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One of my side activities - crisis counseling!
9 years ago
General
I thought I'd share one of my side activities with you all, because it's such a cool thing, and the furry community is one that is fairly open about mental health.
I have my first shift as a crisis counselor tomorrow evening!!
If you've followed me for a while, you know that I originally went to school for social work before switching to technical writing because my school's program was terribly outdated and I was literally told to get out while I still could by half a dozen active social workers I shadowed/talked to at events... ha.
Since I switched, I stopped a lot of my volunteering because I didn't have time between my full-time job, part-time internships, and full-time education. When I finally graduated and got a real job that has regular hours, I moved with
Robertvarulfur to a house in the middle of nowhere, an hour away from a city large enough to have real volunteer opportunities outside of the 7-5 workday. I felt really guilty/sad/a little worthless for not giving back to the community, and it almost felt like I had picked money (even though I don't make that much... ha) over helping people when I switched career paths.
But! Then I found Crisis Text Line -- which allows you to volunteer pretty much anytime you want 24/7. And it has such a great format. As someone who suffered from anxiety and depression since I was tiny, I never could have called a hotline because I was terrified of speaking to people. This program lets people text in, which makes a huge difference.
Here's a cool TED Talk about it -- https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_lub.....isis_help_line
I'm anxious but excited to start. They had several months of training before they let me jump in, so I feel prepared, but it feels so good to be able to use the stuff I learned in my social work classes.
If anyone is in crisis and feels like they need to talk to someone, definitely use the line. I've seen some of the conversations live, and people seem to really benefit from being able to talk with someone.
Also, if you ever just need to talk to someone and don't want to text/call a hotline, feel free to send me a note and I would be happy to listen and chat in a nonprofessional setting.
If you are interested in volunteering, I highly recommend this place :> You get to do it from your home computer and it's just 4 hours/week.
I have my first shift as a crisis counselor tomorrow evening!!
If you've followed me for a while, you know that I originally went to school for social work before switching to technical writing because my school's program was terribly outdated and I was literally told to get out while I still could by half a dozen active social workers I shadowed/talked to at events... ha.
Since I switched, I stopped a lot of my volunteering because I didn't have time between my full-time job, part-time internships, and full-time education. When I finally graduated and got a real job that has regular hours, I moved with
Robertvarulfur to a house in the middle of nowhere, an hour away from a city large enough to have real volunteer opportunities outside of the 7-5 workday. I felt really guilty/sad/a little worthless for not giving back to the community, and it almost felt like I had picked money (even though I don't make that much... ha) over helping people when I switched career paths. But! Then I found Crisis Text Line -- which allows you to volunteer pretty much anytime you want 24/7. And it has such a great format. As someone who suffered from anxiety and depression since I was tiny, I never could have called a hotline because I was terrified of speaking to people. This program lets people text in, which makes a huge difference.
Here's a cool TED Talk about it -- https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_lub.....isis_help_line
I'm anxious but excited to start. They had several months of training before they let me jump in, so I feel prepared, but it feels so good to be able to use the stuff I learned in my social work classes.
If anyone is in crisis and feels like they need to talk to someone, definitely use the line. I've seen some of the conversations live, and people seem to really benefit from being able to talk with someone.
Also, if you ever just need to talk to someone and don't want to text/call a hotline, feel free to send me a note and I would be happy to listen and chat in a nonprofessional setting.
If you are interested in volunteering, I highly recommend this place :> You get to do it from your home computer and it's just 4 hours/week.
