Providing a Lifeline

by Courtney O'Brien

Lifeline Gippsland volunteers answer more than 10,000 calls each year, from the 1.1 million calls made by people nationally. The call rates are evidence of the significant demand for mental health support and suicide prevention services.

Lifeline call centres have been operating since 1968, originally established by a Morwell man, and growing to have 43 centres nationally.

In Gippsland, 35 to 40 volunteers operate from call centres in Morwell, Drouin and from home.

About 3000 calls are made a day as well as 900 contacts via Lifeline chat and text services.

During peak periods, the call rate can escalate to 4300 per day, nationally.

"The call rates tell us the need for accessible mental health and suicide prevention services remains enormous, and it's critical that people can get help when they need it," said Lifeline Gippsland chief executive officer Cindy Pullar.

"We don't have enough volunteers across Australia to answer every call. There's a lot of effort going into trying to address that."
Ms Pullar said the pressures of living had led to multiple changes within homes, which in turn led to a reduction in the availability of volunteers.
To be able to fill volunteer rosters at Gippsland Lifeline and have 24/7 coverage at all times, they would need to double their volunteer base to 80 people.
"What we do find is we're always at a peak. The peak just gets higher," Ms Pullar said.
"Pre-COVID, the total national calls that came in were under a million, around 800,000 a year. During COVID, it went to 1.3 million, and since COVID, per year, it sits at between 1 to 1.1 million. It's never returned to pre-COVID numbers."
Ms Pullar explained that peak times for calls were between 10pm and 4am, leading up to public holidays, and on weekends.
Calls also peak following natural disasters locally, nationally or even internationally, particularly when there's been a significant impact on others, with fear being an underlying driver.
Another trigger was when a celebrity or someone in the media died by suicide, particularly if someone could relate in some way to that person, it could have an indirect impact. Or if someone within a person's network died by suicide, it could have a direct impact.
"The research and evidence show there is an increased risk. It doesn't mean someone in that network or close to that person is going to do the same, but risk is increased during that period and that risk remains for around two years."
Statistics indicate four per cent of all calls to Lifeline were around the risk of suicide.
Other calls related to family violence, relationship and family pressures, financial pressures, drug and alcohol use, housing affordability and housing insecurity.
"What we find across the foundation, what is present in every call, will be this overwhelming sense of loneliness and disconnect from another or community, resulting in a feeling of distress and despair that's overwhelming," she said.
Ms Pullar said Gippsland had the highest rates of death by suicide in the state; believed to be because of geographic isolation and lack of access to support services.
Ms Pullar said people could help reduce this by seeking and accepting help.
"Often what happens is people don't reach out; they don't get the help - and I'm not just talking about from professionals - but just having the conversation with someone close to them.
"One thing you can do, if you don't want to make it about you, you can actually make it about others and role model help, seeking and accepting help. Because you don't know who in your network will do the same and that could prevent them from being in a situation where they're at imminent risk of suicide."
Lifeline op-shops fund about 70 per cent of Lifeline Gippsland's call centre services and the organisation does unfunded work with local community groups, primarily around suicide prevention.
Ms Pullar welcomed Drouin and Warragul Rotary's commitment to raising awareness about mental health.
"It's so great to see the two Rotary clubs come together and join forces and resources to go how do we make this bigger than what we could do as a club on its own. It's the first time we've partnered with them in this way. It's quite exciting and we hope it becomes a long-term partnership," said Ms Pullar.
Lifeline volunteers
Interested Lifeline call centre volunteers can have their questions answered over the phone and a volunteer pack will be sent out to help them make a decision.
Volunteers undertake a 12-month course, usually held face to face and after hours, which can be negotiated depending on the volunteer's preferences. Typically, there are about six people in each training cohort and about 70 hours of course work.
Volunteers must do 92 hours on the phone in 12 months to gain accreditation, and every year thereafter they need to do 92 hours to remain accredited.
They must also attend four group reflective practice sessions and two professional development sessions throughout the year.
Following the course training, volunteers spend time listening to an experienced crisis supporter on the phone, before they take phone calls with an experienced crisis supporter to coach and support them.
Most volunteers will do shifts of two to four hours every fortnight and depending on demand will receive a different number of calls each time.
Lifeline also provide in-shift supervisors (ISS) who debrief with volunteers before every shift, midway if needed and after a shift.
"If you're on a call and you feel that the person you're talking to could be at imminent risk of suicide, or at any time you might be on a call where you're not certain where to take it, that ISS is also available to be brought into the call, to support you as another coaching opportunity, because you can stay on the phone while that ISS will speak to the person on the other end.
"If it's assessed that someone is at risk, the decision on whether to call 000 or emergency services sits with the ISS. We take that decision making off the volunteer, so that kind of pressure is not sitting with them," Ms Pullar said.
If you or someone you know needs support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or by text 0477 13 11 14.