The Interior Crisis Line Network (ICLN) in Williams Lake is looking for people to answer crisis line calls on its Williams Lake line and at two other crisis lines in the B.C. Interior, and will soon be starting a new training session for prospective volunteers.
Crisis line call-takers can be located anywhere in the interior of the province, as long as they have a computer and a good internet connection.
The ICLN is a network of five sites around the Interior which answer calls from people who are experiencing mental health challenges or crises. In addition to the Williams Lake location, the network includes sites in Vernon, Kelowna, Trail, and Cranbrook.
Like many organizations, ICLN lost many of its volunteers during the COVID pandemic, at the same time that the lines were getting even more calls than usual as people dealt with mental health challenges during isolation.
“We’re just a place where people can find a good ear to listen,” explains Evan Pantanetti, assistant crisis line supervisor with the Canadian Mental Health Association. There are no formal skills required prior to the training, and volunteers mostly deal with people who are having a tough day. If more assistance is needed, the volunteers can connect people to a number of resources.
Pantanetti says that they encourage anyone interested to reach out for information.
“Many volunteers find the skills that they gain through the training and experience on the crisis line help them in their personal and professional lives. Many people interested in going into a range of mental health or helping professions get their start working crisis lines.”
The new training session will start on Feb. 23, and will consist of two evening meetings a week over five weeks. The training can be done remotely (via Zoom) or in-person, with remote access requiring a computer and a good internet connection. Trainees also do a certain number of hours of on-call crisis line monitoring. Volunteers need to be 19 years or older, and must be willing to consent to a criminal record check.
There is a $100 training fee which must be paid up-front, which is reimbursed upon completion of annual required hours. Pantanetti says that the fee is simply to help offset losses if people leave prior to volunteering for the year, because training volunteers and setting up access to their software is costly in terms of staff hours.
“It’s really rewarding though,” he adds.
For more information phone about becoming a Crisis Line Network volunteer, call (250) 302-9232 or email evan.pantanetti@cmhacariboo.org.
editorial@accjournal.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter