“My favourite part of volunteering is when the caller’s mood improves or when I manage to address their concerns,” she says.
While some callers simply wanted to know more about the COVID-19 situation, others needed help with personal or family crises, or reached out for emotional and practical support to manage challenges associated with their mental health, such as experiencing anxiety attacks, having delusional thoughts, feeling loneliness or having suicidal thoughts, says Deborah.
As Duty Care Officers (DCOs) with the NCH, the volunteers are trained to perform Psychological First Aid (PFA) over the phone.
This includes identifying the callers’ concerns and swiftly evaluating the level of support they require.
Deborah says: “Some callers approach the NCH feeling anxious and unable to calm down on their own. I sometimes practice grounding exercises with them, which can include using their five senses to calm down. For callers who expressed suicidal thoughts, I will carry out suicide risk assessments to decide on the next course of action.”
PFA is a different skillset from counselling, Carina explains. All volunteers took an online course in PFA, picking up skills meant primarily for face-to-face interactions, and also attended a compulsory briefing to learn how to provide PFA over the phone.
Support for One Another
The volunteers at the NCH hail from diverse fields, and all of them share the common goal of lending an ear to those in emotional distraught.
Deborah says: “The teams I volunteer with include individuals from medical and health services, social service agencies, non-profits, private practice – and even individuals who are unaffiliated with any of these agencies. Everyone has different experiences to contribute, and different relevant areas of expertise.”
For both Carina and Deborah, interacting with other like-minded DCOs and exchanging their volunteer experiences have been deeply encouraging.
The network of care for volunteers doesn’t end there. DCOs are also supported by Duty Supervisors who assist in decision-making and mobilising emergency services for callers at imminent risk of harm.