Introduction Update: May 22, 2017 Please see Ultimate Guide to Starting a Crisis Line for a much more comprehensive treatment of this same topic! Do you want to start your own suicide hotline, crisis line or helpline? This is an extremely ambitious and admirable goal and I admire you for thinking about your community! Thousands of suicide…
Month: January 2016
Active Listening on Crisis Lines
The core of emotional support, which is the service provided on crisis lines, is called active listening. Active listening is a special type of listening, distinct from the regular listening we do everyday. Active listening should also be separated from the work that counsellors and therapists do, which is called professional listening. While therapists and counsellors certainly…
What Makes a Good Crisis Line Volunteer
So, you want to become a crisis line, or suicide hotline volunteer. Congratulations! Not a lot of people feel like they’re able to do this work. It’s very difficult to spend hours alone in the middle of the night listening to someone talk about their depression, or about feeling suicidal, relationship issues, or all the…
Suicide Prevention in the US Military
Suicide prevention is a significant issue in the US military, with the loss of current service members and veterans a significant public and social health cost. There have been a variety of theories on the causes of the increase in military suicides, which has been termed an “epidemic.” (Pilkington, 2013) Model of Suicidal Behaviour A…