Have you ever had a moment in your life when the bottom kind of drops out of your world and you don't know what to do? Or maybe you've had trouble making ends meet and didn't know where to turn? Has there ever been a relationship that you've been desperate to save, salvage, change, or get out of, and you found that you kept running out of places to turn to or ideas to pursue? Have you ever just had a really, really bad day and needed someone to talk to? Distress Centre Calgary is a not-for-profit agency that provides crisis support, information, and referral services, free of charge. The 24 hour crisis telephone lines (403-266-1605) are an absolutely essential service that reaches out to people in need from all walks of life. The lines are answered by highly trained volunteers, who undergo screening and participate in an in-depth, three week training period in which they learn the basics of crisis intervention, and become familiar with current social issues and community resources. Volunteers work in conjunction with staff to provide callers with assistance in topics that include (but are not limited to) suicide, mental health, domestic violence, grief and loss, sexuality, youth and seniors' issues, relationships, and homelessness. By calling in, anyone can access immediate support in whatever situation they are currently facing. Volunteers are not professional counsellors and do not provide advice or therapy over the phones. However, they can lend an empathetic ear, talk you through your problems, and often give you a fresh perspective on your current crisis. They can also help you to find and connect with community resources that are relevant to your situation; Senior's Connect, Alberta Health Services' Mobile Response Team, and Wood's Homes' Community Resource Team are only a few of the programs with which the Distress Centre is partnered. Distress Centre also delivers the 211 service, which is a wonderful portal for information on services available in your community. I cannot stress enough how wonderful this organization is. If you are looking for a long-term volunteer commitment that is meaningful and personally rewarding, and through which you can improve the lives of those within your community and out of it, this is the place to go. Visit their website (http://distresscentre.com/) to find out more detailed information on how to join up, and the different services that they offer. read more

Why I asked for help was because we have had a terrible decade, it led to a layoff at a career that led to putting out tens of thousands of resumes. I was able to find work, but it was only at minimum wage work. My family have also struggled, I have had family members suffer through addictions and suicides. I continue to struggle to find anyone not only that will listen to me, but help me come up with better strategies so I can stay afloat financially and keep from making the same decisions family have. After calling 211 I was directed to calling the Distress Center. They were fine at confirming I was down and how I must be "frustrated." I want to find a better path to get off the downward spiral I've been on. Mostly I was told to call 211 again so I can call AlbertaWorks to get my resume looked at (which was never the problem seeing as I lasted at a career job before for over a decade, if I had a bad resume they also would have never hired me), or to call Prospects because they assumed my problem with finding better paying work must be because I must be mentally handicapped, which I am not. The other bad advice the service provided was to contact a company to see if I am living within a budget. The concept DC does not understand is financial problems happen from unforeseen costs more than anything. You can pay your bills, but the moment you have serious car trouble, the pipes are bursting in your home, your furnace is ready to explode, and you're on minimum wage, you're borrowing money. That is the problem, not my inability to understand how to budget. The complexity of life in Calgary on a low wage they don't want to understand. They only would say that yes they did care, but they were only there to provide emotional support. Which does not happen. I would have loved to have talked to anyone in any direction that would have tried any idea I could look into to improve the situation, not people who would say, "gee that's tough, gotta go there's another caller," "sorry, we're not here to give you a job," "maybe you should stop calling here and get a better job instead of expecting us to do it for you," "people with better jobs tend to have education (which I have), can take stress better than you, and are intelligent people," or best yet, "sorry we're volunteers, we don't get paid to try very hard." None of that makes me feel emotionally supported. In fact, I would harbor to say these people that talk to people going through the hardest moments of their lives and really should not be volunteering their time at this service. I have asked to speak to managers about trying a little harder to provide better emotional support, but I've rarely ever been able to. One called me and told me to call 211 and go through the runaround all over again, another recently told me that if I get upset with them or their volunteers they will stop trying to help at all. Nothing was ever taken into consideration of trying to improve any of this service. That's because the people running it do not care about doing anything beyond verifying your problems suck. No one tries to actually listen that if any good ideas could be offered, maybe people would have less reason to call ever again. The most entitled service I've ever dealt with. Should seriously get looked into, I hope the government of Alberta considers defunding as well as their sponsors. read more

Coming from someone who had a very dark time in their life, and who desperately needed to reach out, I have to say the call center has been wonderful. They helped me to have someone to talk to, during that very terrible time, and I was able to push through it. I called multiple times, whenever it got difficult to deal with, and that helped me to hang on. The counseling services, however? Precisely the opposite experience. There is a long wait time, due to how many people use the services, however the counselor given to me messed up my appointment on more than one occasion. Reaching out did not come easy to me, as it doesn't to many who contact the distress centre. It didn't encourage me to continue reaching out to them, when I was told I had to wait another three weeks to talk to someone, just because of a scheduling problem. Then, three weeks later, I was told the same thing, and never got to speak to the counselor at all. I ended up taking a friend up on their offer of a paid professional, and sought help there instead. That may not be an option for many of the people needing to use their counseling service, and I hope they don't run into the same problem that I did. read more

