Lifeline bolsters team ahead of holidays
Contact centre took more than 10,000 calls last December
Crisis call centre Lifeline is introducing 100 new counsellors to cope with the Christmas holiday period. The helpline received more than 10,000 calls last December.
It takes an average of six calls a day from people in severe distress — double the amount just three years ago.
Lifeline’s clinical manager Renee Matthews said the number of calls during the holidays typically remained similar — but the nature of those calls was more harrowing and demanded more attention.
“It’s often for people who are usually supported by a counsellor or a psychologist, who are unable to access those services at this time of year,” Matthews said. “We end up supporting them throughout the holidays.”
She described these callers as “high risk”.
They were often dealing with more complex mental health issues, in comparison with Lifeline’s yearround callers.
In preparation, Lifeline is adding about 100 new volunteers and taking on two extra full-time staff working eight-hour shifts each day.
The team was also better prepared in terms of funding, having received “a few big donations” from corporate organisations.
An appeal for donations followed revelations earlier this year that the helpline was missing one in four phone calls because of a funding shortage.
Matthews said it was crucial donations kept rolling in to keep up with demand.
Bolstered funds meant more staff to train volunteers to be “phoneready” over summer.
Counsellor Peyton Wolfgramm began volunteering for Lifeline in February and has since become a fulltime employee.
The motivation to get involved came about after a suicide in her own family, the 32-year-old said.
“I had gone through my own therapy and through that realised I had taonga, or gifts, that could help others in distress.”
Wolfgramm had started to notice a change in the nature of calls and some recurring themes in callers’ concerns as the holidays drew closer.
“Christmas is often associated with time with family, friends and loved ones,” she said.
“And so people are often calling because they don’t have that in their lives.”
Police figures show family harm is at its worst at Christmas.
Over the month of December last year, 559 incidents of “acts intended to cause injury” targeting partners were reported.
This was in comparison to 465 reported incidents in April and 475 calls to police in September.
Christmas is often associated with time with family. Renee Matthews