What if the operators on the line do get the necessary training and we make all the improvements we can make as we learn how to do this better, and there is just no system to hand the caller off to? Because I feel like that might be the case for some callers. The call is a door to care, but is the follow-up care available?
We’ve talked a lot about the importance of connection when it comes to mental health. Being connected to others is a great tool in suicide prevention, and we see study after study reporting on the negative effects of loneliness. One great way to create a connection among your friends is to ask for help when you need it. People, generally, like to help. The little bit of vulnerability it takes to ask for help can create a huge improvement in the connection between two people.
Unless, of course, you don’t bother to acknowledge the help with a thank you.
World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September 2023): Creating Hope Through Action
What to Talk About in Therapy: Ideas to Get You Started– If you’ve never been, where do you start? What is expected of you?
We have said often that the best prevention we can offer is to simply keep people connected to those around them. When you’re talking about teens, staying connected to them as parents is vital. When it’s a friend, another family member, an adult, a kid, etc. the best thing we can offer is staying connected with them.
That connection, that knowledge that they are not, in fact, going through this pain alone can make all the difference.
Why not offer it?
