Latest News
Self-care tips from crisis line volunteers
Self-care is any activity that we intentionally do in order to take care of our physical, mental and emotional health. Practicing self-care [...]
50 Stories Part 4: Rocky Mountain High(lights)
Read - 50 Stories Part 3 While smoking dope and ‘finding themselves,’ Canadian youth were crossing the country in large numbers during the late 1960s [...]
50 Stories Part 3: Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll
Image: An ad in the Calgary Herald in 1970. Read - 50 Stories Part 2 Although it was the general concern for youth encountering the [...]
50 Stories Part 2: In the beginning… there were drugs
Pictured: The Drug Information Centre logo. Read - 50 Stories Part 1 Distress Centre got its start in 1970 as the Drug Information Centre (DIC). [...]
Distress Centre is moving!
We are moving! As of February 1st, our new address will be: Suite 500, 999 8th Street SW, Calgary, AB T2R 1J5 Please updates your [...]
50 Stories for 50 Years: Exploring the history of Distress Centre Calgary from 1969 to present
Welcome to 50 stories for 50 years, the history of Distress Centre Calgary from 1969 to the present. My name is Donna Crawford, and I [...]
Q4 Update from our Executive Director, Jerilyn Dressler
See this update as a video! As 2019 comes to a close, we look back on the year’s successes and challenges and plan for the [...]
You can help us save lives
“I called. They answered. They listened. Suicide is serious and they took me seriously.” — Caller We respond to 325 contacts each day. This is [...]
Staff Spotlight: Natasha Dharshi
Natasha Dharshi began volunteering on the Distress Centre crisis lines in 2014. The experience she gained at Distress Centre and the skills she learned propelled [...]
Over $24,000 raised for teens in distress at Outrun the Stigma
Pictured: The Distress Centre team at Outrun the Stigma 2019. This year marked the 7th annual Outrun the Stigma, a walk/run in support of mental [...]
Keynote speaker shares his struggles and his triumphs
Bob Wilkie, a native Calgarian, fell in love with playing hockey as soon as his dad introduced him to the game as a child. He [...]
World Suicide Prevention Day: More people comfortable talking about suicide online versus on the phone
September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day and Distress Centre wants anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts or struggling with their mental health to know that help [...]
Q3 Update from our Executive Director, Jerilyn Dressler
See this update as a video! After a rainy start to the season, it feels like summer is finally here. With the recent sunny weather [...]
Distress Centre’s Impact Part 2: Stories from our service users
Distress Centre has responded to over 38,000 crisis calls, chats, texts and emails so far in 2019 (as of June 30th). Here are two stories [...]
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Indigenous people in need of support can contact 211 to connect to services
June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada, a day to celebrate the heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and [...]
Volunteers honoured at our semi-annual appreciation night
Twice a year, Distress Centre holds an evening to show appreciation for the amazing volunteers that make it possible for us to do the work [...]
2018 Report to the Community
We're here for you when things seem dark. Everyone has dark days, dark thoughts and dark moods. Often these dark clouds come and go, [...]
Walk with us at Darkness Into Light Calgary
At the early hour of 5am on May 11, 2019, hundreds of Calgarians will gather in the darkness at Prince’s Island Park for Darkness Into [...]
Volunteer Spotlight: Dee Bardsley
Dee Bardsley, a retired schoolteacher, began volunteering on our crisis lines in 2013. She still remembers one of her first high risk calls - from [...]