 Passing Stranger
402 QA Reputation208 | WrathOfAthens said 9 years, 5 months ago: What would you actually do if you met a venter who was suicidal.
My hopes are to bring this to listeners attention and give you guys a chance to contemplate this simple but daunting question. | |
 Common Friend
23049 QA Reputation7397 | rinseandrep said 9 years, 5 months ago: I think this should be the starting point of this discussion:
From the FAQ (http://blahtherapy.com/faq/)
“Due to the nature of our site, suicidal users are advised NOT to use the free chat option. We are not a crisis line service and users of the chat are not obligated to perform under such conditions. Listeners are everyday people with absolutely no training or certification behind their advice. However, should you feel someone in the chat is in serious danger of harming themselves, please direct them to one of the following SP Lines:
In the U.S. call 1-800-273-8255 For Chat:
Suicide Prevention LifeLine
For Each State http://www.suicide.org/suicide-hotlines.html IMAlive
https://www.imalive.org/ “ | |
Passing Stranger
402 QA Reputation208 | WrathOfAthens said 9 years, 5 months ago: Very true, my purpose was to simply introduce listeners with what to do. Thanks rinseandrep. | |
 Passing Stranger
295 QA Reputation16 | mysoulishome said 9 years, 5 months ago: What if someone does not want to talk on the phone or call a hotline? What if they are too ashamed or afraid? What if they just want someone to listen? | |
 Common Friend
12671 QA Reputation16417 | Humanist Hope said 9 years, 5 months ago: •The Penultimate Point: We Are Peers, Not Professionals. Know When To Back Off. There comes a time for every Listener when we run across a problem that cannot be solved by peer counseling. We are not doctors, know when to back off. A peer counselor cannot help an unmediated schizophrenic. In cases where an issue exceeds the bounds of peer counseling, we redirect the Venter to professional services in the form of suicide hotlines, shelters, or even emergency numbers. As under The Informed Listener, It is recommended that every Listener have a readily-available list for reference should a situation be found to be beyond the scope of peer counseling. | |
Common Friend
23049 QA Reputation7397 | rinseandrep said 9 years, 5 months ago: @mysoulishome There are chat based services like http://www.crisischat.org/ for the USA, if you want you can look up other not-location-bound chat-based alternatives to suggest, to keep them ready in case you need them. And I don’t know, there have been cases of people who actually asked listeners to stay there while they tried to commit suicide (allegedly), so ‘just someone to listen’ can easily become a stressful situation for people who aren’t trained for this. The listener will later post on here in panic or emotional turmoil, so know what you get into. | |
Passing Stranger
295 QA Reputation16 | mysoulishome said 9 years, 5 months ago: Thanks rinsenrepet crisis chat sounds good. I think the stigma of “calling a suicide hotline” is intimidating to a lot of people. Especially people who have sought out anonymous chat as a way to reach out. That is scary…asking someone to stay there while you do it. So scary and sad. | |
