’We really just want to be there to help people’

Although Crisis Line of Will and Grundy Counties closed on Nov. 30, another area hotline is still up and running – and serving.

The Upper Room Crisis Hotline began in 2008 as a service to priests and expanded in 2013 to serve anyone who needs support, Terry Smith, executive director, said.

But the Catholic-based hotline needs more volunteer phone counselors to meet the increased need, Smith said people currently call from all over the U.S. and 30 countries.

And thanks to the pandemic, volunteers can answer those calls through a phone app. Smith said volunteers no longer need to leave their homes to volunteer or live within a certain radius of the actual hotline.

“They don’t need to travel to a location and then travel back home,” Smith said. “It gives us a lot more flexibility, time-wise.”

Volunteers simply need to be Catholic and ready to provide “compassionate, empathetic, nonjudgmental, emotional support and spiritual support” to the callers, Smith said.

Even though the hotline is Catholic-based, callers don’t have to be Catholic – or even believe if God. Anyone needing support is welcome to call, Smith said.

“We really just want to be there to help people,” Smith said.

A mental health background is helpful but not necessary to serve as a phone counselor. The Upper Room provides a comprehensive training program for all its volunteers, a news release from the hotline said.

Instructors are highly qualified, credentialed professionals with experience as university professors and or years of experience in the fields of mental health, education and ministry, the release also said.

Because phone support is now provided remotely, volunteers can live anywhere in the U.S. Smith said. And so can the callers.

“People going through any type of issue or problem can call the hotline,” Smith said.

Smith said the Upper Room Crisis Hotline also provides additional resources should the caller need them, including regular weekly support through a pre-agreed date and time, Smith said.

“We can provide ongoing support until they get through whatever they’re going through,” Smith said.

The upcoming training program is free and will take place over a seven to eight-week period. Each session is two hours and prospective volunteers will attend two sessions each week, from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Thursdays, CST, on Zoom.

A typical shift for phone volunteers is four hours per week, Smith said.

The Upper Room Crisis Hotline is an all-volunteer ministry. Everyone involved is a volunteer: board of directors, administrators, office personnel and phone counselors, the news release said.

To sign up for training or for more information, visit Catholichotline.org or call Smith at 815-727-4367 or 630-988-7395.

People who need support can call the hotline directly: 888-808-8724.