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Our team at the Crisis Centre can offer you practical and emotional support if you’re experiencing distress, emotional overwhelm, or thoughts of suicide and self-harm. You have to be aged 16 and over living in Edinburgh to access support. Our team can also offer support to family members, carers, friends, and professionals working with someone experiencing a crisis.
The service operates 24/7 365 days a year and is self-referral through our freephone number 0808 801 0414 or by email crisis@edinburghcrisiscentre.org.uk.
How it works
Call us free on 0808 801 0414. Our friendly and compassionate team of trained practitioners and volunteers will work with you towards reducing feelings of distress. Face to face support can be arranged with the Crisis Centre team by calling our freephone number.
When you feel ready, the team can support you with computer access to a database of local resources to inform your crisis plan. We aim to give you an alternative to hospital and will work with you to prevent future crisis.
We believe people have strengths and can develop ways to deal with crisis. People using the service are the experts in their own lives and our team are led by what the crisis means to each person. Our team will support you to identify strategies they may already have to help them with the crisis and to develop a short-term crisis plan identifying informal support and local community based formal support. We’re also able to use our local knowledge to signpost you to relevant community and statutory services. It’s important to know that we don’t recommend services but instead, we provide information to help you to make informed choices.
Everyone using the Crisis Centre is encouraged to share their crisis plan with carers, friends and professionals working with them.
Download our information leaflet here.
It’s confidential
This service is confidential and all information collected about callers is kept securely at the Crisis Centre and is used for data collection and staff training. We create a written record of the callers contact with us. You can use the telephone help line service anonymously.
Sharing Information
Each month 25% of the people calling the helpline have experienced thoughts about suicide. Our team is trained with the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) and will work with you towards your safety usually maintaining confidentiality. Our aim is to prevent suicide and there are times when it’s necessary to share relevant identifying information with statutory services, if your life is at immediate risk or if a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.
General enquiries
The Crisis Centre is self-referral only. Professionals can help people to get in touch with the Crisis Centre on 0808 801 0414. Any other professional enquiries should be directed to 0131 561 0081.
The Crisis Centre is a part of Mental Health and Social Care Services in Edinburgh and has effective working relationships with colleagues across all sectors.
Call 0131 561 0082 or email admin@edinburghcrisiscentre.org.uk if you would like information leaflets for Service Users and Carers. Also you can phone the number above or e-mail manager@edinburghcrisiscentre.org.uk if you would like to hear more about the Centre at your Service User, Carer group or team meeting
