Ask a Suicide Hotline Manager anything

57 Questions

Last Answer on June 20, 2013

Can a call to a suicide line leave a record of any kind?

Asked by Thinker about 12 years ago

Some record will likely exist for training or research purposes. Depending on whether the hotline is anonymous or not, that record might be de-identified.

870 Votes

This is really interesting, thanks for answering questions! Do callers ever threaten to kill OTHER people, and if they do that, do you have a duty to trace the call and report to police?

Asked by Bridget over 12 years ago

I can't recall that happening off the top of my head. I think a non-anonymous hotline would be required to report a specific, credible threat to the police. An anonymous hotline wouldn't be able to do so, but if the caller specified his (or hers!) or the victim's full name or address, then yeah, there probably would be a legal and moral obligation to do so.

867 Votes

How much training does one have to go through to be a suicide hotline operator and how long does it take? What do you learn in your training sessions? Would love to know as many details as possible about getting into this as a volunteer.

Asked by jwrites over 12 years ago

Each hotline has its own specific training, so you should directly contact a hotline near you. My experience would likely be dramatically different from that of another trainee.

862 Votes

Hello my name is Omar Mercado, and I am writing a proposal for my English class. I was wondering about the average pay for hotline operators, if that can be told?

Asked by Omar Mercado about 12 years ago

In cases where the operators are not volunteers, I would imagine it's typically around minimum wage.

857 Votes

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Are hotline operators allowed to offer religious advice during a call? For example, a Christian operator may feel that extending the gospel to a caller might help. Are they allowed to do that?

Asked by Josh over 12 years ago

No, that would definitely not be allowed and would probably be offensive to non-Christian callers.

854 Votes

Do you have to be at least 18 to be a hotline operator - or older?

Asked by jwrites over 12 years ago

Yes, you do.

852 Votes

Can you just give me an idea of what your training was like? What things you were taught or subjects covered ...basic training concepts? I am currently writing a book with this job in it and just wanted to get an idea of what things are covered.

Asked by jwrites almost 12 years ago

You'd be better off contacting a hotline directly and asking about training. I'm a little iffy about what I should share because I think it could potentially impact readers of this website who might need to call a hotline one day.

850 Votes

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Suicide Hotline Manager

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Can a call to a suicide line leave a record of any kind?

This is really interesting, thanks for answering questions! Do callers ever threaten to kill OTHER people, and if they do that, do you have a duty to trace the call and report to police?

How much training does one have to go through to be a suicide hotline operator and how long does it take? What do you learn in your training sessions? Would love to know as many details as possible about getting into this as a volunteer.

Hello my name is Omar Mercado, and I am writing a proposal for my English class. I was wondering about the average pay for hotline operators, if that can be told?

Also on Jobstr...

Are hotline operators allowed to offer religious advice during a call? For example, a Christian operator may feel that extending the gospel to a caller might help. Are they allowed to do that?

Do you have to be at least 18 to be a hotline operator - or older?

Can you just give me an idea of what your training was like? What things you were taught or subjects covered ...basic training concepts? I am currently writing a book with this job in it and just wanted to get an idea of what things are covered.

Suicide Hotline Manager

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Can a call to a suicide line leave a record of any kind?

This is really interesting, thanks for answering questions! Do callers ever threaten to kill OTHER people, and if they do that, do you have a duty to trace the call and report to police?

How much training does one have to go through to be a suicide hotline operator and how long does it take? What do you learn in your training sessions? Would love to know as many details as possible about getting into this as a volunteer.

Hello my name is Omar Mercado, and I am writing a proposal for my English class. I was wondering about the average pay for hotline operators, if that can be told?

Also on Jobstr...

Are hotline operators allowed to offer religious advice during a call? For example, a Christian operator may feel that extending the gospel to a caller might help. Are they allowed to do that?

Do you have to be at least 18 to be a hotline operator - or older?

Can you just give me an idea of what your training was like? What things you were taught or subjects covered ...basic training concepts? I am currently writing a book with this job in it and just wanted to get an idea of what things are covered.

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