Crisis FAQ’s

Kids Help Phone
1-800-668-6868

• Provides crisis de-escalation and strategies over the phone including exploration of community resources to help stabilize crisis

24.7 Crisis Support Peel (Canadian Mental Health Association)
905-278-9036

• The automated answering machine will direct your call based on your age to Everymind (17 years and younger) or to The Canadian Mental Health Association (18 years and older)

Website: https://peel.cmha.ca/247csp/

Distress Centre of Greater Toronto
416-408-4357

• 24 hour telephone support, crisis intervention and suicide prevention involving individuals who are suffering from mental or emotional illnesses ranging from depression to irrational behaviour

Website: https://www.dcogt.com

Crisis is the onset of an emotional disturbance or situational distress which may be cumulative and result in:

• Sudden breakdown of a person’s ability to cope
• A Person’s state of crisis (distress) is not likely to change/improve and may worsen without immediate intervention

Such crisis may result in putting the person at risk of potential harm to themselves or others
A crisis is subjective, in that it may look differently from person to person. The main cause of a crisis is an intensely stressful, traumatic, or hazardous event, but two other conditions are also necessary: (1) the person’s perception of the event as the cause of considerable upset and/or disruption; and (2) the person’s inability to resolve the disruption by previously used coping mechanisms. (Roberts, 2005)

Crisis intervention programs, including PCCN, aim to uncover the roots of the crisis situation and stabilize. Each crisis support plan will be different for any given person, recognizing varying needs, perceptions and available resources.

1. Biopsychosocial Assessment- Gathering detailed information in regards to the client and their environment
2. Establish rapport with the client, and family members to create a collaborative relationship- Person and Family Centered Approach, meet individual where they are at
3. Identify the dimensions or aspects of the presenting problem
4. Emotional support and validation for the client and family
5. Gather collateral information on what has been tried and explore options and alternatives
6. Develop and formulate action plan
7. Monitoring of support plan/ follow up

While crisis supports may be helpful to you in your time of need, many crisis supports are unable to support when there is the presence of probable and immediate danger or harm. The best resource to respond when there is risk of probable/immediate danger or harm is a hospital emergency department or by calling 911.

The decision to call 911 for a family member in an emergency is not easy. It can be helpful to share some key information to dispatch/the emergency department in order to provide the most appropriate support:

• Diagnosis (including developmental diagnosis, mental health diagnosis or any mental health concerns)
• Medication
• Method of communication and/or language preference
• Sensory needs (for example: My child/adult dependent can become triggered by loud noises or voices)
• Challenging/aggressive behaviours
• Specific triggers that increase above behaviours
• Strategies that help to calm the client
• Inform the operator if you have a vulnerable persons registry

The Vulnerable Persons Registry is a method to flag a person who is deemed vulnerable in the community and may be in need of emergency services. The Peel Regional Police define a vulnerable person as “a person who due to a medical, mental health, or physical condition may exhibit patterns of behaviour that may pose a danger to themselves or others (including those with developmental disabilities)”. In the event of an emergency responding officers, and other responding emergency services workers, will have immediate access to this registry through the address that is obtained through dispatch. This can help provide vital information in a timely manner and reduces the likelihood that critical information is not overlooked.

Website: https://www.peelpolice.ca/en/services/vulnerable-persons-registry.aspx

If you are connected to services in your community, it can be helpful to provide an update to ongoing support (ie: service coordinator, case manager or other formal supports) to debrief around the incident and explore resources that might be able to prevent the re-occurrence of accessing the emergency department.

If you and your family are not connected to services, it may be helpful to begin to explore what services or supports are available for people with developmental disabilities and mental health concerns:

For Urgent, Crisis and Transitional Supports, contact Peel Crisis Capacity Network: 905-273-4900
Website: https://pccn.ca/

For children, contact Kids Pathways Peel for more information: 905-890-9432
Website: http://www.kidspathwayspeel.com/

For adults, contact Developmental Services Ontario:
http://www.dsontario.ca/
Mississauga: 905-272-1241
Brampton/Caledon: 905-453-2747