After 39 years of service to individuals in crisis, CONTACT Pittsburgh will be closing its doors and ceasing operations by the end of September. Many factors went into making this difficult decision. There has been a shift in the mental health community, including changes in the way services are provided, as well as a shift from reactive to proactive services. The crisis work that was once so dominant in the mental health field has now been absorbed into a holistic mental health environment. In addition, the core of CONTACT Pittsburgh's service delivery relies on a group of volunteer Crisis Line Specialists which has been declining over time. Finally, the challenging economic conditions have caused a decrease in funding from traditional funding sources.
Because of the work of CONTACT Pittsburgh on behalf of individuals in crisis, we have helped raise the bar of mental health services and awareness of suicide and emotional crises. If you are in need of immediate emotional support or are suicidal, contact the other hotlines in our community: re:solve Crisis Network (1-888-7-YOUCAN), the Allegheny County Peer Support Warmline Network (1-866-661-WARM) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK).
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Volunteer in the Spotlight: Dan H.
For Dan H., mastering Active Listening has been like learning how to hit a baseball. It takes practice and it’s a skill that can fade if it isn’t used and applied regularly, Dan explained. He admitted that he found it difficult at first, but he realized before long how useful it was not only as a Crisis Line Specialist on CONTACT Pittsburgh’s crisis and suicide hotline, but also in his professional life.
Active Listening, the process by which the Crisis Line Specialist shows respect for the caller, demonstrates interest in their problems and situations, and establishes trust and rapport with the caller, has been extremely relevant to Dan’s work as a Police Officer and Hostage Negotiator on the South Hills Area Council of Government Critical Incident Response team. As a part of his training to become a Hostage Negotiator, Dan completed CONTACT Pittsburgh’s Crisis Line Specialist training, where he was introduced to Active Listening and other crisis management skills and techniques. Required to complete eight hours of negotiation training a month to maintain his status on the team, Dan currently completes one four-hour shift on the CONTACT hotline and practices hostage negotiation simulations with his team. “A lot of time can pass without a negotiation, we don’t know when the next one will happen,” Dan noted. It’s important that he and his team keep their skills tuned in the meantime.
Dan encounters people in crisis situations almost every day. He believes that the skills he has learned and developed through his CONTACT training have taught him to become a stronger, more supportive listener for these people, and to faster diffuse their heightened emotions. “Active Listening has made me a better officer with people on the street,” Dan said. “People in crisis, I’m dealing with them constantly. Some people are in crisis just by getting pulled over,” he added.
As a Crisis Line Specialist, Dan has gained stronger awareness of mental health. He has been given the opportunity to listen to people who come from a variety of backgrounds, are suffering from varying degrees of emotional distress, and who are struggling and coping with this distress in different ways. “It has opened my eyes a lot to how illness can manifest itself in the lives of real people,” he said.
Though taking one shift a month on the hotline is necessary to maintain his status as a Hostage Negotiator, Dan has been so impressed by what he’s learned that he wants to continue as a volunteer in the future, regardless of his position on the team. “It seems like hearts are in the right place,” he said of CONTACT Pittsburgh. His heart seems to be in the right place, too.
-Kate
Active Listening, the process by which the Crisis Line Specialist shows respect for the caller, demonstrates interest in their problems and situations, and establishes trust and rapport with the caller, has been extremely relevant to Dan’s work as a Police Officer and Hostage Negotiator on the South Hills Area Council of Government Critical Incident Response team. As a part of his training to become a Hostage Negotiator, Dan completed CONTACT Pittsburgh’s Crisis Line Specialist training, where he was introduced to Active Listening and other crisis management skills and techniques. Required to complete eight hours of negotiation training a month to maintain his status on the team, Dan currently completes one four-hour shift on the CONTACT hotline and practices hostage negotiation simulations with his team. “A lot of time can pass without a negotiation, we don’t know when the next one will happen,” Dan noted. It’s important that he and his team keep their skills tuned in the meantime.
