If you are feeling suicidal… tell someone.
You are not alone. Talk to a trusted friend, a parent, a coach, a counsellor, etc.
I Need to Talk to Someone
That’s great that you have taken this first step and want to talk to someone. You may not be in an emergency, but know that you are having a tough time and need to talk. Some of these resources are available by phone, text or online. Some you can visit face to face. You can use as many of these services as you want.
Adult / All ages Resources
Helplines and Crisis lines
Here 24/7 Waterloo Region Crisis Line & Access to Services (24/7) – 1-844-437-3247
988 Canada Suicide Crisis HelpLine– 9-8-8
- Suicide Crisis HelpLine Text Service- 9-8-8
Talk Suicide Canada (24/7) – 1-833-456-4566
- Talk Suicide Canada Text Service (available 4pm-12am EST) – Text 45645
Trans Lifeline (10am-4am EST) – 1-877-330-6366
Hope for Wellness Indigenous Help Line (24/7) – 1-855-242-3310
- Hope for Wellness Indigenous Online Chat Counselling (24/7) – https://www.hopeforwellness.ca/
Boots on the Ground Peer Support for First Responders (24/7) – 1-833-677-2668
Walk in/ Quick- Response Counselling Services (no appointment necessary)
Walk-In/ Quick response counselling typically consists of a single -session and is suited for adults experiencing mild, moderate, and/or situational challenges that require urgent and timely support.
- Camino Wellbeing + Mental Health (400 Queen St. S. Kitchener)
- Monday to Thursday, 9am to 6pm
- Friday, 9 am to 3pm
- Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services (1315 Bishop Street North Unit 203, Cambridge)- Thursdays 9am to 4pm.
- Please note: intake for walk-in counselling with Porchlight begins on Wednesday mornings. If interested, please call 519-621-5090.
Integrated Crisis Centre (ICC)
The ICC is located at 298 Lawrence Ave., Kitchener and the hours are Tuesday-Saturday 2p.m. to 8p.m.
On July 30th, 2024 the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo-Wellington and Thresholds Homes and Supports have opened the Integrated Crisis Centre.
Individuals 18 years or older can access support to help address mental health and/or substance use crises which can include: a serious, immediate problem, a situational crisis, psychosis, emotional distress, an emotional response to trauma, agitation, severe depression or anxiety, symptoms of moderate withdrawal, or suicidal thoughts.
Local Counselling Services
You can also call and make an appointment at a number of counselling services in the area, including the ones above. All of these services offer individual counselling but you can also ask about their specialized group programs. These services have a fee but are adjusted on a sliding scale based on your income.
- Interfaith Community Counselling Centre (23B Church St New Hamburg) – 519-662-3092
- Camino Wellbeing + Mental Health(formerly KWCS and Carizon) (Multiple locations in Waterloo Region)– 519-743-6333
- Woolwich Counselling Centre (65 Memorial Ave Elmira) – 519-669-8651
- Shalom Counselling Services (9 Avondale S Waterloo) – 519-886-9690
- Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services (1315 Bishop Street North Unit 203, Cambridge) – 519-621-5090
Other Local Resources
- Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington – Offers a variety of services in Waterloo Region and has offices in Kitchener, Cambridge, and Guelph – 1-844-264-2993
- Here 24/7, along with operating as a crisis line, offers access to other services in the region. Call at (844) 437-3247
- Skills for Safer Living – a 20 week closed support group for individuals who have attempted suicide. This group aims to reduce the potential risk factors for suicide-related behaviours. Call for more information and the next available groups – 1-844-264-2993 ext.4063
- Self Help & Peer Support – Offers a variety of resources including one to one peer support, peer support groups, and a resource center.
- Kitchener office – 519-570-4595
- Cambridge office – 519-623-6024
- Thresholds Homes and Supports Crisis Respite – Need a place to go and feel safe for a few days? Planned crisis respite might be the solution. Call at: 519-579-0751
Apps & Websites
Self-Injury Outreach and Support – sioutreach.org
As part of a collaboration between McGill University and the University of Guelph, SIOU is an international outreach organization providing current information and helpful resources about self-injury to individuals who self-injure, those who have recovered, as well as their caregivers and families, friends, teachers and the health professionals who work with them. Their Coping with Urges page is a great place to start exploring their website and provides some tangible tips for coping without self-harming when urges to self-harm come up.
HeadsUpGuys – HeadsUpGuys.org
HeadsUpGuys is a resource for supporting men in their fight against depression by providing tips, tools, information about professional services, and stories of success.
Man Therapy – ManTherapy.org
Therapy – The way a man would do it. Man Therapy is an interactive mental health campaign targeting working-age men that employs humour to cut through stigma and tackle issues like depression, divorce and anxiety.
Woebot Health- Woebothealth.com | Itunes | Android
Through tiny, endearing conversations, Woebot gets to know who you are, how you think, and what you want to work on, before suggesting any techniques. Woebot uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing, and incorporates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, and Dialectal Behavioural Therapy in its therapeutic support.
Virtual Hope Box – Itunes | Android
You can use the VHB to store a variety of rich multimedia content that they find personally supportive in times of need. For example, a patient can include family photos, videos and recorded messages from loved ones, inspirational quotes, music they find especially soothing, reminders of previous successes, positive life experiences and future aspirations, and affirmations of their worth in their VHB.
Catch It is an app to help users better understand their moods through use of an ongoing diary. The app was designed to illustrate some of the key principles of psychological approaches to mental health and well-being, and specifically Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
