Happy Holidays! Our phone and chat lines are closed from Dec 21 to Jan 5
For up to date information about Nightline and our schedule, please visit our instagram
What do we do?
McGill Students’ Nightline is a confidential, anonymous, and non-judgmental listening service run by McGill students. We aim to provide the community with non-professional support in all kinds of situations, including information, guidance during a crisis, or an empathetic space to share your experiences and emotions.
Please note that we are an English service that is not able to accept calls in French or any other language.
Note about Crises: As we are a non-professional, student-based active listening service, in specific circumstances where you may be at risk of harm to yourself or others, we will connect you to Tracom, a crisis centre who will be better equipped to meet your needs. We still welcome every call made to our service and look forward to hearing from you.
Note about Confidentiality: Protecting the confidentiality of our callers and chatters is one of our highest priorities. The only situations in which we cannot maintain your confidentiality is if you are in immediate danger of harming yourself or others, or if you reveal that abuse of a child likely is or will be taking place. In these situations, it is our legal obligation to report the information you share with us to emergency services. In all other situations, our callers and chatters’ confidentiality and anonymity will be protected with the utmost care.
Who can call us?
Anyone and everyone can call us! Although McGill students are our main callers, we accept calls from everyone.
Why should you call us?
McGill Students’ Nightline serves many functions.
We are an information and referral service. We are here to help you find the answer to pretty much any question you can think of. Whether you need directions, are wondering about an academic policy, or want to know how to bake lasagna, we can help you out! Additionally, we can offer referrals to a multitude of McGill and Montreal services. Feel free to ask us for anything from a pizza delivery number to a Montreal drop-in clinic.
We are an active listening service. Sometimes friends give too much advice, sometimes you might feel uncomfortable talking to those around you, and sometimes you really just want something to be kept confidential. That’s okay, and that’s why we’re here! If you’re stressed out about school, or maybe you find yourself really missing home, give us a call—we’re here to listen and help you work through whatever you’re feeling.
We will use a variety of techniques to help support you through a crisis. A crisis is any situation where you feel overwhelmed and may not know what to do. Some examples include a sudden loss in your life, an uncomfortable drug trip, and sexual assault. Even though we are students who are not professionally trained, please give us a call if you experience anything that feels out of your control. We will do our best to support you, no matter what life might throw your way, whether that be with empathetic active listening, grounding exercises, information on professional resources, and in some cases, connection to a specialized crisis centre.
Please note that while these three points are a convenient way of describing our service, we really do take calls about absolutely anything! So no matter what’s on your mind, pick up the phone- we’re here for you.