Dan encounters people in crisis situations almost every day. He believes that the skills he has learned and developed through his CONTACT training have taught him to become a stronger, more supportive listener for these people, and to faster diffuse their heightened emotions. “Active Listening has made me a better officer with people on the street,” Dan said. “People in crisis, I’m dealing with them constantly. Some people are in crisis just by getting pulled over,” he added.
As a Crisis Line Specialist, Dan has gained stronger awareness of mental health. He has been given the opportunity to listen to people who come from a variety of backgrounds, are suffering from varying degrees of emotional distress, and who are struggling and coping with this distress in different ways. “It has opened my eyes a lot to how illness can manifest itself in the lives of real people,” he said.
Though taking one shift a month on the hotline is necessary to maintain his status as a Hostage Negotiator, Dan has been so impressed by what he’s learned that he wants to continue as a volunteer in the future, regardless of his position on the team. “It seems like hearts are in the right place,” he said of CONTACT Pittsburgh. His heart seems to be in the right place, too.
-Kate
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Maybe Someday Love Will Cure Despair by NPR's Michel Martin
Michel Martin, host of NPR’s Tell Me More, lost her brother to suicide just two weeks ago. In a story published on Monday, May 24, 2010, her pain and confusion over his death are raw, but she comes to many remarkable conclusions about her brother and suicide. Her words on whether suicide is a selfish act are beautiful:
If you’ve lost someone to suicide, or if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or in crisis, CONTACT Pittsburgh is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 412-820-HELP (4357).
-Kate
Now, I know some people think taking your own life is a selfish act, but I cannot bring myself to see it that way. I see it as self-less, in the sense that you come to believe your self has no value; that everyone would be better off without you.You can read and listen to the rest of her story here: Maybe Someday Love Will Cure Despair.
I think my brother thought he was a failure, that with his long bout of unemployment he could not live up to what was expected of him as a man, and that we'd all be better off without him.
He was so wrong.
If you’ve lost someone to suicide, or if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or in crisis, CONTACT Pittsburgh is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 412-820-HELP (4357).
-Kate
Monday, May 10, 2010
Volunteer in the Spotlight: Dick H.
Hey there! It's been a while since we posted, but we're back again with a new monthly feature, Volunteer in the Spotlight. Each month we'll post a special profile about one of our volunteers, so check back to read more about the amazing people who work on our hotline.
The business day is just about to begin and Dick has already been listening for several hours. His shift has been busy so far, and he’s answered more calls than usual. But with nearly seven years of experience on CONTACT Pittsburgh’s crisis and suicide hotline, he seems comfortable with the fast pace of this particular Tuesday morning. He acknowledges that talking with people who are in emotional distress and feeling suicidal can sound like frightening, even dramatic work, but he doesn’t feel it’s always as dramatic as it sounds, especially when it comes to talking with callers who use the hotline regularly. “Often people have more resources than they realize,” he remarked. Crisis Line Specialists are there to remind these callers of the people and activities that have helped them get through their most difficult moments in the past. “When they’re angry and upset, we’re not fixing them; we’re reducing anxiety so they can make better decisions.”
Easing the decision making process is something Dick is familiar with. He spent most of his professional career working with managers and executives to develop their leadership. As he went through training to become a Crisis Line Specialist, he noticed that Active Listening, the process by which the CLS shows respect for the caller, demonstrates interest in the problems presented, and establishes trust and rapport with the caller, was very much like the techniques he used when working with his clients. In both situations, he found that it was important to avoid jumping to conclusions and providing solutions, to treat the call like a process rather than a task, and to spend more time just listening. “[You have to] respect the knowledge of the person you’re talking to, treat them like adults, put responsibility on them to change, not on you,” he said.
When Dick’s wife joined CONTACT Pittsburgh’s Board of Directors in 2003, he had been looking for ways to volunteer his time and give back to his community. Becoming a Crisis Line Specialist for CONTACT Pittsburgh seemed like a good fit. “I was envious of people who could see that they made a difference,” he said. “In my work, you hoped you made a difference but you never knew for sure. [This has] more tangible results.”
