Find help
If you need or want to talk to someone, here are some places to find help.
Find someone to talk to:
- kidshelpphone.ca – Confidential, anonymous & free, phone & online resources for teens in Canada. Click “I need help now” to be connected with a counsellor right away, or “Resources around me” to find support near you.
- good2talk.ca – Good2Talk provides free, confidential support services for post-secondary students in Ontario and Nova Scotia
- grievingchildrencanada.org – click on your province or search by city to find grief support services near you.
For young people
Online tools, tips and resources:
- kidshelpphone.ca – Check out tips and info, games and activities to support mental health.
- mindyourmind.ca – Exists in the space where mental health, wellness, engagement and technology meet. Free online resources, blogs, interviews, and more on mental health and illness.
- dougy.org – Dougy Center supports grieving children, youth and families. Here are their resources for grieving teens.
- help2makesense.org – an online tool by Winston’s Wish, to help young people who have experienced the death of a loved one.
- apartofme.app – a game designed to help young people cope with the death of a loved one.
Being a good friend when someone is thinking of suicide
After a suicide, we usually get the message that it was not our decision and so it wasn’t our fault. But, we’re also often told that if a friend is thinking of suicide, we have to tell someone to save their lives. So, which is it—are we responsible or not?
Ask for help
This can be really hard for lots of reasons. Finding the words doesn’t need to be one of them. We asked other grieving young people and counsellors for ideas about how to ask for help. If you call or text a friend, family member, a helpline, a counsellor, or someone you trust, you could start by saying, “I’m calling/texting because I need help….”
Here are some things you might say next:
- I’m having a tough time dealing with my grief.
- I don’t know what to say or how I feel, but it doesn’t feel okay.
- I am really overwhelmed, and I think I would like to talk to someone about it.
- I think I would benefit from talking about this with someone who has experienced this, or who knows how to help me.
- I don’t feel like myself lately/anymore.
- I’m thinking about hurting myself.
For supporters
Online tools, tips and resources:
- kidsgrief.ca – a free online resource that helps parents support their children when someone in their life is dying or has died.
- mygrief.ca – an online resource to help people move through their grief from the comfort of their own home, at their own pace.
- childrenandyouthgriefnetwork.com – free resources created by a network of agencies working to increase awareness and community capacity to support grieving people
- dougy.org – Dougy Center offers a wide range of resources for people of all ages who are grieving before and after a death.
- whatsyourgrief.com – What’s Your Grief? is a place for grief education, articles, sharing, support & more.
- bethere.org – resources to increase mental health literacy and provide youth with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to safely support anyone who may be struggling with their mental health.
- jack.org – Canadian charity that partners with young leaders in every province and territory to improve youth mental health outcomes in their communities.
- suicideprevention.ca – information and resources to reduce the suicide rate and harmful consequences of suicide-related thoughts and behaviours.
