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Parents & Professionals

Resources for parents of teenagers and youth serving professionals

FAQs

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From 5-10PM Monday to Friday and 12PM-10PM Saturday to Sunday, peer support is available. Youth can contact us during these hours to talk with our highly trained youth volunteers by phone, text and chat. Our volunteers offer their peers a confidential and non-judgmental space to talk about what’s going on in their life. We do not tell youth what to do but we encourage them to make safe decisions and often suggest they connect with a trusted adult. We will also provide youth with relevant resources if they want additional support. Teens can also text or chat in from 3-5pm on weekdays, but during those times, adult volunteers will respond. Our phone line is available 24/7 for teens to call in, and outside of peer support hours adult volunteers answers the calls. Learn about the limits to confidentiality.

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ConnecTeen is a safe space for youth. Our support is non-judgemental and confidential and we want to ensure everyone is safe when contacting us. We respond to a  wide variety of concerns and issues. Frequently, psychological distress, friendships and relationships are among our top issues. Youth also contact us about being bullied, struggling with mental health issues and self-harm and school. To get a better understanding of the types of concerns, please check out our Peer Talk page where our youth volunteers answer real questions from real youth in Calgary and area.

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We do not offer face-to-face community support. Our peer support is confidential and accessible over the phone, by text message, online chat and email. Free short-term counselling is available at our office. Please visit the Distress Centre website to learn more about our counselling services or contact 211 for relevant resources.

ConnecTeen provides presentations for youth serving professionals and/or youth in the community. As well, staff and volunteers attend various community resource or volunteer recruitment fairs.  To request a presentation or attendance at a community event please fill out the form below and one of our youth program coordinators will be in touch with you.

General Inquires Form

[contact-form-7 id=”56″ title=”Request Contact Form”]

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Parents

As a parent we know it can be a stressful time when you see your child struggling or going through difficulties.  They may not reach out to you and you may not know how to approach them. You don’t have to know all of the answers. If you need support for talking to the youth in your life, there are resources.

For support around family crisis please contact the Community Resource Team. They specialize in working with youth and families and can be reached at 403-299-9699.

For additional resources contact 211.

Don’t forget about yourself. It can be tough when you’re not sure how to help someone, but it’s also important to talk about your own frustrations or feelings. For support for yourself please contact Distress Centre Calgary at 403-266-HELP (4357).

Youth Serving Professionals

As a professional that works with youth you may be the first point of contact for a young person who is in need of additional support and going through a difficult time. This can be a stressful time when you do not know how to react to the situation or have not had specific training.

ConnecTeen is here to help you out. You can request a Presentation and have one of our highly trained youth program coordinators come out to your staff and/or youth. If you would like to request promotional materials including brochures, posters or information cards please fill out the request form below.

Request Form

[contact-form-7 id=”56″ title=”Request Contact Form”]

Volunteering at Distress Centre can be a great way to build the applicable skills for working with and helping youth who are in crisis. We offer an extensive training program. You will refine your communication and listening skills while introducing crisis intervention practices. This is an excellent opportunity to increase your confidence and skill set while working with youth who may be experiencing a very difficult time. If you are interested in the training, but do not wish to commit to volunteering, you may be interested in our paid training.

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