And while his professional experience has helped him to understand and apply Active Listening when taking calls on the hotline, his motivation seems to stem from the insight he gains about his own life while listening to callers share their stories. “It’s humbling. I’ve learned to appreciate how small my own problems are. It helps me appreciate the challenges people face,” he said. “It gives me insight into people’s lives that goes beyond the superficial.”
His dedication to volunteering and his support for CONTACT’s mission has remained firm since he started on the hotline nearly seven years ago. He consistently takes four shifts a month. “Volunteer organizations depend on the volunteers and I hate to see open shifts,” Dick said. “But it’s not about being compulsive; I take my commitment [as a volunteer] very seriously.”
-Kate
The business day is just about to begin and Dick has already been listening for several hours. His shift has been busy so far, and he’s answered more calls than usual. But with nearly seven years of experience on CONTACT Pittsburgh’s crisis and suicide hotline, he seems comfortable with the fast pace of this particular Tuesday morning. He acknowledges that talking with people who are in emotional distress and feeling suicidal can sound like frightening, even dramatic work, but he doesn’t feel it’s always as dramatic as it sounds, especially when it comes to talking with callers who use the hotline regularly. “Often people have more resources than they realize,” he remarked. Crisis Line Specialists are there to remind these callers of the people and activities that have helped them get through their most difficult moments in the past. “When they’re angry and upset, we’re not fixing them; we’re reducing anxiety so they can make better decisions.”
Easing the decision making process is something Dick is familiar with. He spent most of his professional career working with managers and executives to develop their leadership. As he went through training to become a Crisis Line Specialist, he noticed that Active Listening, the process by which the CLS shows respect for the caller, demonstrates interest in the problems presented, and establishes trust and rapport with the caller, was very much like the techniques he used when working with his clients. In both situations, he found that it was important to avoid jumping to conclusions and providing solutions, to treat the call like a process rather than a task, and to spend more time just listening. “[You have to] respect the knowledge of the person you’re talking to, treat them like adults, put responsibility on them to change, not on you,” he said.
When Dick’s wife joined CONTACT Pittsburgh’s Board of Directors in 2003, he had been looking for ways to volunteer his time and give back to his community. Becoming a Crisis Line Specialist for CONTACT Pittsburgh seemed like a good fit. “I was envious of people who could see that they made a difference,” he said. “In my work, you hoped you made a difference but you never knew for sure. [This has] more tangible results.”
And while his professional experience has helped him to understand and apply Active Listening when taking calls on the hotline, his motivation seems to stem from the insight he gains about his own life while listening to callers share their stories. “It’s humbling. I’ve learned to appreciate how small my own problems are. It helps me appreciate the challenges people face,” he said. “It gives me insight into people’s lives that goes beyond the superficial.”
His dedication to volunteering and his support for CONTACT’s mission has remained firm since he started on the hotline nearly seven years ago. He consistently takes four shifts a month. “Volunteer organizations depend on the volunteers and I hate to see open shifts,” Dick said. “But it’s not about being compulsive; I take my commitment [as a volunteer] very seriously.”
-Kate
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Volunteer Opportunity: Become a CONTACT Pittsburgh Crisis Line Specialist
Have you ever wanted to help a stranger? Have you ever wanted to work on your listening skills? If someone needs to talk would you be willing to listen? If you have ever considered becoming a volunteer for a crisis and suicide hotline, the opportunity approaches! CONTACT Pittsburgh’s Spring Training is just around the corner and open to all applicants 18 years of age and above.
There is no need for prior experience in counseling or social work. The training session will teach all you need to know as a Crisis Line Specialist. CONTACT Pittsburgh has volunteers from all walks of life, ranging from college students to seniors who have an interest in helping others. Our current volunteers have been on the phones anywhere from one month after training to 35 years!
Becoming a volunteer and Crisis Line Specialist has several phases. First, submit an application here. Second, meet with CONTACT’s Director of Outreach so that we can learn more about you, and so that you can learn more about what being Crisis Line Specialist entails. Third, complete 36 hours of training over seven classes in which you will learn the skills of active listening through practice and role playing. Each training session focuses on a topic that you will encounter as a volunteer and features a presentation by a professional in that field. Finally, you will be oriented to the phone room and partake in three training shifts with veteran Crisis Line Specialists. After you have started taking calls, the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) program must be completed sometime within the next 6 months.
