Need to talk to someone? 

Sometimes you just need to talk to someone about what’s going on for you. Especially when what’s going on for you is really scaring you.

This page offers a few ideas on resources you might explore, if and when you need it.

Please note that we can’t offer direct support ourselves, and the Big Feels Club is not a crisis support service. 

Big Feels is a very small team, and we don’t have the capacity to be able to respond to people in this way. If you email us or post on one of our social media pages, there’s no guarantee we will see your message or be able to respond.

So where can you go when you need to talk to someone?

Below are a few options for support that you may wish to consider. A number of these supports are run by or staffed by folks who’ve been through this stuff too. 

Important note: all the things linked to here are external supports not operated or controlled by the Big Feels Club, and they’re not a substitute for independent professional advice. Also we try to keep it updated but some of these links may have changed since we last updated the page.

We’ve listed supports in two sections: 

  • Alternatives to Suicide

    Alternatives to Suicide is a peer-based response to supporting people who have made suicidal attempts or who have experienced suicidal thoughts. This peer-to-peer practice consists of mutual support groups that provide a space for voicing, sitting with, understanding and moving through suicidal thoughts. These groups are facilitated by people with their own experience of suicidal attempts or suicidal thoughts.

    Not sure what that looks like? Read what one Big Feels Clubber, Amie, made of her first visit to an “Alt2Su” group here.

    For a very handy list of Alt2Su groups around Australia, click here.

    Like us, Alternatives to Suicide is not a crisis response service. They don’t offer one-on-one or immediate support. But unlike us, what they CAN offer is a regular space to talk about whatever’s going on for you, including thoughts of suicide.

    The New South Wales chapter, Alt2Su NSW, puts it this way: while they’re not a crisis support service, “for people who experience suicidal thoughts, knowing there is a group that meets regularly helps us hold on during a crisis. Many of us have found relief, comfort, and healing by participating regularly in groups where we privilege attentive listening and sharing about suicidal thoughts and distress, without fear of being put through a crisis management system.”

    In Australia, you can find Alternatives to Suicide groups in New South Wales, in Western Australia, in South Australia, and in Queensland, with some of these groups available online to people across Australia. These groups often meet weekly. There may be more since we last updated this page, google “Alternatives To Suicide” plus your town, or try this extremely handy page from Finding North that has a calendar of groups on offer around the country.

    The Alternatives to Suicide model is also available in other countries, including the US, where it was first originated by the Wildflower Alliance. Again, you can try searching ‘alt2su’ to find one in your area.

    Other peer-led initiatives

    There are also other peer-led initiatives (meaning they’re led by people who’ve lived it too) across Australia, and beyond. These include the Humane Clinic in South Australia, Brook RED in Queensland, and the Self Help Addictions Resource Centre (SHARC) in Victoria (who run programs for if you’re wrestling with addiction, as well as offering family supports).

    In New Zealand there are places like Mind and Body Consultants (Big Feels Club Co-Founder Graham’s first mental health workplace!) whose services include a peer support phone line staffed entirely by fellow big feelers. Other peer support services in New Zealand include Ember and Pathways.

    In the US there are several grassroots peer-led initiatives, like the Wildflower Alliance.

    To find peer support options in your area, terms to search include ‘peer support’, ‘peer respite’ (an alternative to hospital run by big feelers) and ‘warmline’ (a form of helpline that’s often run by peers). Most of these options are low-cost or free.

    A few other options in Australia

    ReachOut runs an online forum for people aged 14 to 25. The forum is moderated by other people with big feelings, and they have threads dedicated to the ‘I’m having a hard time right now!’ stuff.

    SANE run a chat service online from 10am to 10pm weekdays, and a forum similar to ReachOut, but with no upper age cutoff. They too offer peer support, meaning chances to chat with other people going through similar stuff.

    GROW offer a number of peer groups across Australia.

    In NSW in Australia, the government has been opening up Safe Haven Cafes across the state, which are alternatives to Emergency Departments for when you’re in a mental health crisis. A full list can be found on the NSW government website here. There’s one in Melbourne too, more on that here.

    Switchboard is a Switchboard peer-based support for LGBTQI folks.

    If you’re in crisis right now and want to talk to someone as soon as possible, see the next section for info on crisis phone lines and services.

  • If you’re in crisis and need to talk to someone as soon as possible, the following numbers are available in Australia.

    Lifeline - call 13 11 14 to talk to someone, 24/7. This is the most well-known crisis line in Australia. You can call, or text them (visit their website for more info). It is designed to provide "short-term support for people who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping or staying safe".

    Suicide Call Back Service - call 1300 659 467 for a national 24/7 telehealth provider that offers free professional phone and online counselling for people living in Australia. As they say on their website, their service provides access to “free professional counselling anywhere, at a time that is convenient to you”.

    Beyond Blue also offer a 24/7 phone support service, available from within Australia on 1300 22 46 36. Beyond Blue also list a number of other Australian national helplines.

    If you are outside Australia, you might want to try this global directory search to find helplines and similar near you: https://findahelpline.com