hi! that’s the world I work in. I think the biggest thing we can do is first validate what people are going through. judgment and stigma are usually why people don’t get help. so by just being the person who says “god. that sounds really hard. how can i support you?” helps so much 1/2
next know what kind of resources your community has. what’s the crisis line number? what’s a nearby ED that deals with mental health crisis? find your local substance use and harm reduction programs. also maybe look into learning abut emotional cpr. 2/3
The first thing I do is turn off engineer-brain: the part of me that sees a problem and wants to solve it. I try to just be curious and non-judgmental.
Then it's mostly just being genuinely present with the person in crisis. It takes practice to be comfortable around someone else's pain.
There's immense value in just quietly being with someone who's having a hard time: listening to them, not trying to talk them out of or distract them from their feelings. Providing a little bit of emotional safety.
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Then it's mostly just being genuinely present with the person in crisis. It takes practice to be comfortable around someone else's pain.
If you can also turn it off, it helps. Everything.
I can find you a substance-appropriate resource
I can call 911
…?