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When is the crisis really over? Resilience for crisis line staff and teams | Recorded Webinar
December 7, 2022
Northwest MHTTC
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Medical Professional (Physician, Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant)
Mental Health Professional Target Audience Icon
Mental Health Professional (Social Worker, Psychologist, Counselor, MFT)

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE

This is a recording of the webinar held on December 6, 2022; the webinar explores the unique issues facing those doing virtual crisis management and response work such as crisis lines via phone, text, email or chat. Practical information and tools that provide support to people in these roles are enumerated. 

Doing crisis line work can be extremely rewarding, and our field relies on countless people to serve as crisis staff answering phone calls and other messaging tools. The launching of the National 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline heightened the need for staff and leadership who have a unique set of skills. This workforce helps in immediate situations, saves lives and connects people to needed services. It performs crucial crisis intervention, suicide prevention and brief supportive counseling to people in emotional distress. They provide consultation to determine what options are appropriate and triages for safety and further evaluations. Supervisors of crisis call centers provide real-time feedback to staff, ensure exceptional customer service and effective, efficient program operations as well as stepping in for more complex scenarios. All the while, everyone strives to provide a supportive, trauma-informed, and inclusive environment. 

However, many factors contribute to why these roles are challenging. Staff face highly complex topics, severe distress and trauma which can affect their well-being. Job vacancies, insufficient resources, organizational culture and inadequate training can make a difficult role feel impossible. Professional distance and self-care can suffer when hearing crisis after crisis and is exacerbated by a climate unsupportive of staff wellness and by working extra shifts. 

This presentation covered topics related to the establishment and maintenance of healthy boundaries between yourself and the work, strategies for engaging active coping skills that don’t feel like more on your “to do list,” and the various stress response systems, including how to recognize and engage effective coping based on how your brain and body are responding to the stress of the work.  

Goals: 

  • Develop detailed understanding of the ways that you personally may be impacted by the stressors of virtual crisis work

  • Understand how to create a plan for yourself in order to effectively manage stressors that you may be facing

  • Begin to establish and maintain clear boundaries for yourself that act to protect you from additional burnout risks

  • Outline participant needs and priorities for future trainings

 

RESOURCES

FACILITATOR

Kira Mauseth, PhD

Dr. Kira Mauseth

Dr. Kira Mauseth is a practicing clinical psychologist who splits her professional time between seeing patients at Snohomish Psychology Associates, teaching as a Senior Instructor at Seattle University and serving as a co-lead for the Behavioral Health Strike Team for the WA State Department of Health. She also serves on the state’s Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (DMAC). Her work and research interests focus on resilience and recovery from trauma as well as well as disaster behavioral health. She has worked abroad extensively in disaster response and with first responders and health care workers throughout United States. Dr. Mauseth also conducts trainings and provides presentations to organizations and educational groups about disaster preparedness and resilience building within local communities.

 

Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement