If you or someone you know is at risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviours, please call 1-800-SUICIDE immediately or visit your nearest emergency room. Support is available, and help can save lives.
Signs
Many people have thoughts of not wanting to be alive, often during hard times. It may be time to reach out when these thoughts keep coming back or feel hard to push away.
How counselling helps
Early on
Together with your counsellor, you look at when the thoughts show up and what pain sits under them. You share only what you are ready to share.
As you go
Your counsellor helps you practise skills for the hardest moments, drawn from dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), a therapy that teaches ways to ride out strong feelings.
Over time
Over time, you work on what feels heavy, such as loss, shame or loneliness, and reconnect with the people and values that give your days meaning.
Approaches
Where
About
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviours, please call 1-800-SUICIDE immediately or visit your nearest emergency room. Support is available, and help can save lives.
Suicidal ideation refers to thoughts of ending one’s life, which may occur during periods of extreme emotional distress, trauma, mental illness, or overwhelming life challenges.
People experiencing suicidal thoughts may feel hopeless, helpless, or disconnected from life. These feelings can develop due to depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, addiction, or major life changes such as loss of a loved one, job, or relationship.
At No Fear Counselling Canada, we provide professional suicidal ideation counselling and crisis support therapy to help individuals manage these difficult emotions safely.
There is no one specific cause of suicidal ideation nor can anyone be certain someone is going to attempt suicide. One person might have had persistent thoughts of ending their life for many months but never attempted suicide; on the other hand, another person might have had an intense experience and committed suicide shortly thereafter. Illness, family history, loss, grief, abuse, addiction, rejection are just a few possibilities of what might underlie suicidal ideation.
What we can all do is learn how to make an assessment of the risk of suicidal behaviour:
If responses to the above are all within a high or extreme level, please seek medical assistance for the person as soon as possible. Contacting a Crisis Line (604 279 7070) or Suicide Support Help Line (1 800 SUICIDE) is another helpful option.
If the responses to the above assessment indicate a low or medium risk, there is opportunity to seek treatment and support that might help to prevent future attempts and build skills to cope with feelings of hopelessness and isolation that are present and harmful for the person right now.
Therapy for suicidal ideation in Canada focuses on emotional safety, stabilization, and long-term healing.
At No Fear Counselling, therapists use evidence-based approaches such as:
Therapy helps individuals develop healthier coping strategies, reduce emotional pain, and rebuild hope for the future.
If you have been affected by suicidal thoughts or a suicide attempt either personally or through someone you know, therapy can help you process grief, trauma, and emotional pain.
Working with a trained therapist can help restore emotional balance, rebuild coping skills, and support long-term recovery.
At No Fear Counselling Canada, we provide compassionate and evidence-based therapy for individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, trauma, depression, and anxiety. Our experienced therapists offer personalized counselling plans designed to support emotional safety, stability, and long-term healing using approaches such as CBT, DBT, ACT, and trauma-informed therapy.
With accessible mental health counselling services across Canada, we are committed to helping individuals feel supported and understood in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Contact No Fear Counselling today to learn more about our services or book a confidential therapy session online and take the first step toward healing and recovery.
Canadian Mental Health Association. (2018). Suicide – facts and figures.
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FAQs
Can't find your answer? Ask us a question.
Yes, many people have thoughts of suicide at some point, often during times of loss, stress or deep pain. Having these thoughts does not mean something is wrong with who you are. It is a sign that you are carrying a lot, and you deserve support with it.
If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8, call 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433), or call 911 if you are in danger. You can also go to your nearest emergency room. Please reach out to them now rather than waiting for a counselling session.
Yes, our counsellors are there to listen without judging you. Talking about suicidal thoughts does not put the idea in your head, and saying them out loud can bring some relief. You can share as much or as little as you like, and your counsellor may ask gentle questions about how you are doing.
No, you do not need a diagnosis to start. Many people come to counselling with thoughts of suicide and no label for what they feel. Our intake team suggests counsellors who fit what you need, your language, your budget and where you want to meet.
Yes, you can meet your counsellor online from anywhere in BC, or in person at one of our offices. We offer a free 15-minute consultation by phone or video so you can ask questions first. Online counselling is not a crisis service, so in an emergency call or text 9-8-8, or call 911.