Over 200 Erie County residents who experience emotional or personal crises find out they are not alone when they pick up the phone and dial Crisis Services.
The not-for-profit agency - also referred to as Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service, Inc. - has been providing professional assistance to Western New York residents in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week since 1968.
Located on Main Street near UB's South Campus, the organization offers an around-the-clock hotline and professional resources for a variety of needs.
The phone counseling program fields calls involving a wide array of problem situations.
"You name it, we get it," said Michael Geannon, a volunteer phone counselor and student at D'Youville College.
Volunteers are trained to handle situations involving people who are mentally ill, victims of abuse, contemplating suicide or undergoing other emotional trauma.
"There are some callers that just want someone to talk to, and some people call not because they need us to listen or offer advice, but because they need to sound out their problems for themselves. Verbalizing their problems on their own can help people understand them better," said Geannon. [check on attribution]
"Often there are callers that are mentally ill but not in emergency situations. The peer support line is there to help them," said Joe Dabkowski, a graduate student in UB's School of Social Work who volunteers as a phone counselor on weekends.
A special help line was recently created for children in crisis situations.
Those that do need advice and assistance are often referred to one of Crisis Services' specialized programs. Emergency Outreach is a program that brings professional assistance to a person in need of help. For example, a team is often dispatched when a person seems suicidal.
According to Dabkowski, in the case of suicide prevention, it is important to keep the caller on the line and try to assess the severity of the situation.
"We ask screening questions to determine if they have a plan, and whether or not they have the ability to carry out that plan," said Dabkowski. "We also try to find out if there is anyone with them and where they are located. We have outreach teams that will be dispatched to assist the caller."
Another service, Outreach for the Homeless, is available to the homeless population of Western New York. Two divisions of this program, case management and street outreach, work with the poor in various situations.
Case management assists individuals and families living in temporary shelters in a broad range of areas, such as helping them re-establish themselves in the community and find permanent housing by providing assistance with substance abuse, medical problems and mental illness. Case management also helps individuals find employment and links families to childcare services.
The street outreach program is designed to assist the homeless population that is not residing in a temporary shelter. Crisis Services workers seek out these individuals in Erie County - on the streets, in soup kitchens and other locations where the homeless are known to congregate.
Outreach workers travel the streets in teams to provide immediate needs such as food, clothing and transportation, as well as links to shelters and resources that case management provides. The goal of the mobile outreach teams is to make contact with the homeless who do not have access to emergency shelters and let them know there is help available for them.
The Advocate Program, available for victims of family violence, rape and sexual assault, provides counseling for victims and their families and a professional advocate who can help them understand their rights and the court process.
Trauma Response Service, another program, is available to provide on-site intervention for children, families, schools, groups and institutions exposed to violent or traumatic situations.
Crisis Services is staffed by approximately 60 full-time workers and 125 part-time volunteers.
According to Geannon, Crisis Services volunteers are as diverse as the calls the center fields.
"The spectrum of volunteers ranges from students to retired community residents," said Geannon.
Volunteers receive 40 hours of training to prepare for phone counseling positions.
"We learn a lot about the mental heath field and how to assess the caller and refer them to a specialized program," said Geannon "We practiced fielding live calls through role-play and simulated problem situations with trainers."
For more information about the programs offered or to volunteer, call 834-3131 or visit the center online at www.crisisservices.org
