Distress and Crisis Ontario
Distress and Crisis Ontario (DCO) is an administrative membership association that supports advocacy, networking, and training for Distress Centres (DCs) across Ontario. DCs offer instant support and a variety of services to their communities and are a place where you can find a listening ear for anyone who is feeling lonely, depressed, is struggling with suicidal ideation, or who is otherwise in need of support. Most centres operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and may include suicide survivor programs, LGBTQ+ friendly services, support services for youth, telephone call-out programs for seniors and other vulnerable populations, mental health crisis lines, and more. Visit our Member locations page to find a centre near you or click here to learn more about us.
Building a caring partnership for close to 50 years, the Ontario Association of Distress Centres, operating as Distress and Crisis Ontario (DCO), has worked with its membership to increase the capacity of community based organizations offering distress and crisis line services and providing suicide prevention support. In everything we do, we aim to provide advocacy for our Members and the distress/crisis sector, training opportunities for volunteers and leadership, and to foster networking among Member centres to allow for partnerships and growth among the sector. A DCO membership is ideal for a variety of organizations that provide telephone, chat, and/or text-based distress and/or crisis and/or suicide intervention and prevention services to their communities. Also for multiservice organizations with specialized telephone, chat, text and/or web-based support for their communities and its at-risk populations. Learn more with the “Become a Member” button above.
If you are in distress, crisis, or are experiencing suicidal ideation:
ONTX is here to help and support you
For support over text, text SUPPORT to 258258
or, click below to
Available from 2PM – 2AM EST daily, standard text messaging rates apply.
Fundraisers, news, and events
World Suicide Prevention Day 2022
On Saturday September 10th, 2022, we hosted a livestream on Facebook to honour World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) 2022. WSPD, observed each year on September 10th, provides the opportunity for people across the globe to raise awareness of suicide and suicide...
Suicide Prevention Toolkits
In honour of World Suicide Prevention Day, in an effort to create hope through action, Distress and Crisis Ontario has partnered with the Delton Glebe Counselling Centre to create two suicide prevention toolkits. One kit has been created for youth who may be have...
SOV Webinar: Creating Hope Through Action
In August 2022, we hosted an SOV Webinar with Elisa Brewer-Singh from the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council. The webinar was focused on the 2022 theme for World Suicide Prevention Day - Creating Hope Through Action. Click here to view the webinar notes,...
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
As we continue learning how to be better allies for Truth and Reconciliation, we thought it vital to share the official Calls to Action compiled by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada on our site. It is important that all Canadians understand the...
Board Member Applications Open
We are looking for volunteers to sit on our Board of Directors and Board Member applications are now open. Previous Board experience is appreciated but not required, and applicants do not need to have distress or crisis line experience. A passion for supporting mental...
We are so sorry…
It has come to our attention that our website’s contact form has not been working properly for many months due to technical difficulties. If you had tried to contact us that way and did not receive a response, we deeply apologize. The error has now been corrected. We...
Members learning platform
Learning Forum
Our Learning Forum videos are available to our Member centres and their volunteers as a way to provide training and education. If you are a Member centre employee or volunteer, please login to access the Learning Forum.
Thank you to our major funder and supporter
We would like to thank LifeLine International for their grant of $3,500.00 to support our Clyde Mental Health and Addictions Awareness Project. Their funding will go towards continually raising awareness and providing tools to professionals and communities of individuals, families, and interest groups to aid them in supporting suicide prevention and intervention
Donate now through canadahelps.org
Find a DCO Member Centre near you
One of the greatest gifts you can give is your time
How to reach our administrative staff:
If you are in distress or crisis and need immediate support, please call one of the Distress Centres or Crisis Lines listed in the GET HELP section of this website or, for help finding other mental health service providers, look at our USEFUL INFORMATION section. Distress and Crisis Ontario itself is an administrative organization and does not provide telephone listening or referrals!
Fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch:
Administration offices, not a crisis line!
416-486-2242
info@dcontario.org
PO Box 40115
RPO Waterloo Square
Waterloo, ON
N2J 4V1
Distress and Crisis Ontario was recently featured on
torontoblogs.ca, click here to see the article.
Distress and Crisis Ontario is dedicated to being an LGBTQ2+ safe space, committed to inclusion and respect.
Distress and Crisis Ontario acknowledge that we are located on the Haldimand Tract, land promised to Six Nations, which includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. We are on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (Neutral Confederacy), Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples.
Distress and Crisis Ontario is a member of good standing of the Internation Association of Suicide Prevention and LifeLine International, as well as The American Association of Suicidology and Addictions and Mental Health Ontario.