Latest News
Q1 Update from our Executive Director, Jerilyn Dressler
See this update as a video! It was a very long winter for all of us here in Calgary and across Alberta – the fourth [...]
Distress Centre’s Impact: Stories from our service users
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 [...]
What to do when you’re worried about someone’s mental health
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 [...]
Distress Centre takes over City of Calgary Information Centre’s database
Despite the large number of social services available in Calgary, people who need help often don’t know how to find it. The system [...]
How the very busy Karen, from Stresscase, builds self-care into her day
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 [...]
Why Distress Centre Matters: “Calling this line helps me feel less isolated.”
“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.” [...]
Why Distress Centre Matters: “I just filed for bankruptcy. I want to thank you.”
“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 [...]
A message from our Executive Director, Jerilyn Dressler
2018 has been another challenging year for both Calgarians and our agency, due to the economy and the increased demand we’ve seen for our crisis [...]
Why Distress Centre Matters: “I’m trying to call shelters, pack my stuff and tend to my son – it’s all too much.”
“211, Marcus speaking. How can I help you?” “I’m trying to get into a women’s shelter,” said a woman named Sofia* on the other end [...]
Why Distress Centre Matters: “I’m writing a suicide note to my sister right now.”
“Distress Centre, Mei speaking.” “I am worthless,” said a low voice on the other end of the line. “I’m sorry to hear you feel that [...]
Why Distress Centre Matters: “I’m having a panic attack right now.”
“Thank you for contacting Distress Centre. This is Anne.” “I’m having a panic attack right now,” Dane* told Anne, an online services volunteer. “I’m sorry [...]
$94,650 raised for teens in distress at Outrun the Stigma
This year marked the 6th annual Outrun the Stigma, a walk/run in support of mental health awareness with a mission to decrease the [...]
Jerilyn Dressler named Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2018
Jerilyn Dressler named Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2018 Congratulations to our Executive Director, Jerilyn Dressler, who was [...]
Michael Kirui: From Kenya to the Distress Centre crisis lines
In loving memory of Martha. "My grandma was so loving and caring. She always said to me ‘Do unto others as you would have them [...]
A call to Distress Centre Calgary saved my life: Lee Horbachewski
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 [...]
Thank you for coming to Lend An Ear!
Lend An Ear 2018 took place on September 20th, 2018. For our 8th annual fundraiser, we tried a new format, hosting an evening event instead [...]
Physical fitness as a tool to promote addiction recovery
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 [...]
Volunteer Impact Event: Building the Distress Centre community
Distress Centre’s first ever Volunteer Impact Event took place on July 25th, 2018. Like Volunteer Appreciation Events in the past, the event focused on showing [...]
Distress Centre Today – See our latest newsletter
Check out our latest newsletter to stay updated on all things happening at Distress Centre. In this issue: Roxanne Cote celebrates ten years at our [...]
Celebrating 10 years of fund development with Distress Centre’s Roxanne Cote
In tribute to Carol Oliver. For Distress Centre, the development and on-going successes of the fund development team is essential to achieving our mission of [...]