{"id":215,"date":"2022-10-06T04:33:15","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T04:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=215"},"modified":"2022-10-06T04:33:15","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T04:33:15","slug":"at-988-call-centers-crisis-counselors-offer-empathy-and-juggle-limited-resources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=215","title":{"rendered":"At 988 Call Centers, Crisis Counselors Offer Empathy \u2014 And Juggle Limited Resources"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On a Friday evening at a call center in southeastern Pennsylvania, Michael Colluccio stirred his hot tea, put on his headset, and started up his computer. The screen showed calls coming in to the suicide prevention lifeline from around the state.<\/p>\n

Colluccio, 38, said he knows what it\u2019s like to be on the other end of one of those calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I had a suicide attempt when I was about 10, 11 years old,\u201d Colluccio said. \u201cAnd we do get callers who are about that age, or quite young, and they are going through similar stressors.\u201d<\/p>\n

For people experiencing a mental health crisis, calling 988 can be a lifesaving decision. But what happens after they call depends on where they are. The new 988 system launched in mid-July<\/a>, and one early estimate<\/a> said calls went up 45% nationally during the first week.<\/p>\n

With calls likely to increase as more people learn about the helpline, some call centers said there are limits to what they can accomplish without boosting local resources.<\/p>\n

Colluccio said callers in his service area \u2014 Bucks County, just north of Philadelphia \u2014 have access to more services than in many other parts of Pennsylvania. His job with the Family Service Association of Bucks County, which runs the hotline locally, sometimes involves connecting callers with services such as homeless shelters, therapists, or drug and alcohol counselors.<\/p>\n

More than anything, his job is to listen.<\/p>\n

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