Crisis Response Services

Aug 29, 2022

If you are in crisis or experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the crisis line at 346-8282

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Crisis Response Services (CRS) addresses a significant need in Thunder Bay as identified by our community agencies, partners and hospitals.  Service is provided to individuals and their families experiencing a mental health/addictions crisis within the entire Northwestern Ontario region.  The five components of the CRS program often work collaboratively with each other to provide the level of support needed to individuals and families across the region. Services included are:

• 24-hour Crisis Response Phone/Text Line
• Mobile Crisis Response Team (MR).
• IMPACT Team
• Crisis Safe Beds

Crisis Response Services brochure (pdf)

We have all experienced a crisis at one point in our life. Something happens or a chain of events occur that exceeds our capacity to cope. We may have reached out to our families and friends to get support, gotten through it, and moved forward; or, we may have found ourselves alone and unable to cope.

Some situations affecting an individual that could trigger a crisis are:

• the onset or recurrence of symptoms related to a mental illness;
• difficulties with the use of alcohol, drugs or other substances;
• challenges in your relationships with others;
• a significant life change or traumatic event;
• feeling alone and isolated;
• loss of  housing;
• the loss of a loved one and associated grief;
• racing thoughts that just won’t stop;
• suicidal ideas and thoughts or the development of a concrete plan to end your life.

Services, Hours, and Eligibility

Our goal is to support the values, strengths, and resiliency of each individual so they regain the balance and well-being they enjoyed before the crisis occurred.

24-hour Crisis Response Phone Line

Crisis Response offers a 24/7 mental health phone line for the entire Northwestern Ontario Region. Anyone residing from Kenora east to Wawa can access the regional crisis phone line 24/7. Trained staff are available to respond to calls or texts to listen, provide support and assist in finding solutions and offering resources to all incoming calls with their primary focus on assessment and mitigation of risk.  This component of the service gathers information, completes telephone assessments, screens, triages, and provides callers with relevant information, assistance or direction in order to pursue crisis resolution.

Eligibility: All Ages
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, 365 days a year
Contact:  807-346-8282 | District/Toll Free: 1-866-888-8988    

Contact the crisis line at 346-8282, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Your call will be answered by trained professionals. This service is available to anyone of any age.

We provide:

• Crisis assessment and intervention
• Support to family members and friends
• Referrals and service linkages to other community services
• Follow-up
• Wellness planning
• Public Education

Are you in crisis? There are options 24/7. Help is now just a text or chat away.

Depression, self-care, anxiety, addictions, thoughts of suicide or not sure where to turn because you have something on your mind. If you are dealing with a crisis or issue and having troubles talking about it (it can be tough to say it out loud). CMHA Thunder Bay is excited to announce help is now just a text or chat away.

With CMHA Thunder Bay 24/7 phone line, you can call, text or chat with trained crisis response workers for support anytime, about anything via text message or chat via our website at www.cmha-tb.on.ca. Your texts or chats will remain confidential. Our 24/7 texting service is free and available. You will need a data plan, or access to WIFI.

To start using texting services, text 807-346-8282, after that, you’ll be connected to a trained crisis response worker who can ‘talk/text’ to you about any issue. You can end the conversation at any time by texting the word STOP – this means that we will not send you a message unless you text again. How to use the line:

STEP 1: Text 807-346-8282 from anywhere, anytime, about anything

STEP 2: A trained crisis response worker receives the text and lets you know they’re here to listen.

STEP 3:  A trained crisis response worker will then text back and forth with you. You never have to share anything you don’t want to. The crisis response worker will help you sort through your feelings asking questions, empathizing, and actively listening, hopefully moving you from a crisis moment to a safe moment.

STEP 4:  The goal of any conversation is to get you to a calm, safe place. That means providing you with a referral to further help, or sometimes just being there and listening.

STEP 5: You can end the conversation at any time by texting the word STOP – this means that we will not send you a message unless you text again.

Crisis Response Mobile Unit

Eligibility: All Ages
Hours: 12pm – 12am, 7 days a week
Contact:  807-346-8282 | District/Toll Free: 1-866-888-8988

Mobile Crisis Team (MR): consists of two crisis response workers and they are available 12pm to 12am daily within the City of Thunder Bay. The focus of the team is to de-escalating the immediate crisis and provide support to individuals and families. This is accomplished by completing an in depth on site assessment of the client’s crisis within their environment, by assisting the client to develop a plan, coaching and mentoring to the client and finally by linking the client to supports, resources or treatment as needed.

IMPACT TEAM: pairs one IMPACT crisis worker with one specially trained Thunder Bay Police Services Officer to respond to mental health and addiction calls in the community. The IMPACT team works primarily from the Thunder Bay Police Station and uses a ride along model to provide access to mental health supports. The IMPACT team runs 24/7 and works closely with the MR team to provide ongoing mental health supports and crisis de-escalation within the community. CMHA-TB services are voluntary: if a client coming into contact with TBPS does not want to engage with the IMPACT Worker, they can decline IMPACT services.

64% of mental health calls diverted by collaborative crisis response team working with police and hospital partners

A two-year summary report by Lakehead University on the implementation and operation of the Integrated Mobile Police Assessment Crisis Team (IMPACT) shows that the program has successfully diverted 64 per cent of mental health calls received via 911 – which means that individuals in crisis were able to be treated in the community and were diverted from using costly hospital emergency department or correctional facility resources.

Report findings suggest that continued operation of the IMPACT program, a partnership between CMHA Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay Police Services and Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre, has the capacity to improve mental health crises response in Thunder Bay.

View the report

Crisis Safe Bed

Eligibility: Individuals 16 years or older
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, 365 days a year
Contact:  807-346-8282 | District/Toll Free:1-866-888-8988

This service provides safe beds intended for short term stabilization for clients 16 years and older in mental health and addictions crisis with a short stay of up to 30 days, 24/7 community stabilization and crisis support. In order to be eligible for the Safe Beds, individuals must have been in contact with law enforcement within their current presentation for service. This could mean they were brought to hospital by police, or that the IMPACT team has been involved in their current presentation in some way (transportation, referral, follow-up etc.).