{"id":2310,"date":"2024-01-24T13:31:16","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T13:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=2310"},"modified":"2024-01-24T13:31:19","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T13:31:19","slug":"988-hotline-counselors-air-concerns-more-training-needed-to-juggle-a-mix-of-calls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=2310","title":{"rendered":"988-Hotline Counselors Air Concerns: More Training Needed to Juggle a Mix of Calls"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the year and a half since its launch, 988 \u2014 the country\u2019s easy-to-remember, three-digit suicide and crisis hotline \u2014 has received about 8.1 million calls, texts, and chats. While much attention has been focused on who is reaching out and whether the shortened number has accomplished its goal of making services more accessible<\/a> to people in emotional distress, curiosity is growing about the people taking those calls.<\/p>\n

An estimated 10,000 to 11,000 counselors work at more than 200 call centers nationwide, fielding calls from people experiencing anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts.<\/p>\n

A newly released report<\/a>, based on responses from 47 crisis counselors, explored variations in their training and work experiences. The survey \u201cis not large enough to support conclusions\u201d about all 988 staffers, said Dan Fichter, the report\u2019s author and a former program manager for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration\u2019s 988 team. Still, the first-of-its-kind survey \u2014 published by CrisisCrowd, a new noncommercial project focused on raising the voices of 988\u2019s workforce \u2014 surfaced interesting snapshots.<\/p>\n

For instance, counselors who responded noted wide variations in training, from four days or less to two weeks. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that there are significant workforce challenges for 988 including staffing shortages and burnout, like much of the health care industry is experiencing today,\u201d Monica Johnson, director of SAMHSA\u2019s 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office, wrote in a statement. \u201cEnsuring that 988 crisis counselors are properly trained and supported to do this life-saving work is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Different training approaches emerged as one of the report\u2019s central themes. Most counselors who responded said they were trained in four weeks or less and didn\u2019t consider it adequate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that even with about 120 hours of training, we can\u2019t get through all the nuances that boost confidence,\u201d said one anonymous survey response.<\/p>\n

Some counselors said they had received training only in talking to people experiencing suicidal thoughts and not how to deal with other mental health issues, such as anxiety attacks, substance intoxication and withdrawal, and mood disorders. They said they had not been prepared for the wide range of calls of varying levels of intensity they would face.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere could have been more emphasis on how different each convo would be,\u201d noted one.<\/p>\n

Some also suggested that opportunities to listen to 988 calls or sessions that used role-playing exercises to practice handling calls would have been helpful.<\/p>\n

The risks of counselors not being properly trained are high, said Eric Rafla-Yuan<\/a>, a member of the California Governor\u2019s Office of Emergency Services\u2019 9-8-8 Technical Advisory Board and a psychiatrist at San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital<\/a>. He said it is concerning that some callers may not \u201cfeel that they have the support that they need\u201d when reaching out to 988, and \u201cmay not call again in the future.\u201d The situation could possibly \u201ccause more stress rather than support,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Hannah Wesolowski<\/a>, chief advocacy officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness<\/a>, said these differences were not a surprise since 988 brought together a patchwork of local and state efforts to provide a hotline specifically for mental health emergencies. In addition, Fichter said, centers\u2019 different training approaches and time frames may \u201chave to do with funding differences that there are between some centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The survey also found that crisis counselors have different expectations for how long they should stay on the phone with callers.<\/p>\n

Some counselors, for instance, said they were expected to end conversations with first-time callers and texters who didn\u2019t have immediate plans of suicide within 15 minutes. Others reported limits of up to an hour.<\/p>\n

Wesolowski said this issue stood out to her. \u201cThat\u2019s certainly not in the spirit of what 988 stands for because there is no exact time that\u2019s perfect to address a crisis,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery crisis is unique; every situation, every health seeker is unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report also noted that centers have different policies on whether counselors should inform callers with imminent plans of suicide or those who are actively attempting suicide that first responders are being dispatched.<\/p>\n

Involuntary intervention<\/a> is used as a last resort to keep someone safe, but some centers believe that telling a caller that police are on their way may lead them to hang up the call, Fichter said. Other centers allow counselors to be transparent with callers about interventions and help callers prepare for the police.<\/p>\n

Efforts to make improvements to the hotline\u2019s operations are underway. For example, Vibrant Emotional Health, the company that administers 988, recently created online, self-paced training courses for crisis counselors, according to Tia Dole<\/a>, Vibrant Emotional Health\u2019s chief 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline officer. These classes, she said, are designed to \u201cassist local centers in delivering training and supporting crisis counselor skill development.\u201d She added that these courses are intended to supplement the training local centers already do.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe success of 988 hinges on those vital people answering calls, texts, and chats every single day,\u201d Wesolowski said of crisis counselors. \u201cThey are the heart of this system, and we have to value them. We have to invest in them and give them what they need to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n