Kids Help Phone is always looking for innovative ways to connect young people with the support they need, in the way they need it most. That’s why we partnered up with Crisis Text Line to bring you a new way to reach out.

By texting CONNECT to 686868, you can chat confidentially with a trained, volunteer Crisis Responder for support with any issue — big or small. Our texting service is available 24/7/365. You don’t need a data plan, Internet connection or an app to use it. Remember, all conversations between young people and volunteer Crisis Responders are confidential.

We originally launched Crisis Text Line powered by Kids Help Phone in select provinces across Canada in early 2018. We’re proud to say our texting service has expanded nationally with the partnership of Canada Health Infoway.

Call us

Need help now? You can reach a Kids Help Phone counsellor 24/7 at 1-800-668-6868.

What happens when you call

First, you’ll hear a message that goes, “Hi! Welcome to Kids Help Phone.” You will then be asked to choose for service in either English or French.

Next comes a message about prank calls. Some young people are just curious about what will happen if they call. Try to remember that our counsellors are here to help, but we need to keep the lines free for youth who need us.

Once you get through, a counsellor will ask how they can help you. Don’t sweat it if you don’t know what to say. The counsellor will ask you a couple of questions to get the conversation going.

And

Kids Help Phone’s Live Chat counselling lets you connect one-on-one, in real time, with a Kids Help Phone counsellor, on the web or from our Always There app.

Some things can be hard to say out loud. If you need a little one-on-one time with someone who gets what’s going on in your life, you can connect directly with a Kids Help Phone counsellor through Live Chat. Talk about anything. It’s anonymous and confidential.

Live Chat hours

We’re trying out new chat hours, so Live Chat is currently open 24/7. Once we’ve finished our testing, regular service hours will resume.

Live Chat for desktop

How it works:

Click the “Chat” button at the bottom of the screen. If Live Chat is open, you’ll be asked to fill out a short survey, and then you’ll be entered into a lineup to wait for a counsellor.
A pop-up window will let you know where you are in the lineup. If you’re on a desktop computer, it’s OK to surf other pages while you’re waiting to chat, but keep an eye on the chat window. If you’re on a mobile device, please refrain from navigating away from the chat window — doing so will end your chat session.
When it’s your turn to chat, you’ll see a message from the counsellor in the chat window. You’ll need to respond to the counsellor within one minute in order to keep your session.

Always There app

The Always There app has been revamped to focus on one thing — making sure you have a positive chat experience. Connecting with a counsellor is easier than ever. And you’ll stay connected even if you need to answer a call or do something else on your device.

You can download the Always There app to your iOS or Android device — it’s available in both English and French.

Source : Kids Help Phone