Emergency & crisis response

A crisis can be caused by events such as physical or emotional injury or illness, thoughts of suicide, harassment or discrimination, worries about your safety, substance misuse, violence, or academic failure.

EMERGENCIES: Call 911 for RCMP and ambulance

Campus resources

During business hours

If you are faced with an emergency or crisis, contact UBCO Counselling Services or Health Clinic to have a counsellor or other health care provider see you as soon as possible.

During normal office hours, please call 250 807 9270 and inform the person you speak with that you are experiencing a crisis or emergency.

After-hours and weekend support

If you experience a crisis or emergency after routine office hours, contact UBCO Security at their emergency number: 250 807 8111.

For students who live on campus, Resident Advisors or Resident Life Managers may be able to assist.

Crisis lines

Here2Talk

Call, chat online, or use the mobile app to get free, immediate, 24/7 mental health counselling, available in various languages for post-secondary students in British Columbia. UBC students can reach out as often as needed, anytime, from anywhere in the world. Visit Here2Talk.

Canada-wide toll-free
1 877 857 3397
Canada-wide direct
604 642 5212

Online resources

The Lifeline Canada Foundation

Coping with suicidal thoughts: a resource for patients

Crisis Text Line:  Text HOME to 686868

Canada Suicide Prevention Services offers texting and chat support:
Text: 45645   CHAT: crisisservicescanada.ca

Additional lines

BC suicide and crisis line
1 800 SUICIDE (784 2433)

Kelowna crisis line
1 888 353 CARE (2273)

KUU-US Crisis line (BC)
1 800 588 8717

Sexual assault

Alert Campus Security with any concerns about sexual assault. If you are the victim of an assault, seek out the appropriate health care as soon as possible. Student Health Clinic will respond to these concerns as soon as possible.

The Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Office also offers a number of resources to support those who have experienced sexual assault.

Drug overdose

If someone thinks they may be having an overdose or are witnessing an overdose, call 911 immediately — do not delay.

If you have concerns about a drug overdose and would like to learn about prevention, please refer to this website for the most up to date information.

Students: helping yourself

At times, university life can be very stressful and although students utilize a variety of helpful coping strategies to deal with stress, things can become overwhelming. If you feel you are at risk of hurting yourself or feel suicidal…

  • Student Counselling Services and Health Clinic is available Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm Call 250 807 9270 and alert the person you speak with about your concerns to ensure you can be seen immediately
  • Security can be reached outside of these hours at 250 807 8111
  • If this feels urgent, call 911
  • Crisis lines are available 24/7 at 1 800 SUICIDE (784 2433)
  • “People in Need” crisis line is available 24/7 at 1 888 353 CARES (2273)

Students: helping others

If you are a student who is concerned about another student, reach out and offer support using this guide of steps and resources, provided by UBC Vancouver. Please reach out to staff or faculty to assist you.

Any community member can also reach out to the Community Response Team at Interior Health. This team of trained professionals is available to the Kelowna community to assess anyone that a community member raises concerns about.

Many staff, faculty, and students had been trained in QPR. This suicide awareness program stands for “Question-Persuade-Refer.” This program teaches people to recognize warning signs in individuals experiencing distress and educates people on how to respond to those in distress to prevent a possible tragedy. We encourage all students interested in this to attend a training session – contact Student Counselling Services/Health Clinic to find out when the next session will be.

Dr. C. Szostak’s 2013 Term 2 Psychology 361 class created a suicide awareness brochure that can be downloaded here: Suicide Awareness (PDF)

Students can also use the above contacts to help them in addressing concerns for a friend in distress.