A service that saves lives through the word
8:00 a.m. - Today it's time to continue training
Although Marta, and the rest of the volunteers, answer the calls from their home, today she came to the headquarters of the Ajuda i Esperança Foundation because she has supervision with Sergi García , psychologist coordinator of the Suicide Prevention Hotline . With him she will review the cases, resolve possible doubts, reinforce the messages and remember that she always has a psychological support service at her disposal. And the fact is that "some calls can leave you shaken".
Training and preparation of volunteers is essential to be able to respond to these types of calls. For this reason, in addition to training and prior internships, volunteers receive ongoing training.
9:00 a.m. - A friendly voice on the other end of the phone
The telephone assistance service begins. For four hours, her voice will accompany and support people who "are usually very alone." Every day she speaks to six or seven people; many of them are not calling for the first time, some of them she recognizes by voice and know their life stories, most of them have no support and need attention, they need someone who listens to them and can get them back into life, even if it's just for that moment.
In one of the calls, Marta managed to reconnect with the person through her dog. She took advantage of the fact that the person's love for the animal had emerged during the conversation, to show them that she couldn't leave them alone. This is just one example of some of the strategies she uses during conversations, in which family can also be a good motivator, but never without first checking if there is a good family relationship. She also informs them of resources and community tools that they can use to feel better.
11:00 a.m. - A risk call comes in!
Although in most cases the caller usually needs someone to listen, the protocol is the same for all calls and the first thing to do is assess the risk of suicide. If there is a risk, Marta should immediately contact the emergency support team , which acts as a liaison between the counselors and the emergency services.
A distress call comes in ; while Marta communicates by messaging with the support team, she must maintain telephone contact with this person, support them, move them away from any object within reach that could cause harm, distract them and try to find the positive points, accompany them, support them, give them reasons to continue living...
1:00 p.m. - Share information to move forward
The calls are completely anonymous and in no case are personal data collected from the callers. However, what Marta and the rest of the volunteers do have to do is fill out a form for each person they attend to with some information, which will then be used to analyze the data generated by the services and to reflect on the reality that surrounds us, on current social phenomena and on the practice of active listening. This information is collected every year in the publication of the Observatory of Hope , an important tool for expanding knowledge and taking action .
After four hours on the phone, Marta finishes her volunteer day. She won't be back for another fortnight. Surely, this space in time is necessary for her. The next day her voice will sound as kind, as patient, as confident and as professional as it did today. A voice necessary for so many people.
If you want to volunteer: https://www.telefonoesperanza.com/ca/voluntariat
The Suicide Prevention Hotline (900 925 555) is available 24 hours a day , 365 days a year . If you need help, call!