Help and advice

Do you feel low, or are you distressed, and don’t know what to do? Do you feel that your life or someone else’s is in danger? Do you urgently need someone to talk to, someone who will listen to you?

Sometimes life’s circumstances mean that you need professional help. This may mean talking to an impartial, neutral person about your thoughts, doubts and feelings, or getting specific help from a specialist organisation. Zug Canton has many counselling centres and contact points that will give you support in any circumstance in life.

How to deal with a psychiatric emergency:

Accepting help is a sign of strength!

Emergency ambulance

Emergency police

Dargebotene Hand (Helping Hand)

Emergency number for young people

Addresses and telephone numbers round the clock

The following list only includes the 24-hour emergency services. They are the contact points offering 24-hour help for mental health emergencies and crisis situations in Zug and in Swit-zerland. This list does not claim to be complete.

  • Emergency numbers for all psychiatric emergencies in Zug Canton

    You will find all the important emergency numbers for the canton on the Triaplus website.

    Website Triaplus
  • Emergency ambulance: 144

    The number 144 is a 24-hour emergency service. A rapid response in life-threatening situa-tions, whether due to accident or illness. If necessary, an emergency psychiatrist can be called in.

  • For adults: 143

    Talking helps! Would you like to talk to someone or are you looking for a sympathetic ear – someone who will listen to you? The Dargebotene Hand is there for you round the clock on 143. Whether you want to talk on the phone, have an email consultation or just chat - someone will be there for you day and night on 143. It’s free and anonymous.

    Emergency call 143
  • For adults: Crisis support in English

    Talking helps! Would you like to talk to someone or are you looking for a sympathetic ear – someone who will listen to you? Heart2Heart from the Dargebotene Hand is there for you 365 days a year, 5 hours a day (6 - 11 pm). It’s free and anonymous.
    Please note that chat and email support services are only available in French, German and Italian.

    Hotline Tel: 0800 143 000
  • For children and young people, call or text: 147

    A problem shared is a problem halved! Would you like to talk to someone, share your fears or worries, are you looking for a sympathetic ear – someone who will listen to you and who is there for you? By calling Pro Juventute on 147 you can get hold of someone at any time of day or night and get some help. You can also send a text to 147 if you prefer. Guidance by phone, email or chat or text is free and anonymous.

    Emergency call 147
  • Parents’ emergency number: 0848 35 45 55

    As a parent you can reach your limits. If you’re a mother, a father, carer or family member, and you’re looking for advice and support, then try the 24-hour emergency telephone and email consultation service for help with parenting issues, crises or family conflicts. It’s free and anonymous.

    Parents’ emergency number
  • For women – women’s refuges

    Are you experiencing domestic violence and in need of help? The women’s refuge provides emergency accommodation for affected women and their children. It offers protection and psychosocial guidance. You can find more information directly on the website of the Zug women's refuge or on the general website for women's refuges in Switzerland.

    Zug women’s refuge
    Women's refuge Switzerland
  • For men

    Are you a man and looking for specific guidance for men? Whether about relationships, fami-ly, sexuality, law, addiction, work or violence, you will find specific options for men only on the following websites.
    Men’s Violence Advice Foundation – Telephone number: 041 711 60 60

    Lucerne Men's Office
    Man-to-man violence counselling
    Zuri Men’s Office
    Stopover men’s refuge
  • Victim counselling

    The eff-zett specialist centre provides an overview with links and important addresses for other victim advice services. In addition, you can find other forms of guidance at eff-zett, such as budgeting advice, counselling for individuals, couples and families, parenting training etc.

    Eff-zett specialist centre - victim counselling

Counselling

Don’t hesitate – ask, and get help!

  • Psychological consultations

    A counselling session with a psychologist can help you in many different areas of life. Some-times it can be helpful to confide in an external or neutral person, whether to talk about prob-lems or to gain another perspective on things. Additionally, a counselling session will also en-able you to expand and improve your own communication skills.

    Find a psychologist in Zug Canton
  • Sports psychology consultations

    Are you an athlete, or a trainer? Or the parent of one? Are you interested in sports psycholo-gy methods for better sporting experiences or in complying with health and sports guidelines, e.g., when in rehabilitation? A sports psychology consultation can help you to cope with the challenges of performance sports. If the pressure to perform and the stress of performance sport training or competitions becomes too much, it is important to talk about this too, and as early as possible. In such situations it can help to find an impartial, neutral person like a sports psychologist and confide in them. In sport, it is hugely important to take care of your mental health as well as your body, and to talk about problems early on.

    Find a sports psychologist
  • Social support – counselling

    Your own social network of family and friends is enormously important for mental health. There are situations in life in which support from your personal surroundings is not enough. That’s when it is important to seek external help and advice, and that’s why social support services are available in Zug Canton. All services are listed alphabetically in the Zug Canton social directory, but you also have the option of filtering for key words such as outpatient care, household support, budgeting and debt advice, marriage and couples counsel-ling/mediation, affordable shopping, social advice, social support and shared accommodation / assisted living.

    Zug Canton social directory
  • Psychotherapy

    Sometimes it helps to talk to somebody impartial. It is as important to seek professional help for emotional pain as it is for physical pain. When in difficult situations or crises, and when suffering from psychological problems or disorders, a psychotherapist can help. They will lis-ten to you and help you to find solutions.

    Associated Zug Psychotherapists
    Sports psychotherapy

Self-help – Together we are stronger!

Sometimes it can be helpful to talk to people who have a similar issue or problem, because this enables you to support each other and exchange information and ideas. We have al-ready set up many support groups in Zug for different issues, such as allergies, stress, life crises, and various chronic diseases, all of which provide mutual support. There are groups for those directly affected and other groups for their family and friends.

More Information

Self-help groups in Zug
Self-help Switzerland