Warm Line offers pre-crisis mental health support in Sudbury
The Northern Initiative For Social Action known as NISA is a peer-to-peer organization that helps people take care of their mental health. It also operates a free peer-run telephone service called the Warm Line.
We talked to a 61-year-old man who works on the Warm Line that operates on anonymity. It's a service for anyone experiencing mental health challenges or mental illness.
"We don't tell them what to do but we encourage them to and most of the time they figure it out on their own. And I was glad to be on their journey to get them from point A to Point B," said the Warm Line worker.
He said he was on the other end of the phone line in 2015 when he was suffering from anxiety and depression.
"I had been bullied a few other places I had been, so it's nice to be able to call and vent and have somebody support you back,” he said.
“That's why when I heard there was a job opening I figured I think that is a job I can do and make myself feel better but mostly help other people.”
Warm Line offers pre-crisis confidential support to anyone who needs it and is staffed by people who have experienced their own mental health challenges.
"There is really no replacement for somebody who can relate," said Annette Babcock, the programs and operations manager at NISA.
“Somebody who says I get what you are going through. I might not have had the exact same experience … when somebody is hearing voices or if somebody is just wracked with anxiety.”
Officials said Warm Line aims to help people in difficult situations before they experience a mental health crisis.
The worker we talked to said NISA offers a very supportive environment for everyone.
"You can always reach out to somebody even as a worker you know,” he said.
“Sometimes you get a bad call and you need to do some self-care and sometimes I end up calling the supervisor and saying ‘I need somebody to talk to, that was overwhelming for me,’ and they are very open.”
Officials at NISA said the Warm Line started in 2014 and operates from 6 p.m. to midnight seven days a week.
The regional peer support line serves northeastern Ontario and receives more than 1,100 calls a month. The number is 1-866-856-9276 (WARM).
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Courteney Cox says her partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in therapy
Courteney Cox's longtime partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in a therapy session.