Crisis Support Resources
If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, reach out and ask for help:
Off-Campus Resources
General Crisis Support
- Canadian Mental Health Association
- 24 hr Distress Line: 780-482-HELP (4357)
- Online chat
- Befrienders Worldwide
- International Directory of Distress Lines
- Crisis Service Canada:
- 24/7 Distress Line - 1.833.456.4566 (or text 45645 between 2-10 p.m. MT), French and English support available
- Drop in YEG
- Free Single Session Counselling
- Kids Help Phone
- Kids Help Phone is a 24/7 national support service offering service to people 25 and under. They offer professional counselling, information and referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support in English and French.
- To start using the text service, text CONNECT to 686868.
- Phone in Arabic, English or French 24/7 by calling 1-800-668-6868.
- CMHA Bereavement Support
- CMHA’s Suicide Bereavement Support Groups welcome anyone who has lost someone to suicide.
- Each group includes three modules covered over a 12-week period. Participants must attend an intake session before joining a group.
- 11 Of Us
- Sponsored training for helping skills development in the Edmonton area.
- Buddy Up Campaign
- A suicide prevention campaign encouraging CIS-gendered men to have real conversations and support their buddies when they’re struggling. #buddyup
- Preventing Suicide in Men
- A toolkit that talks specifically about the experiences of CIS-gendered men.
Resources for First Nations, Metis, and Inuit
- Bent Arrow
- Psychologist, Elders, Food Hampers, Daily Smudges, Sage and Cedar delivery.
- 780-474-2400
- Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program
- Hotline is available to help residential school survivors and their relatives suffering from trauma invoked by the recall of past abuse. The number is 1-866-925-4419.
- First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness
- The Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate help to all Indigenous peoples across Canada.
- 24-hour helpline: 1-855-242-3310
- Online chat
- Native Counselling Services of Alberta:
- Provides programs and services designed and delivered for Indigenous people by Indigenous people
- 780-423-2141
- The Red Road Healing Society:
- Counselling, information, referral, and supports.
- 780-471-3220
2SLGBTQIA+
- Trans Lifeline
- Trans Lifeline’s Hotline is a peer support phone service run by trans people for our trans and questioning peers. Call us if you need someone trans to talk to, even if you’re not in a crisis or are not sure you’re trans.
- (877) 330-6366
- The Trevor Project
- Information and resources for LGBTQ2S+ folks and allies.
On Campus Resources
Mental Health Skills for Staff & Students
- Provided by Wellness Supports’ Community Social Workers.
- Workshops focus on supporting students on campus and include:
- Suicide Prevention
- Community Helpers
- Helping Skills
Faculty and staff can enroll in ASIST, sponsored by Human Resources, Health, Safety and Environment, on November 1 and 2, 2023. Register here.
Student Supports
Visit the Student Service Centre to learn about the wide variety of supports available to students. Scroll down to “hot topics” for services that include housing, finances, and health and wellness.
- List of campus resources for mental health available for students.
- Campus St. Jean Students’ Mental Health Supports
Faculty & Staff Supports
Employee and Family Assistance Program/ Graduate Students Assistance Program
- All University of Alberta staff, faculty, graduate students and their eligible dependents have access to crisis resources 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
- Call: 780-428-7587
- 1-800-663-1142 (Toll-free english)
- 1-866-298-9505 (Numéro gratuit en français)
- 1-888-384-9505 (Teletype TTY)
- 604-689-1717 (International—call collect)