Said With Courage

Tag: Suicide Prevention

  • A plateau breaking articulation technique

    A plateau breaking articulation technique

    In suicide counselling I used to struggle to make progress. Over time it got easier to break through plateaus – like this… Through iteration I’ll overcome multiple hurdles. Done correctly the question gets more precise, after a few reps it might look like; ‘How do I answer appropriately when people ask for advice, given that…

  • Acknowledge the thing and tie it in

    I know I have to ask about suicide, but it doesn’t feel right. When I first started it felt so unnatural and uncomfortable, like ticking a box; ‘by the way have you had thoughts of suicide lately?’ Ew. I thought the problem was needing to ask. The real problem was not knowing how to ask.…

  • The CS Survival Guide: What I Wish I Knew For Suicide Prevention

    The CS Survival Guide: What I Wish I Knew For Suicide Prevention

    Introduction  When I sat down to take my first call as a Lifeline volunteer, I thought; “This must be a huge mistake.” Was I really ready? What if I said the wrong thing? My supervisor leaned over and gave me a line I still carry with me to this day: “Just trust the process, Said.”…

  • The Secret Behind My Bulletproof Resilience In Crisis Support

    The Secret Behind My Bulletproof Resilience In Crisis Support

    When I started volunteering in suicide prevention, growth hurt. So badly. Now? My work improves with ease. I used to ask: why is it so difficult to just… get better? Some calls would go super well and I’d feel like I did a great job. Only to connect the dots later and realise I’d projected…

  • EEAAO Is Too Subtle A Sledgehammer

    EEAAO Is Too Subtle A Sledgehammer

    For anyone who didn’t get the hype about Everything Everywhere All At Once, this is for you. You’ll read this essay and know exactly what the big deal is. The film has so much going on, it’s easy to lose the thread amidst the chaos. Kung fu fighting with dildos sticking out of butts (spoiler…

  • How Reflective Practice Improved My Suicide Prevention Skills

    How Reflective Practice Improved My Suicide Prevention Skills

    More than anything, this is what helped me grow. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and hope you can learn from them. This article breaks down how reflective practice systems changed the game for me in suicide prevention and crisis support. Self awareness, skillset growth, competence and confidence all greatly improved. It covers my experience,…

  • Using Abstraction In Suicide Prevention

    Using Abstraction In Suicide Prevention

    There’s a powerful, hidden skill in suicide prevention. Read this article and you’ll be able to practice it in every day conversation – maybe even with people in distress. Who knows, it might help you support someone down from the edge. It’s called ‘Abstraction’. Abstraction is very popular and well understood in other fields like…

  • How To Write With Life Saving Clarity In Digital Crisis Support

    How To Write With Life Saving Clarity In Digital Crisis Support

    In learning suicide prevention there’s a tonne of obstacles and challenges. It’s hard, scary work and you’re here remove some of those obstacles and equip yourself with tools, skills and mindset to lower the barrier for others too. Long term this kind of work – preventing suicide – changes people, changes families, changes communities and…

  • How To Finally Stop Asking ‘Why’ To People In Crisis

    How To Finally Stop Asking ‘Why’ To People In Crisis

    ‘Why do you think he lied to me?’ she asked yet again, as though we hadn’t covered it a hundred times this week. My eyes wanted to roll as far back into my head as they could, I didn’t let them. I’d been here so many times in my life, with my mum, my exes,…

  • 10 Ways Suicide Prevention Work Will Hurt You

    10 Ways Suicide Prevention Work Will Hurt You

    1 >> Comfort. If the comfort zone is where you want to stay, suicide prevention work will challenge that! 2 >> Avoidance. If you don’t want to feel expanded and laid bare to self awareness, suicide prevention work will challenge that! 3 >> Attachment. If you value your attachments to stuff like ego, a saviour…