Well-Being Resources
A resource page to provide our diverse UCalgary and local Calgary community with a comprehensive list of resources for mental health, well-being, and quality of life.
Urgent care and crisis support
Crisis and Distress Contacts
Alberta Mental Health Help Line is a confidential 24/7 service that provides support, information and referrals to Albertans experiencing mental health concerns. Call 1-877-303-2642 (toll free) to access.
For local 24/7 mental health support, call Distress Centre at 403-266-4357 to speak with a highly trained volunteer who can connect you to further resources.
For Indigenous peoples, Hope for Wellness Helpline is operated 24/7 by experienced and culturally sensitive counsellors. Call 1-855-242-3310 to be connected or chat online.
For Canadians aged 5-29, Kids Help Phone operators are professional counsellors, call 1-800-668-6868 to access or text CONNECT to 686868. To access the support you need in the country you reside in, visit the Child Helpline International website.
Wood’s Homes Community Support has call and text services, visit their website for more information for how to connect to a trainee counsellor or social worker.
Get Connected
Active Living
The University of Calgary’s Active Living department is one of the largest and most diverse recreation departments based on a North American campus.
Mental Health Services
UCalgary offers free, confidential mental health services, such as counselling and student support advising, to all registered students.
Outdoor Centre
The Outdoor Centre is the largest centre of its kind in North America. It provides students camping and outdoor sports equipment at the lowest possible rate.
Student Ombuds Office
The Student Ombuds Office offers a safe place for all students of the University of Calgary to discuss student related issues, interpersonal conflict, academic and non-academic concerns, and many other problems.
Sexual & Gender-based Violence Prevention & Support Office
If you’ve experienced sexual or gender-based violence, the UCalgary Sexual & Gender-based Violence Prevention & Support Office is here to listen and help — confidentially and without judgment.
Women's Resource Centre
The Women's Resource Centre (WRC) offers a safe, inclusive, and welcoming place for University of Calgary students, staff, faculty, and community to connect. The WRC can help you develop practical skills to support feminist theory learned in the classroom.
Writing Symbols Lodge
Writing Symbols Lodge provides academic, personal, and cultural support services and programs to prospective and current First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students, and offers a welcoming and supportive learning environment for the whole campus community.
Recovery on Campus Alberta
Recovery on Campus (ROC), and the campus recovery communities it supports across 26 Alberta post-secondary institutions, provides peer support, substance-free events, scholarships, research and education for students, staff, and faculty, meeting people wherever they are in their recovery journey.
Find mental health and well-being videos, past webinars, and more on YouTube. View here
Educations Resources and Learning Modules
UCalgary offers a number of resources on campus from self-guided learning modules to mental health resource guide. Explore the learning modules and guides.
The HEAL Allyship Initiative aims to bridge the gap between awareness and real action by educating students and staff recognizing the signs of a distress, how to offer support, and where to find resources.
Funded by GSA Quality Money Grant.
Mental health and well-being play an important role in creating inclusive, effective learning environments for both students and instructors. This self-guided module explores holistic approaches to well-being, course and classroom design, trauma-informed teaching, strategies for supporting student success, and practices that promote instructor well-being.
Participants will develop practical knowledge and tools to foster healthier, more supportive post-secondary learning experiences.
Well-being is a multidimensional sphere of care that encourages a higher quality of life. While it often relates to mental wellness, it also includes physical, spiritual, social and environmental wellness, among other facets of care.
Below is a matrix of community and campus resources. To find resources relevant to your needs, simply use the search bar to enter key terms or identifiers such as “Indigenous,” “food bank,” or “sustainability.”
