Troy Media – By Bob Weinstein
Sal Pena never knows what to expect when he reports for his four-hour shift at the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center Crisis Line in Los Angeles. He usually works the 8 p.m. to 12 p.m. shift. On Friday and Saturdays, the traffic is always heavier; on weekdays, it’s lighter. Pena’s crisis-line schedule varies from week to week. Depending on hotline traffic and supervisory responsibilities, he’ll work anywhere from four or eight hours a week to as many as 30.
Regardless of the shift Pena takes, one thing is certain: Every night is different, and every call is unique. Some nights, the tension and stress mount to intolerable levels. Subconsciously, Pena is primed for the unexpected; his adrenaline races the second he takes a call.
A seven-year veteran with the suicide hotline, Pena, 36, is a shift supervisor and counselor. His first two years were spent working as an unpaid volunteer counselor; then he was boosted to counselor, a paid position.
For the past five years, Pena has worn both hats, which is no small feat, considering he also holds down a full-time job as an account executive at Everbridge, Inc., an emergency-communication-software maker in L.A.
Saying that Pena’s life is crammed full is an understatement indeed. When most working people jam the freeways heading home at the end of the day, looking forward to kicking back and relaxing for the remainder of the day, Pena is getting his second wind and driving to his second job at the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center, a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee sitting in its holder below his dashboard.
Desperate callers see no other alternatives
The anonymous callers who phone the crisis line identify themselves with little more than their first names. They represent a cross-section of humanity, encompassing all races, religions, ages (teenagers to senior citizens) and all occupations.
But they all have one thing in common: They’re desperate, hanging on by a thread, and are seriously contemplating committing suicide because life has gotten the better of them. They see suicide as the only way out of their misery.
The callers are at different stages of the tragic final act. A small number have already started the process: They’ve slashed their wrists or consumed a potentially lethal dose of sleeping pills. Most callers are fighting a fierce inner battle with themselves, says Pena. “On one hand, they’re thinking, ‘I will not kill myself,’ and on the other, they’re telling themselves, ‘Yes, I will kill myself.’ These inner voices are creating havoc and confusion.”
Overall, the call volume in 2009 is appreciably more than it was in 2008. The current financial crisis has pushed thousands to life’s precipice, where they’re seriously contemplating taking their own lives. They’ve either lost their jobs or their homes – often both — and they see no way out of their situation but suicide.
Rigorous training
Pena’s job is persuading desperate people not to kill themselves. And when someone is in a crisis situation and possibly seconds away from slitting his or her wrists or popping an entire vial of sleeping pills or tranquilizers, he’ll spend the entire night on the phone to prevent it from happening if necessary.
Thankfully, after seven years of working on the suicide prevention line, no one has ever taken his or her own life. In fact, since the line was opened in 1958, miraculously there have been only two suicides – a firm testament to the extraordinary work of crisis-line counselors.
Before they’re deemed qualified to work on the crisis line, volunteers must undergo 56 hours of training, or eight hours of training spread out over seven Saturdays. “While the training is intense, about 70 percent of the trainees graduate and begin taking calls on the lines,” says Pena.
They come from all walks of life, and all income and educational levels. They range in age from 21 to their mid-70s. Many are college students. The average counselor stays for one and a half to two years. The high turnover is largely due to school or work demands, which consume most of the counselors’ time. But there are also dedicated counselors who’ve logged more than 25 years.
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