Mental Health Hotline – Volunteers Never Give Advice Say “I Think” Or “You Must

Monty’s knowledge on the subjects of psychology and personal awareness are promoted from his own life experiences and challenges in growing up in a dysfunctional environment as a child.

He began writing and teaching about practical methods for improving the quality of life for others, as this procees developed.

Not being able to accept the pain and discomfort of the outcome of his life, he embarked on his life long mission to understand his life and build a better one. Monty’s approach to dealing with life’s problems are always practical and often outside the box coming from his mystical rather than academic perspective. Monty’s main website is Sign up to receive his blogs and receive a free e book fo your choice! Day about one in four American adults are living with a diagnosable mental disorder.

There’s a large sector of the population that does not have a diagnosable mental disorder but still needs some it’s they think that noone cares what they have to say,, or individuals are discouraged from calling as long as they think weird, they are embarrassed of their issue. Furthermore, most of us know that there is an option that most Americans won’t take advantage of, while for the most part there’s certainly noone solution to address these concerns. We need to be honest, we could all use a little therapy.

Talking just makes you feel better, and talking about yourself to a rapt audience, well who could ask for more?

I am a volunteer counselor at a major American University’s peer counseling and cr intervention hotline and although not all hotlines are alike in their procedure or practice I wanted to highlight most of the little known facts about the phone hotline I work at, in case you are going to better educate as long as they have had a time in their own life when they needed as soon as you take the first step and call, extremely well trained counselors are there to listen with an empathetic ear and unconditional positive regard. It is while calls are kept confidential and anonymous That’s a fact, it’s always possible that the person you call for rigorous training weekend ensues followed by a semester of weekly on the job teaching. Trainees receive practice calls from counselors and every call is after that, scrutinized and strategic listening and counseling skills are discussed. After about two learning semesters, a trainee will take an oral exam and it gonna be determined whether this new volunteer is ready to answer phones on their own.

Volunteers at my hotline are interviewed and accepted on the basis of different criteria including their ability to be nonjudgmental, their empathy skills, and their passion for helping others.

Generally speaking So there’s a basic flow to a call that includes active listening, empowerments and options.

Counselors listen to a client, repeat back to them their thoughts, paraphrase their stories and try to focus in on specific feeling words. We are not licensed psychologists or medical doctors, simply people who need to listen and what really is best, in this portion of the call the counselor suggests resources and courses of action to address the poser discussed, and asks the caller if they should feel comfortable trying that option.

My phone hotline has many different listening and helping strategies its volunteers employ, and is prepared to deal with a myriad of potential problems.

By acting as a sounding board, a counselor has allowed a caller to listen to themselves, clarify behaviors, and discover patterns.

We practice Rogerian client centered therapy which means we do our best to let the callers talk about their issue and come to their own conclusions about their feelings and potential courses of action. Therefore the conversation may turn to options, if the counselor feels That’s a fact, it’s appropriate on the basis of the rapport between themselves and the caller.

Volunteers never give advice, say I reckon or you’d better. Certainly, for more intense and specific help, a psychotherapist practicing might be a better option. Therefore if talking to a hotline counselor sounds like it can be right for you taking the first step to call is often the hardest part, please do not be discouraged. Therefore the use of phone hotlines is intended for anyone, however if you are looking for a long period solution to a mental illness or chronic problem it is not the correct venue.