Volunteer Helpline Operator

Background
With one person dying of suicide every 2.5 days and one suicide attempt every 6 hours,suicide is becoming a major public health concern in Lebanon. For this reason, Embrace has established the first national suicide prevention helpline in the region. Suicide prevention helplines have been implemented globally with tremendous success; helping to decrease suicidality and distress among their callers. Much like these helplines, Embrace Life Line is a specialized telephone service that provides suicide risk assessment, collaborative intervention in life threatening suicidal emergencies, and referrals to community resources and treatment programs.

Helpline Operators
The helpline would not be possible without the help of our dedicated volunteer helpline operators. Helpline operators work hard at answering crisis calls, de-escalating crises, and providing the caller with emotional support. All operators are required to attend the full 3-day intensive Suicide Risk Assessment and Crisis Intervention training. This training helps enhance the operators’ knowledge and skills in active listening, suicide risk assessment, and crisis intervention.

Becoming a Helpline Operator

Applicants must be above the age of 21.  Embrace welcomes applications from various educational backgrounds. All applicants will be screened for eligibility criteria. Short-listed applicants will be asked to come in for a brief 20-minute interview. Interviewed applicants will then be contacted and asked to attend the training after which final selection of the volunteers will take place.

Please note that helpline operators work on a volunteer basis and is therefore unpaid.Volunteers will be asked to commit to serving for a minimum of one year, with each operator covering two 3.5-hour shifts per week. In its first year of operation, Embrace Lifeline will operate from 12 noon until 2 am.

Details of the training (i.e. date, time, and location) will be given to those who have been selected.