If you have read this far into this post, you may be thinking, Hrm, I wonder what it would be like to be a Crisis Line Specialist and volunteer with CONTACT. Well, it just so happens I can explain some of my experience up to date. The Pitt Psychology Department led me to CONTACT in January 2010 as a part of their field placement program. The active listening skills I learned over the three weeks of training were not something I would have had the opportunity to learn in a classroom at Pitt. These skills are so useful I often find myself listening better in everyday situations. Upon completion of the training I was quite nervous to receive my first call, but with a veteran volunteer watching over my shoulder, I grew more and more comfortable. After the shifts with the veteran volunteers I began taking calls myself. Through all of the training, I have grown confident in my skills, although I do get a small rush of adrenaline each time the phone rings.
Here are the training dates for Spring 2010 (volunteers must complete all seven sessions):
Tuesday, April 27, 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Saturday, May 1, 9:00 AM-2:00 PM
Tuesday, May 4, 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Saturday, May 8, 9:00 AM-2:00 PM
Tuesday, May 11, 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Thanks for listening!
-Brian
There is no need for prior experience in counseling or social work. The training session will teach all you need to know as a Crisis Line Specialist. CONTACT Pittsburgh has volunteers from all walks of life, ranging from college students to seniors who have an interest in helping others. Our current volunteers have been on the phones anywhere from one month after training to 35 years!
Becoming a volunteer and Crisis Line Specialist has several phases. First, submit an application here. Second, meet with CONTACT’s Director of Outreach so that we can learn more about you, and so that you can learn more about what being Crisis Line Specialist entails. Third, complete 36 hours of training over seven classes in which you will learn the skills of active listening through practice and role playing. Each training session focuses on a topic that you will encounter as a volunteer and features a presentation by a professional in that field. Finally, you will be oriented to the phone room and partake in three training shifts with veteran Crisis Line Specialists. After you have started taking calls, the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) program must be completed sometime within the next 6 months.
If you have read this far into this post, you may be thinking, Hrm, I wonder what it would be like to be a Crisis Line Specialist and volunteer with CONTACT. Well, it just so happens I can explain some of my experience up to date. The Pitt Psychology Department led me to CONTACT in January 2010 as a part of their field placement program. The active listening skills I learned over the three weeks of training were not something I would have had the opportunity to learn in a classroom at Pitt. These skills are so useful I often find myself listening better in everyday situations. Upon completion of the training I was quite nervous to receive my first call, but with a veteran volunteer watching over my shoulder, I grew more and more comfortable. After the shifts with the veteran volunteers I began taking calls myself. Through all of the training, I have grown confident in my skills, although I do get a small rush of adrenaline each time the phone rings.
Here are the training dates for Spring 2010 (volunteers must complete all seven sessions):
Tuesday, April 27, 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Saturday, May 1, 9:00 AM-2:00 PM
Tuesday, May 4, 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Saturday, May 8, 9:00 AM-2:00 PM
Tuesday, May 11, 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Thanks for listening!
-Brian
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Cornell University Reaches Out
On Tuesday, the New York Times reported on Cornell University's response to three apparent student suicides in less than a month, two of which occurred back-to-back on Thursday and Friday of last week.
Reporter Trip Gabriel writes:
You can read the complete New York Times article here. Our thoughts are with the friends and families of these students.
-Kate
Reporter Trip Gabriel writes:
On Monday and Tuesday, the start of a stressful exam week before spring break, professors interrupted classes to tell students they cared for them not just academically, but personally. Both days, the university president, Dr. David J. Skorton, took out a full-page ad in the campus paper, The Cornell Daily Sun, saying: “Your well-being is the foundation on which your success is built. If you learn anything at Cornell, please learn to ask for help.”Cornell is encouraging students to ask for help, but they've also been working for a long time on mental health outreach to students.
