Lewis Cracknell

Some insights from my time as a SHOUT volunteer from Sept 2020 – March 2024

Understanding my role

One of the first things I learned as a SHOUT crisis volunteer was understanding the role I needed to play in serving the texters in need.

A common misconception that might stop someone from becoming a SHOUT volunteer is the belief that they need to be a qualified doctor or counselor. However, this idea is quickly put aside if you want to move forward in the role.

The main purpose of being a good volunteer is to help guide someone from being in a “hot” moment to a “cooler” state. I vividly remember the visual from training: taking the texter through a five-stage process, where the aim was to move them from a Red (hot) state to a Blue (cooler) state by the end of the conversation.

Your job is to listen and support – not judge or think of solutions.

It’s OK to talk about suicide

One thing I found surprising during training, and later in live conversations, was how openly and proactively we were encouraged to address suicidal thoughts or, in more severe cases, suicidal plans. If someone expressed suicidal thoughts, we had a duty to explore that and work with the texter to ensure their safety.

We followed a well-structured process called the “Ladder Risk Assessment.” The ladder had four steps:

• Thoughts – Does the texter have suicidal thoughts
• Plan – Is there a plan in place?
• Means – Does the texter have access to the means to carry out their plan? This step required extra care to ensure the texter’s immediate safety.
• Timeframe – Does the texter have a specific timeframe in mind?

This systematic approach helped us navigate delicate conversations and keep the texter safe.

Build Rapport

Building rapport with the texter is fundamental to what we did. It establishes trust and creates a safe space for the texter to share their feelings.

The power of communication through written words only

This relates to a previous blog post I wrote about the sheer number of interactions that we face on a daily basis, ‘your-interactions-matter’ many of which are in written form. I quickly realised that despite the form of communication being only text / written word, it was still very important to take time to find my choice of words. And whilst written word is not my favourite method of communication, I had to accept that this was the form of communication being used by the texters.

I had to also remember that these texters were often young, and texting was a lower barrier of entry for them. During the pandemic as an example, 35% of texters were under the age of 18.

source (date range 2018-2020) who-is-texting-shout-and-why

A motto to remember

“You can’t pour from an empty cup”

This motto emphasises the importance of self-care and maintaining your own well-being before you can effectively care for or help others. It’s a message that has stuck with me ever since.

If you want to talk…

Support with suicidal thoughts | Shout 85258 (giveusashout.org)