Being a lifeline for those in need
Every day, Lifeline’s crisis support service receives more than 2200 calls from people seeking help.
And at the other end of the phone are ordinary Australians who volunteer their time to be there for others in their time of need.
“It is not for everyone,” said Kylie Patrick, who has been volunteering with Lifeline since 2013.
“I think I have always been interested in hearing people's stories and there's a certain type of person that gravitates to that sort of role… those who want to hear about it and want to try and help in whatever way you can. It can be a lot of pressure, but you also want to be the person that they can speak to about it. If it was your family member calling Lifeline, you would want someone there to help them.”
Kylie’s interest and commitment to Lifeline has piqued the interest of her daughter, Julia, who is about to embark on the training to be a Lifeline crisis support volunteer.
“Yeah, just seeing mum do it and hearing about it got me interested,” said Julia, who is taking a year off, before heading to university to study psychology.
Julia has been spending time observing and listening to calls, the first step for potential crisis support volunteers.
“We've got Julia down there to do some observational shifts, so she can listen into the calls and see if it is for her, because you never know until you get there, so you do a lot of observational shifts before you are ready to go on the phone,” said Kylie.
“It can be scary at first,” added Julia, “but the more you listen, the more you do your class work, I feel like the easier it gets.”
In February, Julia will begin the formal classroom training each volunteer undertakes before they take phone calls themselves.
“It is over months, a few hours every week, usually in the evening,” said Kylie. “They do roleplays and all sorts of things. They give you all the tools to be able to handle those calls and they follow a model to help you work through the problems with the caller. You literally never know what you are going to get each call and some things can throw you a bit, but I think the training prepares you for anything.
“And even if someone doesn't go onto then being on the phones — some people say it is not for them — the training will always be useful. it helps you in your everyday life regardless, so people will get something out of the training at the very least.”
Sitting down to take that first phone call can be daunting, said Kylie, but there is always plenty of support at hand.
“There is always someone to support you on the phone and that is part of what I do now. So, they’ll call me and say I'm going on the phone to make sure they are in the right headspace to do it. And you are there for support between calls, during and when they finish their shift to debrief,” said Kylie.
“There is a lot of support for making sure people are looking after themselves and self-care is very important.”
Lifeline Central West is always in need of volunteers for the Crisis Support 131114 phones. If you would like to find out more about it, they are holding an information evening at 6pm Monday 3 February at 13-19 William Street. Contact Astrid on 1300 798 258 or ataylor@lifelinecentralwest.org.au for more information.
“I think everyone finds it worthwhile,” said Kylie. “Pretty rarely do people regret doing the training and once they are into it, they actually quite enjoy it.”