she had it all. She had obtained her undergraduate degree in business and later completed her Masters of Business Administration from Devry Institute of Technology in Calgary. Although her life seemed complete, Carol was unsettled and felt that...
On June 1st, 2017, we introduced Jerilyn Dressler as our new Executive Director at Distress Centre. Jerilyn grew up in a small community in Saskatchewan where there were few resources available in her community for those who needed mental health or addictions support. This inspired her to pursue an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a career...
Ian* lost his job in early 2016 and has been unable to secure long-term employment since then. Adding to the stress of not being able to find work, Ian has health problems he's been dealing with for months. He lives with excessive pain and is feeling hopeless. As a father to three, he worries about no...
The time has come for me to say goodbye to Distress Centre and to all the great folks I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the past 25 years. To be celebrating my 25 years at Distress Centre still amazes me! The agency has grown in volunteers, staff, programing and funder support over the years....
The title of this article likely sounds familiar to you because the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, adapted from Jay Asher’s novel, Thirteen Reasons Why, has created immense discussion among teens, schools, and families. The show’s content is controversial and it has received some negative feedback. However, as an organization that specializes in crisis intervention and...
On June 1st, the staff, volunteers and board at Distress Centre Calgary will bid a fond farewell to Executive Director, Joan Roy, as she begins her next adventure on a well-earned retirement. Joan first joined Distress Centre as a social work student on a 4 month practicum. On June 1, 1992 she was offered a full-time...
No one can predict when a disaster like the Wood Buffalo/Fort McMurray wildfires may occur- nor the emotional trauma and devastation that is left in its wake. 211 service was available for those who needed it most. Information & Referral Specialists are highly skilled in crisis intervention, and are prepared to support a community during a...
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...
