Exploring experiences of a telephone crisis support workplace training program in Australia

Telephone crisis support (TCS) is considered by the World Health Organization to be an integral part of an effective suicide prevention framework. However, as TCS lines worldwide are primarily staffed by volunteers, they frequently experience high staff turnover impacting on their ability to provide crucial crisis counselling to the population. One group that has been identified as potentially lessening staff shortages is university students, who may be attracted to TCS as a way to gain professional experience and qualifications. However, challenges are associated with the recruitment of this cohort, due to the potential impacts working in crisis support may have on the well-being of a group that is identified as being at higher risk of poor mental health. This study used semi-structured interviews, conducted between March and May 2020, to explore university students' experiences of a Crisis Support Workplace Training Program. It included 16 university students who completed (fully or partially) the training programme. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns across the dataset.