Finding a light on the horizon when you’re battling a mental illness or in the midst of a personal crisis can be difficult.
With On The Line, help is only a phone call away.
The western suburbs company provides support and counselling services to people in crisis through a range of free, 24-hour crisis lines Australia-wide, including Men’s Line, Suicide Line, Mates in Construction and support lines for veterans and their families.
The service, which has 70 counsellors on staff, takes about 250 calls a day, with family and relationship problems, family violence and potential self-harm among the top issues.
Point Cook’s Linda Kensington recently took on the role of acting chief executive.
Carmel Pardy, who works at the service, said counsellors were in a “privileged” position to help those at their most vulnerable.
“We work with people who are fairly isolated, not just geographically but in terms of their mental illness,” she said.
“They may not have the internal resources to access services. Whether they’ve got social anxiety or are delusional … the spectrum in terms of who we work with is pretty broad.”
Senior clinical educator Jackson Fairchild said there was still a lot of shame and stigma attached to people experiencing mental illness.
“One of the most common themes with our calls is people saying: ‘Is there something wrong with me? Am I crazy?’ Our callers are really amazing people who have coped through often very challenging circumstances.
“Helping them remember that, and how much they’ve survived, is something our counsellors do really well.”
Ms Pardy added: “We sometimes have to convince the clients that their illness is just as legitimate as any physical ailment. Just explaining and reassuring them can be really powerful.”
More information: www.ontheline.org.au
