Serving As a Hotline Crisis Counselor
Recently I started a half-time position as a crisis counselor with Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. My responsibilities are to respond to callers who dial the 988 crisis hotline. I work to deescalate suicide ideation, offer appropriate referrals, and provide an empathetic ear. As a new crisis counselor I recognize that I need to be ready to offer appropriate resources to meet a variety of callers' needs. I have been impressed with the amount of resources that are available to individuals who live in larger urban areas. And I have been just as surprised to discover that many people living in rural areas have very few mental health and support services available to them. Fortunately, the Internet provides people across the country with access to a variety of databases of mental health providers across the country. (For example, here is a listing site by Trilogy Integrated Resources.) A directed web search can reveal curated, practical resources on a variety of mental health and w...