I was feeling suicidal and extremely sad in the summer when I called the distress centre for the first time. The guy on the phone was very helpful and recommended for me to see a Crisis Counsellor there. I saw her quite a few times and she was very helpful, Professional, and experienced etc. I think this Centre is a excellent way to get help when you are feeling desperate and out of control. Everyone at the Centre is friendly and willing to go the extra mile to make you feel better :) read more

I was experiencing suicidal thoughts and was having severe anxiety when I called the Distress centre for the first time. I spoke with a volunteer and was given the opportunity to see a Counsellor there, she was so helpful and kind. Words cannot explain how much it reduced my anxiety. Thank you to everyone who volunteers and works at the Distress Centre. The resources that are available in Calgary are simply amazing. read more

It's nice to hear that they used to be so helpful my experience has not been as positive. Living with anxiety and trying to cope with being overwhelmed, depressed and alone led me to find your agency. Holding it together and pushing it aside to deal with responsibilities is a losing battle. Finding the strength to reach out and ask for help during a crisis is difficult. It was nice to see that there was an option to start the paperwork online as I don't trust myself to find words instead of tears if I started with a phone call. The website informs visitors that for more complex issues crisis couselling is available. I decide that's the best option since repeating the personal details is hard and I need some professional help. So I filled out the intake and submitted it and started waiting and waiting. Emotionally fragile and exhausted and this wait can be up to 3 business days. So am I waiting for a supportive call? No......this just to do a 20 minute intake and they will schedule an appointment with a crisis counsellor . I spent the day inside, accomplished nothing but knowing that the intake process/questions would be very emotional/tearful and privacy was a major concern decided this was best. Results after day one = emotionally exhausted and a missing a sunny day outside. Wasted time and confusion. Maybe this is a wasted effort. I can't afford this wait. Plan B? Another night of no sleep and mulling things over alone. Not a great place to make a serious decision but I'm all I've got. Accessing services this way does more harm than good. Did anyone examine from a client perspective or ask for feedback? * A phone call requesting counselling gets immediate attention. * Attending in person betwwen 1-4 pm and one will be seen by a counsellor. What is purpose in having the individual initiate the intake process online and who benefits? Does it work as intended? Can a volunteer follow up rather than leave the individual in limbo? This is just an example of how the Distress Centre and their procedures haven't worked for me. I do hope that they will read this with understanding that people are more than just a number on a waitlist and that 3 days may just bring them closer to the weekend but means something else to someone trying to access services. Perhaps this isn't the right agency for me and there's another agency or service that is more appropriate (that they could have identified) but I'll have wait to find out. read more

If I could rate them ZERO , I would definitely do it. Terrible. NO CONFEDENCIALITY!!!!!! No help. Useless and unprofessional work. They called to police and police came to my house. They scared my child and threatened me that if I do not go voluntary they will force me. Did not want to stress my kid more and I followed them even thou I was totally fine and I tried to explain. They were totally blind. They put me in their car And incarcerated as I were a crime in front of all my neighbourhood and my family. They drove me to the hospital and left me there. Staff treated me as I were a criminal. Finally, I got a doctor attention in in 10 min I was discharged home with apologies. I had to pay for a cab despite the police and staff reassured me that the hospital will pay for it because of mistake. ONCE AGAIN: NO CONFEDENTIALITY!!!!! Not al all! They cased an emotional distress in my household and made me look like a crime because I told them that they are not able to help me. TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. I had to talk all the time with my child who was left at home completely stressed out and alone and I was afraid he hurt him/her. And they called themselves DISTRESS CENTRE????? How dare they are !!!! Do not use this service. read more

This summer I was suicidal I had no one else to talk me down. I talked to a wonderful man who helped me so much. He didn't preach or try to analyze me, He just talked to me got me to re direct my attention from the pills sitting in front of me to the little boy in the next room. For that i will be for ever greatful. This person saved my life and got me the help that I needed. I'm still struggling but I know that they will always be there for me. For that I'm for ever in his debt. read more

I was completely rejected by the distress centre. I asked to speak with a counsellor one to one in person and they said I couldn't. People who call the distress centre are disparate and need help and yet they are selective with who they help! I guess I was of low priority for them. It's hit and miss there. I would look elsewhere read more