Cornell’s mental health outreach in recent years, which has attracted national attention, is intended to bring students who are at risk, and who might not seek help, into counseling. Custodians are trained to look for signs of emotional trouble when cleaning out dorms; therapists hold open-door hours at 10 campus locations; and a faculty handbook advises professors about how to spot students’ distress in its many contemporary forms, from disturbing artwork to clothes that disguise self-mutilation.This article has generated a lot of conversation among readers of the New York Times, with over 250 comments as of today. Though the internet allows for many readers to remain anonymous, several of these comments show the willingness of readers to share their experiences with suicide. Many of us have a lot of ideas about suicide and not only are we willing to talk about them, but we want to talk about them to. This underscores how important it is to talk about suicide, when we're feeling suicidal or think someone we know might be, and even when we're not feeling suicidal at all. Brian, a CONTACT Pittsburgh Intern and student at the University of Pittsburgh, wrote about this earlier in the month.
You can read the complete New York Times article here. Our thoughts are with the friends and families of these students.
-Kate
Friday, March 5, 2010
Let's Talk About Suicide
First off, my name is Brian and I am a psychology student at the University of Pittsburgh as well as an intern at CONTACT Pittsburgh. When my roommates heard about my internship, we had a long conversation about suicide. We came to the idea that suicide is a subject that simply is not talked about very much, even though we had all had a level of suicidal ideation at some point throughout our lives. Even among controversial topics such as sexual minorities, drugs, and addiction, suicide seems to take a back seat. The American Association of Suicidology reports that among young adults aged 15-19 and 15-24, suicide is the third leading cause of death behind accidents and homicide. In my experience through this age my parents were more likely to speak to me about drugs and sex than suicide.
So let’s talk about suicide. One reason why suicide takes a back seat is the fact that it is heavily stigmatized as something only insecure and weak minded people consider. In a modern society that is largely driven by personal conquest, insecurity and weakness are not accepted and therefore suicidal ideation is not accepted. As mentioned before, my roommates and I agreed that we had all experienced some level of suicidal ideation, ranging from pondering a world without our existence to a clear and thought out plan to end our life. So according to this stigmatization, a lot of us, including my roommates and I, are insecure and weak minded. Maybe we are in some ways, but I don’t think it’s because we’ve thought about suicide.
I think that breaking this stigma surrounding suicide involves talking about suicide openly and honestly. To me, the ability to hold a conversation on suicide with another person reveals strength and security, not weakness. The challenge here resides in starting that conversation. I recently completed training to become a CONTACT Pittsburgh Crisis Line Specialist and even I’ve found some difficulties bringing up suicide to a caller—it’s a hard topic to talk about, but it isn’t impossible. So my challenge to you is to start that conversation with someone. Whether or not you or someone you know is feeling suicidal it can’t hurt to talk about the subject and how you feel about it.
-Brian
So let’s talk about suicide. One reason why suicide takes a back seat is the fact that it is heavily stigmatized as something only insecure and weak minded people consider. In a modern society that is largely driven by personal conquest, insecurity and weakness are not accepted and therefore suicidal ideation is not accepted. As mentioned before, my roommates and I agreed that we had all experienced some level of suicidal ideation, ranging from pondering a world without our existence to a clear and thought out plan to end our life. So according to this stigmatization, a lot of us, including my roommates and I, are insecure and weak minded. Maybe we are in some ways, but I don’t think it’s because we’ve thought about suicide.
I think that breaking this stigma surrounding suicide involves talking about suicide openly and honestly. To me, the ability to hold a conversation on suicide with another person reveals strength and security, not weakness. The challenge here resides in starting that conversation. I recently completed training to become a CONTACT Pittsburgh Crisis Line Specialist and even I’ve found some difficulties bringing up suicide to a caller—it’s a hard topic to talk about, but it isn’t impossible. So my challenge to you is to start that conversation with someone. Whether or not you or someone you know is feeling suicidal it can’t hurt to talk about the subject and how you feel about it.
-Brian
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