Can I refer clients to SuicideLine?
You can refer clients to Suicide Line either formally or informally. You may choose to suggest to clients that they include SuicideLine’s number as a component of their safety plan for times when they are feeling at risk and you are unavailable.
If your client has particular challenges or needs and you wish to discuss how the service may be able to help in managing their safety, please feel free to contact the service. If counsellors are unable to answer particular queries, they may seek return contact information to enable the Team Leader to contact you.
What role can SuicideLine play?
For callers who are already linked with primary supports, our function is generally to assist callers in managing their immediate safety. For some callers it may be helpful for SuicideLine to collaborate with primary supports (with the callers permission) to enable a consistent and effective risk management approach.
Procedures/processes used
Crisis telephone counsellors are recruited from an array of health focused backgrounds. Our staff include psychologists, social workers, nurses, and counsellors. All have tertiary degrees and receive further targeted training in telephone counselling, risk assessment, and crisis intervention. Counsellors are further supported by internal consultation processes within the agency, regular clinical supervision, and professional development programs.
We use a systematic approach to work with callers to assess current risk and wherever possible utilise a strengths-based, collaborative, and solution-oriented approach to assist callers to reconnect with past coping styles/strategies. We have access to a comprehensive community services database to enable targeted referrals to be offered to fill any gaps in capacity/service delivery. For callers struggling with more long-standing struggles with suicide or self harm we seek to work with or bridge callers to effective face to face support to enable capacity building and alternate strategies to manage distress.
SuicideLine consults regularly with Psychiatric and Spectrum Personality Disorder services to enable best practice support and treatment outcomes for our callers/clients.
AAS accreditation
SuicideLine is managed by Crisis Support Services. Crisis Support Services is accredited by the American Association of Suicidology thus ensuring robust practice in the field of suicide prevention.