
Sometimes people need immediate advice in a crisis. Immediate help is provided by the organization Dargebotene Hand. It offers free counseling by phone, e-mail or chat (www.143.ch). You can call 143 in a crisis situation and speak to a member of staff: they will listen and can also help you decide how to proceed. The Dargebotene Hand is a contact point for everyone and is subject to complete anonymity.
On the Internet there are also special Counseling for youth. A useful website is for example www.lilli.ch. It provides information in a serious way about topics that interest teenagers, young women and men: for example, relationships, sexuality, contraception or violence. You can ask questions yourself or read what others have asked. In various online forums, you can talk about specific problems as if you were in a self-help group. But beware, not every online forum is reputable.
Some parents are overwhelmed with their child, in a crisis or a stressful situation. For them there is the counseling center Parents' emergency line (tel. 044 261 88 66). It is available around the clock.
The Offered Hand offers free consultations by phone, email or chat.
For people who do not have a residence permit and do not want to visit public offices, there are at various places Health care providers for sans-papiers, which offer free care and advice.