| Resource | Description | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary | Providing Indigenous cultural connection and education through programs and services for the urban population. Learn more. | Indigenous, women, housing, family, outreach, education, external |
| Asian Mental Health Collective | Directory of Asian mental health professionals. Offering counselling and community events specifically for Asian individuals who may be struggling with mental health. Learn more. | Asian, mental health, counselling, disability, external |
| Association for the Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured | Find rehabilitation services such as armchair fitness, social interaction, and mental stimulation activities for individuals with brain injuries, as well as caregiver support. Learn more. | Mental health, disability, family, outreach, caregiver, external |
| AWO-TAAN Healing Lodge Society | Provides emergency services, guided by Indigenous traditional teachings, for women affected by family abuse. Offers emergency housing and counselling. Learn more. | Women, Indigenous, BIPOC, counselling, housing, family, external |
| BIPOC Mental Health YYC | A directory of BIPOC mental health professionals that offer services centered around equity-informed treatment. Learn more. | BIPOC, mental health, disability, external |
| Calgary Foundation Indigenous Ally Toolkit | A directory of educational resources focused on aiding allies in promoting dignity, respect and equal accessibility for Indigenous peoples. Learn more. | Indigenous, ally, education, external |
| Calgary Outlink | Calgary Outlink is a hub that promotes support and community connectedness for all gender and sexually diverse people. Find groups, peer support, mentorship, trainings, and other resources. Call 587-800-4121 to be connected to You Matter, a non-crisis peer support and re source link. Learn more. | LGBTQ2S+, ally, external |
| Calgary Public Library | Embedded in the ongoing collaboration with Indigenous peoples, the Calgary Public Library offers a wide variety of Indigenous programming and connections. Programs include a speaker series, Elders In Residence both in person and virtually as well, language learning opportunities, and a wide Indigenous multimedia connection. Learn more. | Indigenous, education, community, wellness, external |
| Centre for Newcomers | CFN offers mental health settlement, non-therapeutic counselling, and crisis intervention as necessary. This includes information and referrals to internal agency programs and resources and external agencies along with ethnocultural programs. Learn more. | Immigrant, BIPOC, counselling, mental health, disability, |
| Centre for Sexuality | Offers short-term counselling for individuals regarding gender, sexuality, family planning and STI diagnoses. Learn more. | LGBTQ2S+, family, sexual health, external |
| Chinese Emotional Support Hotline | Call 587-997-5977 to be connected to a well-trained Chinese speaking hotline volunteer, who can provide you with emotional support and connect you to community resources for further help. This service is completely free, confidential and non-judgemental. Learn more. | Chinese, Asian, counselling, external |
| CPL Elders Guidance Circle | Individuals and groups can submit requests to meet with an Elder or Knowledge Keeper from the Treaty 7 and Calgary area. Please note that there are some areas of Indigenous history, spirituality, and culture that Elders are not comfortable sharing due to protocols or the sensitive nature of the information. Learn more. | Indigenous, ally, external |
| Elbow River Healing Lodge | A primary health care network is a part of AHS and is located in downtown Calgary. Their care framework emphasizes culturally appropriate and safe practices through traditional healing approaches, health promotion, disease prevention, curative care, rehabilitative care, and community-supportive care. Learn more. | Indigenous, healing, family, external |
| Elizabeth Fry Calgary Indigenous Cultural Support | Elizabeth Fry engages Indigenous women in case management supports, programs and ceremony designed to increase their cultural identity, address intergenerational trauma, and encourage healing. Women can address their personal issues by talking with Elders individually or by sharing in healing circles. They are provided with cultural teachings, monthly sweatlodges, as well as other indigenous ceremonies based on season and availability. Learn more. | Indigenous, women, counseling, wellness, external |
| Enable | Creates meaningful partnerships between people with disabilities and support workers. Learn more. | Disability, caregiver, external |
| End of the Rainbow | End of the Rainbow connects sexually diverse people to peer support groups, supports to settle, and support for refugee hearings in the Calgary area. They also provide language, employment, other training and educational services. Learn more. | LGBTQ2S+, BIPOC, immigrant, refugee, employment, housing, education, external |
| Faith and Spirituality Centre | UCalgary supports your cultural and religious life and identity on campus. Connect to your faith, meet your peers, study, relax or engage in a variety of activities. Learn more. | Religion, faith, community, internal |
| Healing in Colour | A directory of BIPOC therapists who are committed to supporting BIPOC. Find resources and therapists online and across Canada. Learn more. | BIPOC, counselling, mental health, disability, external |
| Hope for Wellness | The Hope for Wellness Helpline is available to all Indigenous people across Canada. Experienced and culturally competent counsellors are reachable by telephone and online 'chat' 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Both telephone and online chat services are available in English and French. Telephone support is also available upon request in: Cree, Ojibway (Anishinaabemowin) and Inuktitut. Learn more. | Indigenous, counselling, mental health, disability, external |
| Indian Residential School Survivors Society | The Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) is a provincial organization that provides essential services to residential school survivors and families experiencing intergenerational trauma.. For crisis support, call 1-800-721-0066 anytime of day. Learn more. | Indigenous, mental health, disability, family, external |
| Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program | Cultural and emotional supports as well as mental health support counselling. For 24-hour crisis support to former Indian Residential School students and their families call 1-866-925-4419. Individuals impacted by the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls are encouraged to contact 1-844-413-6649. Learn more. | Indigenous, counselling, women, external |
| Indigenous Mental Health Program | This service provides culturally appropriate mental health care and support for Indigenous clients. This program works closely with nurses, physicians, and other service providers to facilitate a holistic approach to care. For intake call 403-955-6645. Learn more. | Indigenous, mental health, disability, wellness, family, outreach, external |
| Indigenous Sport Council Alberta (ISCA) | A multi-sport organisation that represents all First Nation, Metis and Inuit in Alberta. Their programming aims to build a strong foundation of holistic health and wellness for Indigenous people, their families, and their communities through sport, physical activity, recreation, and culture. Learn more. | Indigenous, sport, community, family, health, wellness, external |
| Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society | A database of varied resources for Indigenous peoples. Learn more. | Indigenous, external |
| Métis Calgary Family Services | Not-for-profit community organisation to provide Indigenous programs and services that are responsive, community-based, services which are culturally specific for our urban community. Learn more. | Metis, Indigenous, housing, family, youth, social service, education, external |
| Miskanawah Community Services Association | Community-based community services association with two locations in Calgary. Their focus is on building and deepening the connection of the Indigenous community and strengthening cultural identity and programming for people in the Greater Calgary Area. Services and programs open to families, youth children and 2SLGBTQ+ folx. Learn more. | Indigenous, counselling, external |
| Native Counselling Services of Alberta | Offers programs and services to Indigenous peoples including counselling, emergency housing and career workshops. Learn more. | Indigenous, counselling, housing, career, external |
| Neurodiversity Support Advising | The Neurodiversity Support Advisor (NSA) can help students accessing student wellness support and support students on the autism spectrum, including navigating on and off-campus resources. Learn more. | Autism spectrum, neurodiversity, disability, education, internal |
| Pflag | Provides support, education and resources to parents, families and individuals who have questions or concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity. Learn more. | LGBTQ2S+, family, education, external |
| Punjabi Community Health Services | Organizes community events, peer suppprt and informational sessions for members of Punjabi and other South Asian communities. Learn more. | Punjabi, Asian, counselling, mental health, disability, family, outreach, external |
| Queers on Campus | Queer people and allies working together to encourage and promote understanding and acceptance within the greater student, faculty, and staff community at the University of Calgary. Learn more. | LGBTQ2S+, ally, internal |
| Rapid Access Counselling | Connect with a counsellor, often within a week, for a single session counselling appointment to help gain direction with an ongoing challenge or to support a current crisis. For adults, youth, children, couples, and families. Learn more. | Counselling, mental health, disability, sexual health, caregiver, family, youth, external |
| Skipping Stone | Organizes events and programs for trans and gender diverse individuals, offers mentorship and provides gender-affirming resources. Learn more. | LGBTQ2S+, family, youth, ally, career, external |
| South Asian Youth Mental Health | This resource helps the South Asian community navigate mental health and mental illness. It includes a self-assessment, educational topics, and further resources. Created by a group of emerging South Asian professionals. Learn more. | Asian, mental health, disability, counselling, youth, outreach, education, external |
| Student Accessibility Services | Enhance your academic and personal development with disability-related services. Register your disability with this office or inquire to discuss your challenges if you don't have a diagnosis. Learn more. | Disability, internal |
| The Alex | Provides support to diverse populations for physical and mental health, addiction, housing and food security. Learn more. | LGBTQ2S+, BIPOC, mental health, disability, sexual health, housing, food, family, youth, |
| The Q Centre | The Students' Union Q Centre is a safe, comfortable and inviting space for the campus LGBTQ2S+ community, featuring a library and peer support services. Learn more. | LGBTQ2S+, ally, housing, scholarships, internal |
| Trans Lifeline | Offers a peer-support phone service as well as microgrants for trans and non-binary individuals. Learn more. | LGBTQ2S+, BIPOC, counselling, youth, funding, external |
| United Way Elders Knowledge Circle | The Elders Knowledge Circle preserves, protects, revitalizes, and shares wisdom from Indigenous Elders. Learn more. | Indigenous, external |
| Vecova | Find mental health support and education to persons with disabilities and their support networks. To access this service you must be part of the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program. Learn more. | Disability, caregiver, social work, education, counselling, external |
| We R Native | Comprehensive online health resources for Indigenous youth (US-based). Learn more. | Indigenous, mental health, disability, external |
| Women's Resource Centre | Providing a safe and supportive place to advance gender equality and build community through sharing, learning and teaching, the Women's Resource Centre values all experiences and offers the resources necessary to make informed choices. Learn more. | Women, internal, community |
| Womens Centre Indigenous Community Resources | A directory of resources for Indigenous community members, with a focus on women's health and healing. Learn more. | Indigenous, women, family, youth, healing, counselling, career, housing, law and justice, external |
| Writing Symbols Lodge | Writing Symbols Lodge provides academic, personal, and cultural support services and programs to prospective and current Indigenous students, and offers a welcoming and supportive learning environment for the whole campus community. Learn more. | Indigenous, education, community, internal |