Non-profit group offers lifeline to people in crisis
Mental health association provides 24-hour counselling service via telephone, face-to-face sessions and emails
PETALING JAYA: As William Shakespeare once wrote: Life is fragile, like a burning candle. In this respect, Life Line Association Malaysia, a non-profit volunteer-based mental health association, has stepped up to help those seeking to keep their flame burning.
The association, located at Setiawangsa in Kuala Lumpur, provides free mental health services through their helpline, facilitated by a group of volunteers and trained mental health personnel.
Suzanne Wong, who leads the Counselling Supervisor Group, said there are a total of 201 Life Line centres in 19 countries.
“We have about 200 professionally trained volunteers who provide services such as counselling, play therapy, growth groups, psycho-education and social welfare to various communities in Malaysia.
“Our helpline offers 24-hour counselling services to the public via telephone calls, face-to-face sessions and emails so that seekers can receive psychological support promptly. We also provide workshops for youths through lectures, growth groups and life camps to improve the mental health of society, and to consolidate the public’s ability to face challenges and help others,” she told theSun.
Other services include play therapy for children and social services for old folks and children in homes.
“We charge a small fee of RM30 for our play therapy group. The money is used to purchase toys for the children who attend these sessions. The concept is to use games as an avenue for the children to overcome psychological distress, and to express their inner feelings and thoughts beyond oral expression. This concept is based on the theoretical framework of Virginia Axline’s non-conductive play therapy theory,” Wong said.
She added that those who wish to volunteer as facilitators would need to go through an eight-month training session before they are allowed to handle calls.
“We provide three stages of training for those interested in becoming volunteers for our helpline. They are given eight months of self-awareness and skill acquisition training. In the third stage, the trainees will observe phone call sessions carried out by their seniors for a certain number of hours.
“After these three stages, which take almost a year, the trainees will be re-evaluated before they are placed on probation for another year after which they will receive an official appointment letter.”
Wong noted that the association holds onto the “95 Spirit” as the core spirit for their service.
“The idea of ‘95’ is derived from the homonym of ‘save me’ in Mandarin, which includes the awareness of ‘self-help’ and ‘rescue.’ ‘Self-help’ refers to self-learning and growth, improving psychological quality to face challenges in life. When the challenges exceed our ability, we also need to know how to call for help and seek external support.
“We believe that in an environment of sincerity, acceptance and empathy, every life can thrive, overcome challenges, and help themselves and others. Undoubtedly, learning ‘self-help’ and to ‘seek help’ is the most essential awareness for us to take good care of both our mental and physical health during times such as today.”
Wong said in 2021, many people benefited from the “seeking help” service.
“Counselling clients increased nearly 40%, reaching 3,613 people. At the same time, online play therapy was also initiated at the end of 2021, to continue to support children and families affected by the pandemic.
“In terms of self-help awareness, the number of beneficiaries from public awareness campaign reached a record-breaking 12,265 people, while media interviews reached 175 sessions,” she added.
The hotline can be reached at 011-3157 1495 or 016-7201 495. Alternatively, one may email them at counselling@lifeline.org.my.