By Helen Mays – Lifeline Geelong Community Trainer
Lifeline Geelong is very proud to be part of the Australia-wide network which receives over a million calls per year from people in crisis.
Our contribution is thanks to the wonderful volunteers we have at our centre who commit their time to be there for their community.
Lifeline Geelong is also committed to increasing the capacity of the community to respond to those who need support.
One of the ways we do this is through the provision of training such as suicide intervention, mental health first aid and domestic and family violence response.
A significant project for us over the coming year is to provide a suicide alertness program called safeTALK.
With an estimated five per cent of the population having thoughts of suicide in any two weeks, people trained to be suicide-alert can greatly reduce the risk of someone acting on those thoughts.
SafeTALK is a half-day program which helps participants recognise when someone is at risk of suicide, engage with the person and connect them with resources that can help them choose to live.
Anyone aged 15 or older, who wants to make a difference, can learn the safeTALK steps.
Recent funding from Give Where You Live has enabled Lifeline Geelong to offer this fully-funded three-hour workshop for not-for-profit organisations in the Barwon Region.
Lifeline Geelong recognises that people who work or volunteer for these organisations are often interacting with people who are vulnerable or in difficult circumstances.
It may be that the workers have concerns for someone’s’ safety but are unsure of or fearful of talking about suicide.
Suicide alert people are better prepared to connect people with thoughts of suicide with life-affirming help.
Please contact Lifeline Geelong if you are interested in a safeTALK workshop for your organisation or to discuss other training programs.
For more information, email training@geelonglifeline.org.au or phone 5222 2255.
If you or someone you know is in distress contact Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14 or online with Crisis Support Chat 7pm to 4am.
