VOLUNTEERS IN PROFILE: NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK
Jane* never has any idea what to expect when she picks up the phone as a Lifeline volunteer.
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The call could last for five minutes or one hour to someone in need of crisis support or suicide prevention.
“The emphasis is very much about how you work with the person and support them at that point in time,” Jane said.
“All you can do is help to keep them safe for that period of time or that day.
“It is being able to feel that you’ve helped them move to a different space from when they first got on the phone.”
Jane has volunteered with Lifeline in Ballarat for around 12 months, including an initial six month intensive training program of online learning, face to face workshops and role playing.
She still remembers her first solo call with someone who has mental health issues and needed a listening ear.
“I think initially when you go solo the biggest challenge is having some confidence that whatever comes down the line it is about you supporting the person and helping them to make decisions, rather than you solving their problems,” she said.
“The support workers often say that is the biggest challenge for everybody. You want to help people fix their problems but you are really there to help them help themselves work out what they should be doing about the situation.”
The approach is different for each call on Jane’s three hour weekly shift, but she said all involved adapting the core skills of communication and listening.
“We are all good at listening but with the next question or statement we are going to ask going through our heads,” she said.
This is about just listening to what the person says, sometimes listening to the silence and not being there with a question to jump into.
- Jane*, Lifeline Volunteer
“People who are suicidal are in a real place of pain. They just want someone to listen and sometimes just listen to the silence with them.
“I think the thing I have learnt most is there are lots of people out there who have no one who they can confide in.
“Sometimes it makes me feel sad that we live in a community that doesn’t see what is under its nose. If it does it often doesn’t know what to do about it or how to help.”
A volunteer information session will be held on June 26.
You can call Lifeline on 13 11 44 for crisis support and suicide prevention.
*Jane is not her real name. The volunteer requested to remain anonymous.
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Rochelle Kirkham
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
