If you are experiencing a crisis or extreme distress, don’t hesitate to seek help. All of these crisis lines are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and many of them also have chat and texting options available.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call 911 or visit your local health care centre.

• NWT HelpLine
• NWT Family Violence Shelters (Shelter Network)
• Alison McAteer House Crisis Line
• Kids Help Phone
• Hope for Wellness Help Line
• Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program
• Canada Suicide Prevention Service

NWT HelpLine

If you need support, the NWT Help Line offers free support to residents of the Northwest Territories. It is 100% free and confidential. The NWT Help Line also has an option for follow-up calls. To talk to a trained responder, call the NWT Helpline at 1-800-661-0844.

Trained responders can help you with any number of concerns, including:

• stress management;
• suicidal thoughts;
• abuse;
• sexual assault; and
• depression and anxiety.

NWT residents can also visit the NWT Help Line Facebook page for wellness information, tips, and community events.

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NWT Family Violence Shelters (Shelter Network)

If you are experiencing violence at home and are looking for help, contact the NWT Family Violence Shelters. Whether you need a safe place to stay, an Emergency Protection Order or someone to talk to, the 24/7 crisis line is available whenever you need it: 1-866-223-7775.

For more information and regional contacts, click here.

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Alison McAteer House Crisis Line

If you are experiencing abuse or violence at home and need help, contact the Alison McAteer House Crisis Line. This Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can help if you need a safe place to stay, an Emergency Protection Order, or just someone to talk to.
If you need help, call the crisis line at 1-866-223-7775, and they will help keep you safe or provide you with the support you need.

For more information about the service and supports offered by the Alison McAteer house, click here.

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Kids Help Phone

If you are 25 years old or younger and need someone to talk to, the Kids Help Phone is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Texting and online chat options are also available 24/7.

• To talk with a counsellor, call the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868;
• To text with a counsellor, text the word TALK to 686868;
• To live chat, click here and then click the “chat” button OR download the Always There app. This chat function is available from 6:00PM – midnight.

For more information, click here to visit their website.

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Hope for Wellness Help Line

The Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples across Canada.

• To talk to a counsellor, call the toll-free Help Line at 1-855-242-3310, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• To live chat, click here to connect with a counsellor

Experienced and culturally competent Help Line counsellors can help if you:

• want to talk;
• are distressed;
• have strong emotional reactions; and/or
• are triggered by painful memories.

Phone and chat counselling is available in English and French, and on request, phone counselling is also available in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktut.

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Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program

All former Indian Residential School students, regardless of the individual's status or place of residence within Canada, who attended an Indian Residential School listed in the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, are eligible to receive services from the Resolution Health Support Program.

Resolution Health Support Program Services are safe, confidential, respectful and non-judgmental.

You can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-Hour National Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.

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Canada Suicide Prevention Service

If you need support, please reach out via the toll free number 1-833-456-4566. CSPS is available 24/7 and will not incur long distance charges.

CSPS offers support to anyone concerned about suicide. Whether you are suffering from a loss, worried about someone who may be having suicidal thoughts, or having suicidal thoughts yourself, highly trained responders are there to provide support. Talking about suicide can open the door for effective dialogue about the intense emotional pain, and can enable someone to see what steps need to be taken to ensure safety, whether it's your own or the safety of someone you care about.

Wellness Together Canada Crisis Lines

For immediate crisis support:

• Adults can text WELLNESS to 741741
• Frontline Workers can text FRONTLINE to 741741
• Youth can text WELLNESS to 686868

Wellness Together Canada offers many other online options for Canadians seeking mental health supports. To visit the Wellness Together Canada website and access these services, click here.