To the right of her open laptop is the large hotline telephone that links Stevie Shuchart with unknown callers who may be suicidal, or stressed out, perhaps isolated — always in crisis.
She grabs the call, which can come on any of four hotlines in Montgomery County, including those sent to the county’s Lifeline by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network.
Shuchart answers with two names: that of the hotline and her hotline alias. She listens intently. Maybe she’ll seek to calm a caller as emotions and stories pour out. Maybe she’ll want to jot a note on her pad about something that may help the caller, or look up resources online or in the EveryMind manual within easy reach. Her goal is to help the caller find an emotional space where their struggles are more bearable right now — and, if they’re interested, to suggest longer-term resources.
A volunteer, Shuchart does this once a week for four hours, sometimes adding another shift. She worked “sometimes three shifts during the height of the pandemic….”
Read the full article at Washington Jewish Week
This article was originally published at Washington Jeweish Week highlighting EveryMind’s Crisis Hotline