I did this about 5 years ago while looking for work in a new city. I thought about writing a trip report but figured it would be more interactive if you guys had questions.
Only thing I won't talk about is caller stories in detail. I'm fine discussing the types of calls but don't want to use their stories/distress for other's entertainment.
Did you ever hear obvious crimes being committed? Did this lead you to testify in court?Originally Posted by BetCheckBet
Did you ever try to talk someone off the ledge but the killed themselves on the phone anyways?
It's hilarious that we as a society think everyone can be a dr, a lawyer, an engineer. Some people are just fucking stupid. Why can't we just accept that?
How often did you jerkoff on the job due to the stress?
How many times did you have to hang up on Marty?
How often was the caller hammered?
1. No. I was lucky in that I really didn't get many active domestic disputes. There were some odd crimes like somebodies manic partner (bipolar) stealing a cab as I was speaking to them but witnesses were not needed.Did you ever hear obvious crimes being committed? Did this lead you to testify in court?
Did you ever try to talk someone off the ledge but the killed themselves on the phone anyways?
2. Most of the time when people call in they really want help so its not that difficult to talk them down. The worst were calls though where the caller would taunt you by saying things like "I'm about to jump" "drop toaster in bath" "hang myself in garage" and then hang up phone. As far as I know they were just threats. I did have to call police a couple times. If caller had number blocked though there is little you can do. You obviously take threats as legitimate but truth of the matter is a lot of the people who successfully kill themselves don't reach out for help...
There was almost always another person in the room with me taking calls in next cubicle so couldn't...How often did you jerkoff on the job due to the stress?
We did get lots of "sex callers though". I never got them because they would hang up if they heard a male voice. They would try and get young female novice volunteers (too green to pick up on what was going on right away) and describe past sexual abuse stories while jacking off. I guess phone sex is too expensive for them....
How often were you getting calls?
A decent amount. Probably one of the biggest differences between evening and day calls. Seemed like most would call after going on a binge (a few hours later) rather than during. Drunk suicidal callers were the worst...
We did 4 hour shifts. There were anywhere from 1-4 people taking calls at once. We also worked about 5-6 different regions at once. Computer would tell you how many people were on hold and for how long (rare to wait longer than 10 mins). Most calls would last 5-15mins. I would say you were on the phone for about 50-60% of the time. All calls were documented so often after the call you writing notes.
Shit, imagine you're ready to off yourself and then you get put on hold for ten minutes.We did 4 hour shifts. There were anywhere from 1-4 people taking calls at once. We also worked about 5-6 different regions at once. Computer would tell you how many people were on hold and for how long (rare to wait longer than 10 mins). Most calls would last 5-15mins. I would say you were on the phone for about 50-60% of the time. All calls were documented so often after the call you writing notes.
Ya unfortunately it's a reality. Most of the people were surprisingly understanding if they had to wait few mins. We also had lots of regular callers who totally knew the system and what to expect (eg. how to escalate call to get to next level of crisis support).Shit, imagine you're ready to off yourself and then you get put on hold for ten minutes.
Did you have a "you don't have to be crazy to work here but it helps" poster?
Did you ever hang up on a caller for any reason?
Yes and more than you think. For abusive callers it could happen. But it was mostly for "regular callers".
Regular callers made up probably just under half of our calls. These were people who we actually had files on which you could look up to match the phone number they were calling from. Files included info that had been collected from previous calls like known aliases, personal history, coping strategies, time limits, and certain guidelines on how to communicate with them.
Regular callers might be limited to 1-2 calls per day of 10-15 minutes each depending on caller. You would briefly warn them when time was approaching you that you would be ending call soon. If they called back you would tell them limit was reached and hang up.
Some regular callers also had limits on what they could discuss. Mostly around self harm. For some callers you were instructed to hang up if they started to cut themselves.
Were you ever tempted to try to meet/hook up with an attractive sounding girl who was calling for help?
I'm not talking about the huge headcases, but the ones who sound damaged but hot, and who you feel you could tolerate being around for a few nights.
I would think that some of these chicks calling for help might feel bonded with the guy giving it to them, so it could be an opportunity to get laid.
Not sure if you are/were married or in a relationship during this time, so maybe this wasn't an issue anyway.
Lulz best post ever
Interesting question. Given I work in mental health this really wasn't much of an issue over phone for me (we had lots of volunteers though who were young students so who knows if it happened). I've always been very professional and honestly overly paranoid about getting a sexual harassment complaint. Many males who work in the area are.
The bigger issue is regular face to face sessions. Its not uncommon for clients to develop intense feelings for a therapist. It can be an ego boost for a regular guy to notice that basically a super model is interested in him. I've also worked at inpatient female facilities where it can be pretty intense. We are all human so the urge to act can appear. It's just important not to act upon those feelings.
I've had a past supervisor who was disciplined by his regulating body for having a several year long relationship with a client. I've also had an amazing female co worker who ended up running off with a dead beat client of hers. I've come to see that nobody is really immune to it. Always have to keep your guard up.
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